How has your sex life changed since you became positive?

I’ve always been a very sexual person striving for long term relationships. At the age of 18, first with John for seven years. My next partner was Matthew for three years, who died of AIDS at the end of 1991.

With all of the prevention information currently available, why do HIV rates continue to increase?

This is a good question that highlights the holes in our community. I like to think of us all as connected like a chain. HIV/AIDS is an opportunistic disease, meaning it gets in where there are opportunities. I see chinks in our link through negative stereotypes.

With all of the prevention information currently available, why do HIV rates continue to increase?

It is indeed true that there's countless amount of HIV/AIDS prevention and education information out there and I do believe that anyone today who's sexually active is well aware of the risks they’re taking having unprotected sex. The world has indeed heard the words HIV and AIDS yet they do not want to give up their good times.

With all of the prevention information currently available, why do HIV rates continue to increase?

I think the rates of infection are rising because many gay young people in our communities are using alcohol and drugs to deal with the shame, secrecy and guilt because of their sexual orientation.

How has your HIV status affected your family members and friends?

My status definitely had a strong affect on my family's life. My oldest brother Leon had AIDS and died in 1991, so there was a lot of fear about HIV/AIDS. As I mentioned in my bio, my mother was the first person I told, and her response set the precedence of my acceptance.

How has your HIV status affected your family members and friends?

Becoming HIV positive taught me and my family that no one is immune to HIV, nor AIDS simply because we do not date outside of our race. My family became more educated about HIV, and I notice that certain members in my family, that use to deal with more than one partner at a time, suddenly stopped and became more committed to one person, as oppose to the multiple partners they were once dealing with.

How has your HIV status affected your family members and friends?

My family members originally were very frightened when I was diagnosed and they threw me out of their house. Now with more contact and information, they are supportive but cautious.

It is clear from recent reports on new infections that the Latino/a community is not being reached with the information it needs to prevent further infections among men who have sex with men, especially among Latino's who do not speak English.. As a gay Latino man, I am very concerned about this problem. Last year I was involved with a HIV group of Latino's called Corazones Unidos in Oakland who made a presentation at a local Latino Catholic Church at the Spanish speaking Masses.

I think the HIV/AIDS program I would develop would (mostly importantly) treat each and every client like a person with real issues and concerns and not like a number on a doctor's client chart. I would be sure that all who enters my program walked away from it more educated, more empowered, and in a more positive frame of mind than how they were when he or she first walked through the door. I would also include an outreach/follow up component to ensure that all my brothers and sisters out there actually walk the walk, and not just talk the talk when it comes to their health.

I have often thought of my ideal HIV/AIDS program and have even picked a location. The premise of my program would be, “if Mohammad won’t come to the mountain top, bring the mountain top to Mohammad.” I see a large facility that could be used for HIV/AIDS care right in the middle of the hood. I see the facility at 35th St. and MLK, where I grew up in Oakland. There are three separate parks there that were created in my youth and as a child, kids from all around would come to play. Back then they had a sand box, slides, and swings. All of that is gone now.