“RuPaul’s Drag Race” star Trinity K. Bonet had one of the season’s most heartwarming moments to date during last night’s episode of “Untucked” when she revealed to her “Drag Race” competitors that she’s HIV-positive. And shortly after the show aired, NewNowNext posted an interview with Trinity about her status and life as an HIV-positive queen.
In the interview, Trinity reveals that she learned she was HIV-positive in 2012 and although having the disease was certainly a shock to her, she says it’s actually given her a newfound lust for life.
“It was scary, but I wasn’t ‘boo-hoo, feel sorry for me’ about it. I felt like, in a way, it was God’s way of telling me I’m in control of my future. I made some bad decisions but now I have the control to take care of myself. Learning I had HIV just put a fire under my ass to accomplish things. And I’m in great health. There are people living with much worse,’ she said.
According to the Atlanta drag queen, she never planned on coming out to her cast mates, but when the show began taping she realized she would probably tell them at some point, she just wasn’t sure when. But what she was sure of is that she wanted her moment of truth to have meaning for viewers who were also living with HIV.
“It was really so that I could help someone else going through the same thing. And I wanted my fans to understand that their idols aren’t superheroes. You can go through what I’m going through and not be scared,” Trinity explained.
Trinity added that she wants viewers of the show to understand that everyone has their own set of obstacles that they’re dealing with, but the path to success is to use the lessons from those hardships to your advantage.
“I want people to remember that we’re all human — we all go through things and deal with things differently. I’m a fighter, a survivor. Ive been through more than people can possibly know. My life has really just begun,” she said.
Well, we commend Trinity for opening up about her status with the world and helping to tear down the stigma surrounding the disease. And, hopefully, her story helps others to realize that HIV is not mark of shame or a death sentence and that there is an abundance of life beyond the disease. –nicholas robinson
