Yannick - a social media pioneer about living with HIV

Out of isolation

When his doctor informs him of his positive HIV status over the phone, Yannick feels left alone. "My doctor didn't tell me anything about HIV," says Yannick with a thoughtful look. In the first month after his diagnosis, he fell into a deep hole and didn't want to meet anyone. "It was a mixture of sadness, anger, guilt and fear," says Yannick about the rollercoaster ride of emotions after the diagnosis. It is the much-criticized social media that provides Yannick with helpful information about HIV and offers him support in this difficult life situation. "A TikToker from France living with HIV appeared in my newsfeed one day." The courage of the French TikToker gave Yannick the strength to also talk about his life with HIV on social media. "I said to myself, if someone has helped me through TikTok videos, then I can help others too." No sooner said than done. Yannick becomes a pioneer. He is the first person in Switzerland to talk about his life with HIV on social media such as TikTok and Instagram with such a wide reach. And it sounds like this: "A month ago I tested positive for HIV and today I want to tell you what symptoms I had." Yannick describes the symptoms of his primary infection in a differentiated and knowledgeable way. At the same time, he points out that most people do not experience any symptoms after an HIV infection. Despite his success on TikTok and Instagram, he remains cautious about social media. "Social media can be very useful, but it can also be disastrous," says Yannick, talking about the disinformation on social media. The mistrust of science is very high. "There are people who recommend eucalyptus instead of antiretroviral drugs for HIV treatment." Yannick counteracts the disinformation with short videos accompanied by music. He explains what "undetectable" means, what discrimination people with HIV experience and provides insights into his private life.

Growing up among cows and chickens

Yannick grew up on a farm near Romont in the canton of Fribourg. Together with his parents and older brother, he enjoyed a life close to nature, surrounded by cows and chickens. As he grows older, however, experiences of discrimination shape his everyday life. As a queer person, Yannick is insulted every day at school. "Because of my long hair and because I liked playing with Barbie, I had to listen to homophobic insults since I was a child." The now 22-year-old Romand takes this as an opportunity to always be respectful towards other people. "Since my youth, I've always stood for values such as respect and tolerance towards all people." At the age of 18, his father dies - a turning point for Yannick. He decides to go to Brazil for a year to study languages and live his life. Brazil was a milestone in his development as a queer person, says Yannick, beaming. In Rio de Janeiro, he saw a queer couple holding hands and exchanging affection for the first time. Even though Switzerland is considered an open country, this is very rare here, even in the larger cities. In Brazil, heterosexuals and queer people are much more mixed. "Brazil has really helped me to open up." But since Brazil, he no longer knows exactly where his life is going, says Yannick with a laugh. The trained businessman currently works full-time for an American fast food company. "I'm taking some time to see where my path takes me next."

New direction in dating

"After my diagnosis, I deleted all my dating apps," says Yannick. The fact that he laughs at this shows that he has already distanced himself from this phase of his life. He needed time to withdraw and refocus. "Because I talk about my life with HIV on TikTok and Instagram, I feel obliged to disclose my HIV status to new acquaintances right from the start." However, he knows that this is voluntary. Of course, his HIV status is an additional challenge, but also a good filter: "People who don't accept someone because of their HIV status aren't made for me anyway." With this new attitude, Yannick plunged back into the dating adventure after a short break. Undeterred by possible rejection, Yannick discloses his HIV status in the dating app: "I ask people if they have read my profile properly before I go on a date."

Resilience as a character trait

Resilience is the ability to emerge stronger and more resilient from setbacks and negative experiences. If you look at Yannick's biography, you will see that this characteristic runs like a red thread through his life. Experiences of homophobic discrimination encourage Yannick to live by values such as respect and tolerance towards all people. The young Romand reacts to the death of his father with a trip to Brazil, which cements his identity as a queer person. After his HIV diagnosis, Yannick became involved in social media for other people with HIV, providing information, support and encouragement. He sees potential rejections on dates as an opportunity to avoid people who are not made for him. "I want it to become normal to talk about HIV," says Yannick. He uses social media to reach as many people as possible. "My goal is to talk about HIV as much as possible and show people that it's nothing to be ashamed of." The comments on his videos on TikTok and Instagram are mostly positive. Many thank him and ask questions. Yannick maintains daily contact with some of them and has become friends with them. They are people from all over the world, quite a few of whom don't talk to anyone about their HIV status - except Yannick. "If I help just one person with my videos, that means everything to me." How will his journey continue? He wants to reach more people and publish videos in many different languages. "The demonization of HIV has to stop." Yannick is fighting for this as a blossoming social media activist. "Soft activist", as Yannick calls himself with a grin.