Activist and ally, Greg Mathis, Jr. talks about what made him live authentically in the public eye, and why HIV is part of his message.
The following is a transcript of the conversation between Karl and Greg Mathis, Jr.
GREG
When I say you equals you, you’re actually want to listen to me because you relate to me and you trust me.
KARL
Hello there, welcome to +TALK on +LIFE where we’re all about turning positive into a plus. And a man who’s been doing that and is a great ally to us in the HIV community, Greg Mathis Jr. joins me.
GREG
You know, it’s my first time here and it is beautiful, first of all-
KARL
Isn’t it?
GREG
I love your space.
KARL
What was that moment where Greg Mathis Jr. found his voice?
GREG
Yeah.
KARL
To stand up and speak out?
GREG
Yep. So I will say this. My voice has always been there. I was just afraid to let it come through. A lot of me shrinking myself, even though I was in politics, working on the things I was passionate about, I was always afraid to be in front because I knew I had the secret I was hiding. I knew that I didn’t want to tell people about my sexual orientation. So I wasn’t able to be the fuller version of myself. Finding my voice came through authenticity. Me being who I am, listening to who I am, what I care about, and not telling myself no, not allowing other people to tell me no, and really going through that journey of self-discovery of what’s important to me once I was able to allow myself to be me.
KARL
And what’s that feel like?
GREG
Liberating. Very liberating. It just feels, it feels like the world is my oyster now. Where maybe before it felt like I was just living.
KARL
Don’t you wish everyone could feel that?
GREG
I do. And that’s part of why I’m so passionate about this work too because I think that we all deserve that liberation.
KARL
So you’ve had kind of a front-row seat to what HIV stigma does to a human being. And in the case of your uncle who didn’t want to talk about it or any of that. Was any of that, did any of that stigma kind of permeate through to you as far as keeping you in the closet?
GREG
100%, because as courageous and outspoken as my uncle was, I mean, he would like, if anybody said something about him, he would cuss ’em out, plain and simple, like it was no question about it. He spoke his mind and he was ready to defend himself no matter what. But watching how many times he had to defend himself, how difficult it was for him to navigate life and just be a person, just be himself, it discouraged me. I mean, who wants to go through their life worried about how people are gonna treat them every turn of the corner, because of who they are. And so the stigma is only making this situation worse. The more that we can have open conversations about HIV, about sexuality, about sex itself, which I know you do a lot of great work talking about, the safer we can all be.
KARL
Yeah.
GREG
And so I think that’s part of the problem is, you know, the stigma that pushes people like me in the closet and not being able to talk.
KARL
Well, going back to you, you know, saying your voice as your weapon, and the fact that you have worked on The Hill, and you have worked in policy and things like that. Let’s talk about, sort of, the inside politics a little bit. When it comes to, whether it’s criminalization around HIV or medical equity, making sure that everyone has access to, you know, PrEP and HIV antiretrovirals if they test positive. How important is my voice, Greg? How important is your voice?
GREG
I think it is one of the most important things that you can do. The most important things. I worked on Capitol Hill for 10 years. Sat behind the desk where folks will come in every single day, asking for certain things. More often than not, it’s the people who can afford to hire big fancy lobbyists to come and tell us what they need. More often than not, those things are not, I don’t know the best way to say this, but I’ll say, in the best interest of the people.
KARL
They’re in the best interest of the corporations-
GREG
Of the company, and so-
KARL
Who spent the money to fly someone on their jet.
GREG
Absolutely. And so you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t find a way to use your voice as your weapon. ‘Cause I promise you other people are, and that’s how resources in this country are divided up. By people who use their voice to ask for what they want. And that’s really what I mean when I say that. And now, more often, or more than ever, we all have the opportunity of social media. I mean, as bad as social media can be, I think it is one of the most useful tools we have when we talk about advocacy in this day and age. Because you are putting your views, your thoughts, your voice and your weapon, out to the entire world when you’re talking. And I think if you care about something, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not using that particular channel to talk about what you care about. But if that’s not your thing, find a way to use your voice, talking to people, talking to your neighbor, taking someone to vote with you when a critical issue is on the ballot.
KARL
How does the current criminalization laws affect someone’s decision to go and get tested or get on treatment?
GREG
Well, I think it’s one thing with human nature and what appears to be the case. And what we’re saying is that when something’s stigmatized, when you say it’s bad, who’s going to want to go and expose themselves to that level of embarrassment? People don’t wanna go to that clinic because they don’t wanna have people gossiping about them. A lot of folks don’t have the information that this is lifesaving care. It’s not, you know, that HIV is not a death sentence. You know, that’s what the stigma will tell you also. And so if you believe that something you have is a death sentence and your life is over, you’re less inclined to take care of yourself.
KARL
So again, it goes to the point, we’ve got to use our voices.
GREG
We’ve gotta use our voices.
KARL
To change higher up.
GREG
I believe that one of our biggest fights right now when it comes to HIV, is using our own voice to spread the knowledge that exists. That the new science, that A, HIV is not a death sentence. We have so much good technology, so much good new treatments and medication in place that can prevent the transmission of HIV. And so when you think about the fact that you can A, treat people to live a very long life, you can prevent transmission of this disease, 100% prevention, you can end this epidemic with the right third leg, which is the community work to make sure people know. And that comes to using your voice.
KARL
I just want to sort of close out on PrEP again, real quick. Is there a hesitancy in the Black gay men to use PrEP, and I go back to the stigma thing.
GREG
Absolutely.
KARL
Because-
GREG
There’s hesitancy in me.
KARL
Because is it the stigma because of it?
GREG
It’s partially stigma, but it’s also partially that African Americans, for me as an African American, I have an inherent distrust of the healthcare system. And even as, you know, an educated Black man, I still think 2, 3, 4, 5, times, before I put something from the pharmaceutical industry in my body. Partially because I do know what happened with the Tuskegee experiments. I do know that there, you know, has been a history, and not just this country, but the world of experimenting on marginalized communities. But that’s why I know it’s so much more important to do this work. Because if I’m worried, and I know that when you really look at the science and the data that this stuff is safe, it’s effective and it works and it can end in an epidemic, but I’m still scared? Then I can only imagine what other people are going through. So that’s why I try and talk to my friends about it and do the best that I can to educate people face to face, as well as on social media.
KARL
Do you think that’s why messaging like, you equals you, is struggling to gain momentum in your community?
GREG
I think it falls on deaf ears because, and it goes back to what we talked about before, you equals you can oftentimes be pushed from a very high level, where it needs, you equals you, it’s going to sound different to somebody from the Black community coming from you, than it is going to sound coming from me.
KARL
Right.
GREG
Or than it’s gonna come sounding from some other Black man that might-
KARL
Right.
GREG
Speak to another population of Black men that I can’t reach.
KARL
Yeah.
GREG
So I think that’s why we really have to do the work to make sure that when we look at this epidemic moving forward, we’re investing directly in the community work that’s being done. When I say you equals you, you’re actually going to listen to me because you relate to me and you trust me. And I think that’s where we really gotta take a closer look at.
KARL
Greg Mathis Jr., it’s been a treat. Thank you so much.
GREG
It’s been a pleasure.
KARL
That is gonna do it for this episode of +TALK. If you want more information about anything we’ve discussed, check out the website pluslifemedia.com. Be sure to follow us across social media platforms, we are @pluslifemedia. Until next time, take care of yourself. Be nice to one another. Hug somebody, see ya.