My name is Jorge Diaz-from Los Angeles, CA. Over the past 13 years, I have managed to overcome the complex journey of being brown, gay and HIV positive. Becoming HIV + at the age of 21 certainly wasn’t easy but I have come a long way.  I have been working in the field of social work empowering the Latino LGBT community through clinical direct services as a Program Manger and mental health therapist at Bienestar Human Services. I utilize my platform as a writer to address the social and cultural factors that impact the Latino Gay/Bi/MSM narrative through my monthly articles in Adelante magazine. As an adjunct professor at USC I have the amazing opportunity to bring in current social issues to the classroom in order to create dialogue and change among my graduate students. And as a patient ambassador, I am able to travel our beautiful nation empowering other HIV positive individuals by sharing my story of surviving and living with HIV for the past 16 years.