A Labour MP announced he was HIV positive in the House of Commons to help break the stigma surrounding the condition.
Lloyd Russell-Moyle, MP for Brighton Kemptown, revealed he has been HIV positive for 10 years during a debate he initiated in the Commons about HIV and World Aids Day.
Speaking in the Commons on Thursday, he said: “Next year I’ll be marking an anniversary of my own: 10 years since I became HIV positive.”
In remarks made before his emotional speech, he commented: “I hope that my coming out serves to defy the stigma around the disease. I hope that more people will understand that effective treatment keeps people who are HIV positive healthy, and it protects their partners. That my story might encourage others to get tested and ultimately begin their treatment earlier on.”
Here's everything you need to know about the MP:
Who is Lloyd Russell-Moyle?
Mr Russell-Moyle was born in Brighton and educated at the University of Bradford and the University of Sussex.
Before entering parliament, he worked at the National Youth Agency, chaired the Woodcraft Folk educational charity and was vice president of the European Youth Forum in Brussels.
He lost out in the 2015 general election for the Lewes constituency and was subsequently elected as a councillor on Brighton and Hove City Council.
He was elected to parliament in 2017, winning with a 20% majority. He now sits on the Committees on Arms Export Controls and the International Development Committee.
Mr Russell-Moyle was infected with HIV when he was 22 years old but did not get a formal diagnosis until around a year later.
According to Pink News, he is one of 45 LGBT MPs.
What is HIV?
HIV, which stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that attacks cells in the immune system which protect our bodies by fighting off infection.
In the UK, most cases of HIV are passed on through unprotected sex.
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (Aids) is the name used to describe a number of potentially life-threatening infections and illnesses that happen when your immune system has been severely damaged by the HIV virus.
People cannot get an Aids diagnosis unless they are already HIV positive.
It’s estimated that 102,000 people were living with HIV in the UK in 2017, according to Public Health England.
