When he was diagnosed with HIV in 2010, Kevin Maloney said he wasn't going to stay silent about it.
"I felt like I needed to speak up about being HIV positive and put a face and a voice to it," Maloney said.
Now, he is helping others to do the same.
Maloney is behind the grassroots awareness project RiseUpToHIV and the recently launched "My Positive Message" social media video campaign, www.facebook.com/RiseUpToHIV/videos.
The "My Positive Message" campaign is calling for one-minute personal video messages of "love, hope, strength and wisdom" about people's experiences living with or affected by HIV in an effort to "encourage, educate and empower others."
Submitted videos will be shared to RiseUpToHIV's combined social-media network of 35,000, and Maloney said TheBody.com, a leading resource for HIV/AIDS with 15 million visitors each year, will also share some of the videos.
Maloney hopes to achieve one million combined video views by World AIDS Day on Dec. 1.
Maloney said he wants to tackle the stigma surrounding being HIV positive.
"When it comes right down to it, it's a manageable condition these days, but so much stigma is still attached to those three little letters," he said. "The World Health Organization site says that stigma is the leading cause for people not getting tested, seeking care or getting treatment.
"The stigma is never going to end if people don't say anything about it. My hope is that people begin, not just through my campaign - there are other people doing amazing work - it's going to take people rising up and standing out. My phrase is 'rise up, stand out, speak up.' That is the key to ending HIV stigma."
The "My Positive Message" campaign is the second social media campaign Maloney has launched.
In 2013, he created the "No Shame About Being HIV+" campaign, which ran until earlier this year.
That first campaign featured photos and stories, also posted on the RiseUpToHIV Facebook page.
"I realized that the move is more toward video on social media and I wanted a campaign that went in that direction," Maloney said. "Instead of a long form story campaign, I wanted quick snapshots of people living with HIV, this is us, what we look like, let's dispel the stigma and shame that surrounds HIV. So that is this new campaign."
Maloney said the first campaign was very successful and he expects the "My Positive Message" campaign to be even more successful.
"The videos are so empowering and inspiring. They leave me in tears some times," he said. "For instance, in some of the stories and videos people are coming out as HIV positive for the first time and that sends shivers down my spine."
Maloney said he especially hopes the videos reach young people who live in areas without a lot of community support.
"I'm from a small town and I think back to that small town mentality, if I'd been diagnosed in a small town I wouldn't have known what to do," he said.
Maloney said videos should be no more than one minute in length, recorded in a bright space—natural light is best—and should be honest, encouraging, uplifting and positive in tone.
"I want people to feel relaxed and have fun," he said.
Message your video to the RiseUpToHIV Facebook page www.facebook.com/RiseUpToHIV. Videos can also be submitted via email, mypozmsg@riseuptohiv.org or through text at 614-800-8660.
Check out the current submissions at www.facebook.com/RiseUpToHIV/videos .
