Bodo

Bodo, born in 1958, gay, positive since 2002

I have been living in Cologne since the beginning of the 1990s, enjoy the cruising scene, single, politically committed, former consultant and teacher, and since 2019 on early retirement. Friends describe me as calm, objective, impartial and friendly. We can talk about your situation in a personal conversation, or, depending on the topic, I can also share with you my experiences.

I was lucky when I got my HIV diagnosis, as there was effective treatment by combining several medications that had been available for several years.

In addition, I knew people who had been living with HIV for a long time and whom I could then ask in more detail about their circumstances in this situation new for me. And I had friends who had been working for AIDS-Hilfe for a long time and they immediately sent me a care package with practical information. Over the years I found the occasional exchange with other people living with HIV always helpful, about practical questions of positive everyday life, or just for the simple confirmation that I am not the only one.

In the immediate professional environment of school, I kept my infection to myself – like most HIV-positive teachers I now know.

I have been single most of my life. Occasional affairs and friendships arose for me as a HIV-positive person also with HIV-negative people – and that was before studies proved that effectively treated positive people cannot transmit HIV even when having sex without a condom.

I have found well-balanced openness and personal sharing of experience to be helpful and would like to make this possible for others as a buddy. If you would like to try this out in conversation with me, please get in touch so that we can find a place and a time!

I speak German as mother tongue, English and French as foreign languages, but slower.