Is Television Ready for More HIV-Positive Characters?

This year saw just two HIV-positive characters displayed on the small screen. During the finale of the show’s first season, How to Get Away With Murder’s Oliver, played by the openly gay Conrad Ricamora, learned he was HIV-positive. Meanwhile, HBO introduced an HIV-positive character, Eddie, played by Daniel Franzese, who is also gay, on the fan-favorite, but now cancelled, Looking. While we don’t yet know what life looks like for Murder’s Oliver (though we’ll find out as the show was picked up for a second season), Franzese’s Eddie defied the HIV-positive character stereotype by being sexy, healthy, self-confident—and he’s romantically pursued on the show by an HIV-negative character.

For its July/August 2015 cover story, Plus magazine talks to Ricamora and Franzese about their roles in bringing more HIV-positive characters to television and how their characters are bringing awareness and education to the public.