“I was traveling all over the country, and then in March, it just stopped. “I never realized until COVID, how much my public persona fueled my emotional status,” said Townsend. It was their first step towards increasing the visibility of Black gay men living with HIV over 50 and ensuring they continued to have a sense of community.įor Nathan Townsend, 66, a THRIVE SS board member and public speaker, the temporary disruption of The Silver Lining Project by the pandemic had an impact both personally and professionally. Reid tells The Reckoning that in the beginning stages of what would ultimately become “The Silver Lining Project” through a grant awarded by Gilead in 2018, the men initially connected for a photoshoot arranged by Program Coordinator Darryl “DC” Branch, via Facebook Messenger. And I started a group called Mature Men of Color.” “And so I walked out of there and I said, okay, I can do this. Was he talking to me? I know nothing about this,” said Reid.
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“I said, I don't see anything for guys my age. Reid, the Director of Programs at Thrive SS, an Atlanta-based non-profit organization dedicated to providing support to Black gay/bisexual men living with HIV, recalls the moment he was called to action by Thrive SS Executive Director, Larry Walker, to create a space that reflected his experience as an older Black gay man living with HIV. But his story would not mirror those of his friends whom he laid to rest, instead, it would become the impetus he needed to co-create “ The Silver Lining Project,” a group that would impact his life and the lives of Black gay men living with HIV, particularly those over 50 who are often rendered invisible in the broader Black gay community.
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It would be another eight years, in 1997, before Reid would learn that he acquired HIV.