Former state Democratic party Chair Bob Poe, a candidate for Central Florida's 10th Congressional District, revealed Thursday that he is HIV positive.
Poe, 61, said he was diagnosed with the virus that causes AIDS in 1998 and is currently in good health. He revealed the diagnosis in an interview with Watermark magazine of Orlando as well as a video posted to his Facebook page.
In an interview, Poe said he felt compelled to reveal his diagnosis after encountering a recently diagnosed HIV-positive woman while campaigning.
She "thought she had a death sentence," Poe said. "I really just wanted to hug her and let her know that I, too, have HIV, and that I've been able to live out all of my hopes and all of my dreams, and she could, too."
If elected, Poe said he believed he would be the first openly HIV-positive member of Congress.
Poe, who is openly gay and married his husband, Kenneth Brown, last year, said he plans to bring attention to the importance of adequate funding for HIV testing, prevention and treatment.
"Probably within the next week or so I'll be announcing a symposium with health officials and community leaders, so that we can really attack this issue, begin to get more people tested and diagnosed and more people treated," he said.
HIV cases have spiked in Florida in recent years. Statewide, cases have risen each year since 2012. Through November, Orange County had the third-highest total in the state last year, behind Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Florida was second in the nation in new HIV diagnoses in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Poe said he worries that the state's growing heroin epidemic will only make the problem worse.
"We're going to see even more infection rates, and we have to address this problem," he said. "The problem exists because it's in the shadows and because people fear sharing their stories about it."
A radio industry veteran and member of the Orlando Magic's first management team, Poe was diagnosed two years before he became chair of Florida's Democratic party. He said he doesn't know how he contracted the virus but still remembers his fear.
"It was a very scary time," he said. "I remember, when I got the diagnosis, it was very difficult to believe. It was like getting the air knocked out of you."
He later revealed his diagnosis to John Morgan, a longtime friend and Democratic donor.
"I was just floored. The first thing I thought was, 'Are you dying?'" the Orlando attorney recalled. "I know [HIV-positive basketball legend] Magic Johnson, and I know how well he's done, but I was still just kind of knocked out of my shoes."
Poe said he is not concerned about how the announcement could affect him politically.
"I had to go through that decision-making process. There are some people who have told me that this would be very politically damaging to my political career… but if it was, so be it," Poe said.
Poe faces a crowded Democratic primary field for District 10, which also includes state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, former Orlando police Chief Val Demings and attorney Fatima Fahmy.
"I wish him all the best," said Fahmy on Thursday. She added that the state's rising HIV diagnosis figures highlight "the importance of having universal health care for everyone."
Thompson also said she supports increased funding for HIV detection and treatment, noting that she sponsored a 2015 bill that allows doctors to more easily conduct routine tests for the virus.
Court-ordered redistricting recently shifted the district from Republican-leaning to heavily Democratic, prompting incumbent Republican Rep. Daniel Webster to run instead in District 11. Two Republicans have also filed to run: Thuy Lowe of Sorrento and Geoffrey Michael LaGarde of Jacksonville.
If elected, Poe said he believed he would be the first openly HIV-positive member of Congress.
Poe, who is openly gay and married his husband, Kenneth Brown, last year, said he plans to bring attention to the importance of adequate funding for HIV testing, prevention and treatment.
"Probably within the next week or so I'll be announcing a symposium with health officials and community leaders, so that we can really attack this issue, begin to get more people tested and diagnosed and more people treated," he said.
HIV cases have spiked in Florida in recent years. Statewide, cases have risen each year since 2012. Through November, Orange County had the third-highest total in the state last year, behind Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Florida was second in the nation in new HIV diagnoses in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Poe said he worries that the state's growing heroin epidemic will only make the problem worse.
"We're going to see even more infection rates, and we have to address this problem," he said. "The problem exists because it's in the shadows and because people fear sharing their stories about it."
A radio industry veteran and member of the Orlando Magic's first management team, Poe was diagnosed two years before he became chair of Florida's Democratic party. He said he doesn't know how he contracted the virus but still remembers his fear.
"It was a very scary time," he said. "I remember, when I got the diagnosis, it was very difficult to believe. It was like getting the air knocked out of you."
He later revealed his diagnosis to John Morgan, a longtime friend and Democratic donor.
"I was just floored. The first thing I thought was, 'Are you dying?'" the Orlando attorney recalled. "I know [HIV-positive basketball legend] Magic Johnson, and I know how well he's done, but I was still just kind of knocked out of my shoes."
Poe said he is not concerned about how the announcement could affect him politically.
"I had to go through that decision-making process. There are some people who have told me that this would be very politically damaging to my political career… but if it was, so be it," Poe said.
Poe faces a crowded Democratic primary field for District 10, which also includes state Sen. Geraldine Thompson, former Orlando police Chief Val Demings and attorney Fatima Fahmy.
"I wish him all the best," said Fahmy on Thursday. She added that the state's rising HIV diagnosis figures highlight "the importance of having universal health care for everyone."
Thompson also said she supports increased funding for HIV detection and treatment, noting that she sponsored a 2015 bill that allows doctors to more easily conduct routine tests for the virus.
Court-ordered redistricting recently shifted the district from Republican-leaning to heavily Democratic, prompting incumbent Republican Rep. Daniel Webster to run instead in District 11. Two Republicans have also filed to run: Thuy Lowe of Sorrento and Geoffrey Michael LaGarde of Jacksonville.
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