In an essay for The Hollywood Reporter, the Emmy Award-winning star of Pose disclosed that he was diagnosed with HIV in June 2007, just a few months after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
Assisted by Pose creator Ryan Murphy for support, Porter said the “shame of that time” compounded with the shame that had already accumulated in his life silenced him from speaking out, and that he’s lived in silence for 14 years. “HIV-positive, where I come from, growing up in the Pentecostal church with a very religious family, is God’s punishment,” explained Porter. “For a long time, everybody who needed to know, knew — except for my mother. “I was trying to have a life and a career, and I wasn’t certain I could if the wrong people knew.