Burundi: 'A Doctor Told Me to Buy My Coffin' - How Eric Turned an HIV Diagnosis Into Activism
Eric, a Burundian-Dutch drag performer living with HIV, uses his art to combat stigma and promote PrEP awareness. His journey from a dire medical prognosis to becoming an activist highlights the intersection of queer identity and public health advocacy.
Why it matters
It sheds light on the ongoing global struggle against HIV-related stigma and the role of unconventional activism in public health.
When Eric was diagnosed with HIV at 26, a doctor told him to plan for his funeral and give up on the idea of children.
Today he's a husband and the father of two HIV-negative sons, and the world's first Burundian-Dutch Drag King living openly with HIV, a title he wears as both armor and invitation. "Through art and drag, I fight stigma and raise awareness about PrEP," he said.
Stigma still shapes who tests, who discloses, who gets treated, and for queer people navigating gender nonconformity alongside HIV, it often comes layered. When Eric the Dragking takes the stage, though, it isn't just a performance. It's resistance. Survival. A rewriting of what it means to live with HIV.
In drag, identity is not just performed; it is reconstructed.
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