HIV Positive: Read The Fine Print!

I have this T-shirt. It's one of my favorites because it is so comfortable. I wear it a lot, but it is not without it's complications. Sometimes they are annoying, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always instructive.

The shirt says in big letters "HIV POSITIVE", and in smaller letters "AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland". It was part of an awareness campaign that the task force carried out a couple of years back to get people talking about HIV in the community. (So I don't confuse anybody, I am not HIV positive--through no fault of my own, I assure you.) The shirt was a gift from my friend Nick. It's another reason why I love it.

Today I had a rather typical encounter while wearing it in a local Walgreen's Pharmacy. I was looking for Kleenex. I asked a young man working there who was stocking shelves where I might find them. A nice looking young African American man with long dreadlocks, he was very pleasant in directing me toward my query. I got a definite sense that he was "family".

When I went to purchase my items, the same young man was working the register. I was next in line. He glanced up and saw me. After a second, His smile changed slightly. When I stepped up to the counter and laid my items out, he did not seem to want to make eye contact, and he handled my items with greater care than he had the customer in front of me. He was exceedingly polite, punctuated every statement with a "sir." He hadn't referred to the man before me as "sir" a single time. He gave me a bag without charging me for it (county law requires a 5¢ tax on all bags). And he handed it to me in such a way so that our hands wouldn't touch. (He kind of held it up to me like I would have a bag of Roméo's "business", if you get my meaning.)

When I said, "Thank you," he finally made eye contact.

He said with all the emotion of someone saying good-bye to a dear friend for the last time, "You're welcome, sir. Have a good day, sir."

I just smiled and walked away. Maybe someday we can have a meaning conversation about assumptions and unfounded fears and prejudice. I'm sure he could teach me a lot.