The world met Lee Thompson, aka “Uncle Poodle,” as the much beloved uncle on TLC’s Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, and he’s now opening up to Atlanta gay magazine Fenuxe about his HIV status, being gay in the South, and his television dreams:
On finding out he’s HIV+: I was adamant about getting my HIV status checked on a regular basis. On March 16, 2012, I tested negative. Then, in May of 2012 my test results came back positive. I knew it had been my boyfriend who infected me. I later learned he had been HIV positive and was not taking medication and had not bothered to tell me about it. I was advised that I should press charges and, hesitantly, I did. It was the right thing to do. He is serving a 5-year sentence. I would have been cool with his HIV status if he had been honest. I don’t have an issue with the disease. I would have known how to protect myself.
On being bullied: I came out in school around 11th or 12th grade. It was definitely not easy for me. On a daily basis I was bullied in one way or another. There was name calling and physical harm all the way to the vandalizing of my car. Being bullied was just a part of my every day.
On being on TV: I want to have my own television show and highlight what it is like being gay in the south. I think I have a good story to tell.
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