"When I was born, I contracted HIV from my birth mother so I’ve never known a life without an incurable STI.  I’ve been open about it since I was seven. While my peers weren’t openly hostile towards me, but they didn’t include me or invite me to playdates or parties. I got invited to one sleepover party when I was about nine. The scars I bear from my fight can be a source of insecurity. The scars on my chest and neck are from a catheter inserted into my heart when I was in a coma as a baby.  The scar from my feeding tube looks like a second belly button and it’s been hard to overcome those insecurities and love my skin. Since my status is right in my bios on social media there is no worrying about disclosing and it usually filters out potential boyfriends when they add me on social and decide then and there if I am someone they want to pursue, and that goes with friendships as well. I still have areas that I am insecure about, like everyone, but HIV is not one of them. My virus is undetectable and cannot be transmitted to anyone else and I can live a fairly long normal life and have children of my own someday."