Martin (Tini) Burns

When Tini/Martin received an AIDS diagnosis in 2007, his life changed...for the better. With medication, the condition was beaten swiftly, and his HIV becoming manageable and – most importantly – completely uninfectious. He became one of 38 million people living with HIV, a community he cherishes and loves. As a writer, he found his authentic voice and as an activist, he knew he had the experience to normalise HIV. He wanted control over how people perceived him, so he labelled himself 'HIV neutral'. HIV left its autograph in his bloodstream and those three letters have given him a new life. He hopes others living, or newly diagnosed, with HIV are given some hope from his journey, because hope is also viral.