This article is serious...


A T-shirt tells one man's story:
Believe Dhliwayo helps immigrants deal with HIV

Aug. 12, 2006. 11:30 AM
MOIRA WELSH
STAFF REPORTER
The Toronto Star

Among AIDS activists, there is a term that describes the physical signs of HIV medication, the gaunt cheeks, the upper body fat, the slow nausea-induced gait.
They call it the Scarlet Letter.

For those who bear it, the stigma is inescapable. Many retreat into depression and isolation, worn down by the fear in the eyes that settle upon them.

One man, Believe Dhliwayo, has taken a different approach, similar to the Puritan heroine in The Scarlet Letter, who took ownership of the red `A' — a letter that marked her as an adulteress and was pinned to her chest — by embroidering it with shiny gold thread. Dhliwayo wears a T-shirt emblazoned with huge letters, "HIV POSITIVE."













"Some of my friends say, `Oh. Oh. I cannot hang out with you. Some called me and said, `You really embarrassed me.' Strangers look at me from head to toe. Some pointed. Some said, `Look at that.' You can see a lot in their expressions," Dhliwayo says. "To me, it is a sign of the inadequacies of addressing issues around the stigma."

For years, Dhliwayo worked as an AIDS activist in Zimbabwe, a country that has been devastated by the disease. Now 35, he says he became infected with HIV by having sex with a woman when he was a student away from home for the first time. He is now married, the father of three children, with a wife who is also HIV-positive.

For activists, especially those who fight for the rights of homosexuals, Zimbabwe is not a pleasant place. Dhliwayo requested refugee status in Canada last fall and moved to Toronto, where he became involved in the People With AIDS Foundation.

Canada started testing new immigrants for HIV in 2002, and many people coming from countries where AIDS is prevalent have tested positive. Dhliwayo has known for 11 years that he is HIV-positive but went through the same testing program.

He said he has spoken to many HIV-positive newcomers to Canada who feel lost.
"I am talking about the need for effective psychological counselling to prepare people to learn their (HIV) status. When someone tests positive, their life changes forever. It is very intimidating to come to a new country, and then learn they have this virus in their body. People have to understand how very stressful this can be."

Survival, for Dhliwayo, turns on the ability to live a spiritual life and move past the ignominy surrounding the disease.

"I have now accepted that I am HIV-positive. That means I have got a tiny little virus in my system which is battling to manifest itself, but, okay, here are the rules of the game. If I eat well, I don't get stressed out, I can suppress it.

"I had to plan what I want to do in life, and I want to fight the stigma. Because the truth is, life goes on."