Marvelyn Brown

Last updated

Marvelyn Brown
Born (1984-05-07) May 7, 1984 (age 40)
Nashville, Tennessee
Occupation(s)Writer and activist
Website www.marvelynbrown.com

Marvelyn Brown (born May 7, 1984) is an African-American author and AIDS activist. She is the founder of Marvelous Connections, an HIV/AIDS organization founded in 2006. She wrote the autobiography The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful and (HIV) Positive, [1] which tells her story as a young heterosexual woman living with HIV. She has delivered public speeches and made public appearances in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, Jamaica, Mexico, the Virgin Islands, South Africa, Tanzania, and Rwanda. [2]

Contents

Early life

Brown was born on May 7, 1984, in Nashville, Tennessee. She describes in her autobiography that she had regular clashes with her mother, but the two have since reconciled. [3] She has two half-siblings with whom she keeps in contact, but has not actually met them in person due to them living across the country from her. [3]

HIV diagnosis

Having little knowledge on HIV, Brown was unaware that the disease could be contracted through heterosexual sex. She was a healthy track and basketball athlete but began showing symptoms of an unknown illness that became critical enough to put her in an intensive-care unit. Doctors were unable to determine the cause of her illness, and Brown began to wonder if she had contracted HIV. She was diagnosed HIV-positive thereafter at the age of 19 in 2003, and discovered she had contracted the virus from her boyfriend at the time. In an interview with The Body, Brown stated "How did I not know that the virus was sexually transmitted? I felt I had been robbed by my community, my school and my church. The mantras I had heard over and over again growing up — 'Don't do drugs; don't get pregnant; don't smoke' — suddenly seemed so worthless. Never had someone mentioned the possibility of me, Marvelyn Brown, contracting HIV from unprotected sex. I had seen it as something only Africans or gay men got." [4]

HIV/AIDS activism

Her humanitarian work earned her a 2007 Emmy Award for Outstanding National PSA, and she won the Do Something Award in 2009. She was inducted into The Heroes In The Struggle Photo Exhibit by The Magic Johnson Foundation and The Black AIDS Institute in 2010 and named a Modern Day Black History month hero by BET and was honored by the New Jersey NETS in 2011. She has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show , America's Next Top Model , CNN, MTV, BET, and The Tavis Smiley Show . [5] [6] [7] She has also appeared in Newsweek , [8] Ebony Magazine , [9] and Real Health magazines. [10] Her public-service announcement for Think MTV won an Emmy Award. [11] Brown was named one of the Top 25 Heroes of the past twenty-five years of the AIDS epidemic, alongside Alicia Keys, Magic Johnson and Phill Wilson. [12] Her stories had been featured in British publications of Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Pride, and Fabulous Magazine and has been featured on the covers A&U, POZ , and The Ave.

Accusations of HIV/AIDS glorification

On October 3, 2008, Brown posted to her blog that she had been accused of glorifying her illness. "I am constantly being accused of glamorizing AIDS. Really? There is nothing glamorous about taking 7 horse pills that still make me gage [ sic ] after 4 1⁄2 years taking them. I contracted a 100% PREVENTABLE disease, people, which that is my message, not how glamorous I look doing it!" [13]

Two days earlier, she elaborated on why she had written The naked Truth, adding, "I wrote The Naked Truth because I wanted people to get the full story and not a sound bite or the one-hour preping [3] speaking engagement. Most people can’t identify with who I am now because I am HIV-Positive but they can identify with who I was before. That is what makes me relate and shows people that I am just like them. This virus is real and just because you are ignorant or uneducated about HIV that does not make you immune. That is why I wrote The Naked Truth. I can’t be everywhere but my story can." [14]

2010 press conference

On September 23, 2010, Brown held a press conference at the City College of New York. She educated attendees on the dangers of unsafe sex and HIV, for which she was required to accommodate to a new lifestyle. [15] She shared that her medications often cause her to experience side effects, and recalled having to take forty-two pills in one day. However, she stated her average intake is eight pills a day. [16] She commented that her illness is like “having a baby” to her because there's no vacation while taking medication. She openly stated she had previously wished to die, but after surviving a car accident is glad to have been given a "second chance", and says she has found God, to whom she gives thanks every day for still being alive today. [3]

Personal life

Brown continues to write and has dedicated her life to HIV/AIDS awareness. She has joked in the past that she will produce a sequel to The Naked Truth in the future, titled “The Naked Truth: Wife, Mother, and Still HIV Positive.” [17] She lives in New York City, New York.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pedro Zamora</span> Cuban-American AIDS activist and television personality (1972-1994)

Pedro Pablo Zamora was a Cuban-American AIDS educator and television personality. As one of the first openly gay men with AIDS to be portrayed in popular media, Zamora brought international attention to HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ issues and prejudices through his appearance on MTV's reality television series, The Real World: San Francisco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GMHC</span> New York City–based non-profit AIDS service organization

The GMHC is a New York City–based non-profit, volunteer-supported and community-based AIDS service organization whose mission statement is to "end the AIDS epidemic and uplift the lives of all affected." Founded in 1982, it is often billed as the "world's oldest AIDS service organization," as well as the "nation's oldest HIV/AIDS service organization."

HIV-positive people, seropositive people or people who live with HIV are people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus which if untreated may progress to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Rebekka Lynn Armstrong is an American HIV/AIDS activist and former model and bodybuilder. She was Playboy Playmate of the Month for September 1986. Eight years later, she was the first Playmate to publicly announce that she is HIV-positive.

Criminal transmission of HIV is the intentional or reckless infection of a person with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This is often conflated, in laws and in discussion, with criminal exposure to HIV, which does not require the transmission of the virus and often, as in the cases of spitting and biting, does not include a realistic means of transmission. Some countries or jurisdictions, including some areas of the U.S., have enacted laws expressly to criminalize HIV transmission or exposure, charging those accused with criminal transmission of HIV. Other countries charge the accused under existing laws with such crimes as murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, assault or fraud.

This is a timeline of HIV/AIDS, including but not limited to cases before 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Fowler</span> Fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders

Mark Fowler is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. Mark, an original regular character when the series started in February 1985, became a semi-regular after his original portrayer David Scarboro was written out of the role in April 1985. Scarboro made brief returns to the role in 1986 and 1987. Scarboro died by suicide in April 1988 and subsequently Mark was recast two years later on his return, with former Grange Hill regular Todd Carty taking on the role. From this point the character was a permanent fixture in the series and Carty remained in the role until the character was written out of the series in early 2003.

LeRoy Whitfield was an African-American freelance journalist who chronicled his personal experience with HIV infection and AIDS. He was hailed by many as one of the nation's leading journalists reporting on AIDS in the African-American community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Val Pollard</span> Fictional character from Emmerdale

Valerie "Val" Pollard is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Emmerdale, played by Charlie Hardwick. She made her first screen appearance in the episodes broadcast on 1 February 2004. Val was introduced as the sister of established character Diane Sugden. She later married Eric Pollard. Hardwick took a three-month break from Emmerdale to appear in a play and the character left on 10 February 2012. Val returned in June 2012 and was surprised to learn that Eric had begun in a relationship with Brenda Walker. She moved into Diane's pub after her marriage breakdown and helped to run it while Diane was away visiting her daughter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilka Tanya Payán</span> American actress

Ilka Tanya Payán was a Dominican-born actress and attorney who later became a prominent HIV/AIDS activist in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanie Boulet</span> Fictional character from the television series ER

Jeanie Boulet is a fictional character from the television series ER. The role was portrayed by Gloria Reuben who debuted as a recurring character in the first season episode, "Long Day's Journey", aired on January 19, 1995. Reuben was promoted to the role of series regular as of the second season episode, "Days Like This", aired on November 2, 1995 and made her last regular appearance in the sixth season episode, "The Peace of Wild Things", aired on November 11, 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Jako</span> American filmmaker (born 1973)

Jennifer Jako is an AIDS activist, filmmaker, photographer, lecturer and designer. She is the co-director of the documentary film, Blood Lines, a portrait of HIV-positive youth. Following her infection with HIV at age 18, she began educating in the hopes of preventing HIV infection in young people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Gendin</span> American AIDS activist

Stephen Gendin was an American AIDS activist in the late 1980s and the 1990s, whose advocacy is credited with having promoted changes in government policy that improved the lives of HIV positive people. He was involved with the ACT UP, ActUp/RI, Sex Panic!, the Community Prescription Service, POZ Magazine and the Radical Faeries. HIV positive himself, he dedicated the last fifteen years of his life to helping care for those also living with HIV/AIDS. He was a founder and the chief executive of the Community Prescription Service, an organization that distributes information designed to help people with HIV and AIDS as well as supplying medication via mail order.

Sexually transmitted infections in the pornography industry deals with the occupational safety and health hazard of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) by workers in the sex industry. Since the 1980s many cases of pornographic performers contracting HIV/AIDS have been reported. However, since the mid-2000s strict adherence to rigorous STI testing, and limiting sexual contact with only fellow tested performers has halted the spread of HIV and other STIs in the industry.

<i>Inventing the AIDS Virus</i> 1996 book by Peter Duesberg

Inventing the AIDS Virus is a 1996 book by molecular biologist Peter Duesberg, in which the author argues that HIV does not cause AIDS. Duesberg contends that HIV is a harmless passenger virus and that AIDS is caused by unrelated factors such as drug abuse, antiretroviral medication, chronic malnutrition, poor sanitation, and hemophilia. The unambiguous scientific consensus is that HIV causes AIDS and that Duesberg's claims are incorrect. Duesberg received a negative response from the scientific community for supporting AIDS denialism, misrepresenting and ignoring the scientific evidence that HIV causes AIDS, and for relying upon poor logic and manipulation. The book was also the subject of an authorship dispute with one of his graduate students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Frascino</span> American physician, immunologist and advocate

Robert James Frascino was an American physician, immunologist, and advocate for HIV-positive people. He was one of the first physicians to specialize in HIV during the outbreak of AIDS in the early 1980s. After an occupational exposure to the virus in 1991 left him HIV-positive, his health declined, and he had to retire from his work as a physician in 1996. At that time, he became active in HIV/AIDS education and advocacy. In 1999, he co-founded the Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises money to benefit AIDS patients in need of treatment and to fund HIV/AIDS educational programs worldwide. A concert pianist, Frascino performed annually with other musicians at A Concerted Effort, a benefit concert for his charity. From May 2000 until his death, he responded to questions from the public in two informational forums on TheBody.com, an educational resource on HIV/AIDS run by Remedy Health Media.

Keith Christopher was an American actor, singer-songwriter and AIDS activist.

Hydeia Loren Broadbent was an American HIV/AIDS activist who advocated through appearances in national media and as a spokesperson for related foundations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kia LaBeija</span> American artist

Kia Michelle Benbow is an American fine artist. Her most well known series, 24, is a sociopolitical commentary on the effects of growing up as a young woman of color with HIV. She is a former Mother of the Royal House of LaBeija.

References

  1. ↑ Brown, Marvelyn. "The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful, and (HIV) Positive by Marvelyn Brown, Courtney Martin". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved October 20, 2011. (co-written with Courtney E. Martin)
  2. ↑ "About Marvelyn" Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine , Marvelyn Brown official website.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Top 5 FAQ", The Naked Truth, August 9, 2008.
  4. ↑ "13 Moments in Black Celebrity HIV/AIDS Activism", The Body, February 7, 2013.
  5. ↑ "A Young Woman's Battle With HIV – U.S. News & World Report". Health.usnews.com. August 20, 2008. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  6. ↑ "CNN PRESENTS – Black in America". Hvc-inc.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  7. ↑ Archived June 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  8. ↑ "Battling a Black Epidemic – The Daily Beast". Newsweek. May 14, 2006. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  9. ↑ Sylvester Monroe, "Personal Journeys of Women with HIV/AIDS: In Observance of the 19th World AIDS Day, Four Women Share What They've Learned While Living with HIV", Ebony, December 1, 2006.
  10. ↑ "Marvelyn Brown". POZ. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Marvelyn Brown PSA | Video". MTV. September 12, 2007. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Public Education Partnerships: BET: PSAs – Kaiser Family Foundation". Kff.org. July 8, 2010. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  13. ↑ "HIV Sucks, I Swear!", The Naked Truth, October 4, 2008.
  14. ↑ "I wrote The Naked Truth because....", The Naked Truth, October 2, 2008.
  15. ↑ CCNY Journalism
  16. ↑ "Empowered: Marvelyn's Story", YouTube.
  17. ↑ CUNY CCNY Press Conference on September 23, 2010
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.