It made me think more about my encounter with the lovely woman from the yoga retreat. I realized even though I knew my own status at the time, I never bothered to ask about hers. I texted her to see how she had been. Our texting quickly turned into a phone call, and eventually, I asked her what I really wanted to know:
“So, this might seem random, but I was wondering if you had been tested before or after our night together, and if you know your status?”
“I appreciate you bringing it up. It’s actually been a year since I’ve been tested, so I know I’m well overdue.”
“There’s this radical self-care event happening. They offer free anonymous HIV testing for African, Caribbean, and Black women. Want to go together?”
“I’d love to.”
These stories are not the stories of the people in the photos and do not depict the health status of any individuals in the images.
