Matthew Hodson

A 🧵 on #AIDS in the 80s/90s: I was 15 when I first had sex with a man. I’d snuck off to London’s Heaven nightclub with the express intent of ridding myself of my ‘gay virginity’, a goal I achieved easily with a visiting American photographer. 1/13

27 years ago, two years after the introduction of effective HIV treatment, the Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco’s lesbian and gay community newspaper, ran ‘No Obits’ as its headline. It was the first edition not to report an AIDS death in almost 15 years.

Who could have predicted that harassment of cis women, who do not conform to feminine stereotypes, in public toilets and changing rooms would increase after the Supreme Court ruling? Pretty much everyone who paused to consider it, that’s who.

I don’t mean to brag* but today I ran further than I have since injury in February 2021 - and pretty fast too. *this is a lie, obviously. #ReturnToFitness

Trump’s funding cuts and restrictions on funding is rolling back the progress made on preventing and treating HIV. “Every delayed test, every missed prevention or treatment opportunity risks lives.” - José M. Zuniga.

😂

And so it came to pass…

👉 Prostate cancer presents earlier and is more advanced in men with HIV. 👉 Women with a lower nadir CD4 count have greater risk of both anal and cervical cancer. New studies on cancer and HIV presented at #EACS2025 suggest new screening strategies are needed.

New portrait by Steven Doyle for his documentary series on people who live with HIV. Photographed at #EACS2025. View the full gallery at: plhivdocumentary.com/participants...

I’m sad to hear that Prunella Scales has died. She and Tim were neighbours to my family. As a child I used to go to their parties and serve food and drinks. Years later we were in a film, Breaking the Code, together. She was wise and witty and kind, still able to charm even as dementia took hold.

New European HIV treatment guidelines recommends that breastfeeding be supported when mothers who wish to do so are able to maintain an undetectable viral load on HIV treatment. An @aidsmap.bsky.social report from #EACS2025.

King Charles lays flowers at a memorial for LGBTQ soldiers. This is the first time a British monarch has attended a public LGBTQ+ event - the old Queen never did.

Yesterday I ran 7km - the furthest I’ve managed, due to illness and injury, since February 2021. Go me! #FitnessJourney