“There’s a certain hierarchy of masculinity in the Latin culture,” Omar explains. Instead, he was surprised by their reaction-they stopped talking to him and didn’t want to have anything to do with him anymore.Ī reason for such behavior is rooted in religion and religious beliefs, in particular when it comes to the Latin culture. They all grew up together, and he thought that they would understand and accept him. Omar was seventeen when he came out as gay to a handful of very close friends. For one, you figure out who your real friends are. He also realized that, on the other hand, coming out has its advantages. At an early age he realized that it’s difficult for someone to come out as gay in the Latino community. Omar, himself, is bilingual, fluent in both English and Spanish. Omar grew up in Miami’s Latino community, the child of Cuban parents. But he still didn’t tell anybody about his HIV, not even his family. “It should have never been my resolve, but at the moment it made sense because it was an easy fix.” Eventually he went to rehab and got clean. Only he wasn’t fine, and instead of taking his doctor’s advice, he self-medicated with drugs and alcohol. His doctor advised him to see a therapist, but Omar insisted that he was fine. “It helps you escape reality,” Omar comments on the advantages of such a treatment, “because taking a pill every day is a constant reminder that you’re sick.” On the other hand, that daily reminder helps patients stay ahead of the virus and remain undetectable. Nowadays, even better meds are in the pipeline, about to become available-the much-anticipated one-injection-a-month medications, for example. Eventually, new and better medications became available. Omar was on Atripla for two or three years.
He then adds, “The guys on PrEP don’t need the pill to survive. “After I became HIV-positive, I went through all the phases-self-hatred, self-loathing-but I never missed my medications because of fear of dying,” Omar confesses. To this day he cannot sleep without sleeping pills. “I was driving to work and had to pull over and call my friends to them to come pick me up, because I felt like I was drunk and high, and seeing lights and colors.” But then again, while taking Atripla at night, he soon discovered that it caused insomnia. “One time I took it in the morning,” Omar explains.
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But Atripla had its pros and cons, and a long series of side effects, such as hallucinations hence, patients had to take the medication at night. The doctor eventually put him on Atripla, the first once-a-day pill that became available in 2007. He still distinctively remembers how he received the news.ĭuring the early to mid-2000s, doctors didn’t start HIV patients on medications right away, but rather waited to see how the patient’s body responded to the virus. Once back at the doctor’s office, they sat him down and told him that he had tested positive for HIV. The results were back and the doctor could not discuss them over the phone. He remembers that they called him as he was already on his way home. Omar went to get tested for HIV and got his answer pretty much right away. It was June and there was no cold virus out. I got all the symptoms-the cold, the chills, all that stuff. I remember that at the time I that something very bad was happening to me, but I was high on drugs and couldn’t quite think straight.” He falls silent for a moment then goes on.
By then was so controlled, I was just thinking that it’s not going to happenĪnd yet it did happen, and he knows exactly when and where and why.
I was aware of HIV, but I was nonchalant about it. “When I was in my twenties, I lived in Los Angeles for about six years. “I’m thirty-nine years old, born and raised in Miami,” Omar begins. We decide to pick up the conversation at a later date, and plan to get together in my studio. Listening to Omar’s story, I realize that he is not only a friend in need, but also an activist we all need-a quiet activist, that is, who wants to remain quiet no more. We are at a friend’s party and find our way away from the crowd, so that we can chat. He has a big heart and a warm smile that he always carries on his face. I have a story for you,” my friend Omar Garcia says. Omar Garcia sounds off about the effects of machismo in the Latin culture, dating while HIV-positive, and the generational gap in the gay community