Through Positive Eyes is a collaborative photo-storytelling project by 130 people living with HIV and AIDS in 10 cities around the world, created by UCLA Art & Global Health Center and Gideon Mendel. We have shared Marc’s story and some of his photos from this project here, with kind permission of Marc and the project.
I tried to remember what it felt like to be negative as a young gay man and couldn’t. I probably had a year of living gay and HIV-negative. You know, I was seventeen when I was diagnosed. I had had three boyfriends.
I was very fortunate in that I was able to tell my mom, who was the most unbelievable support. I remember sitting down at the table in floods and floods of tears, trying to get the words out, and she leaned over and calmly said, “You might be knocked over by a bus tomorrow, but with this I know what to do, I know that I can take care of you. So stop your tears, stop your crying, we’ll get through it.” I come from a very strong Jamaican background. You have to be a man. You have to stand up. And I kind of stood up to HIV. That’s what I did. It’s not going to take me out.
I run a peer-mentoring program. I recruit, train, and manage other people who live with HIV to provide one-to-one support to positive people. It is challenging and it’s really, really rewarding. It’s a passion of mine. I love it. I feel like I’ve got some sort of balance in my life now. Day-to-day life is pretty chill. I’ve got a really close-knit circle of friends, black gay men of a certain age, who have all been together for twenty-odd years.
Most days I spend time with my special tree. I noticed it a couple of years ago when it was in full bloom. It touched me because it wasn’t perfect, yet it was so beautiful. I share that space with my dog, Travis, who really did save my life from going down a rabbit hole of drinking and drugs. He just filled my life with happiness. We’re up every single morning. Rain or shine, 365 days a year. We’re in the park and we’re walking.
I like being solo right now because I’m finding myself and I’m quite happy in that space. It’s not a bad space to be.
Image Copyright: Through Positive Eyes, 2015
Image Description: A person wearing a black top and blue trousers is sitting on a chair in a garden, looking to the right at a white dog, staring back.
Image Copyright: Through Positive Eyes, 2015
Image Description: The back view of a person wearing a white sleeveless top standing in a kitchen with orange walls and pale cupboards. There is food cooking on the top of the oven in the left of the photo.
Image Copyright: Through Positive Eyes, 2015
Image Description: A person wearing dark glasses and in a white t-shirt, sat up in bed, reading a book.
Image Copyright: Through Positive Eyes, 2015
Image Description: One person in a blue shirt is pouring water in to a cafetière on the table, next to two mugs and a plate of biscuits. Another person in a dark top, sits across the table with their arms crossed, holding a mobile phone in their right hand. Both people are smiling.
Image Copyright: Through Positive Eyes, 2015
Image Description: A person wearing a white top, colourful scarf and glasses faces the camera, with their arm up, holding the hand of another person. Only the arm and hand of the other person is in view, wearing a wooden bracelet.
Image Copyright: Through Positive Eyes, 2015
Image Description: The arm and shoulder of a person in a blue shirt, having a blood taken by a health practitioner wearing white gloves. Their arm forearm has a visible tattoo, and rests on a white cushion. A bowl with vials and a yellow hazardous waste bucket is on the table in the background, on which the practitioners arm rests.
Capturing Chronic Illness 