Politixia
TikTok star and former history-making prom queen Zachary Willmore is documenting his journey with his recent HIV diagnosis, but haters and homophobes just can’t handle that it’s not dulling his adorable shine.
Zachary’s videos are usually funny, pink, high-energy comedy and vlogging from a creator who clearly went to the iconic Chrissy Chlapecka school of TikTok Bimbology™. Towards the end of February, he uploaded a much more serious video than usual in which he detailed the positive HIV diagnosis he’d received just a week earlier.
Since then, he’s been providing daily updates on the ways those around him have helped him cope, the medical journey he’s been through since his diagnosis, and his coming to terms with living with HIV for the rest of his life. He’s meeting most of these moment with his trademark flair and joy, trying not to let one diagnosis change who he is.
To TERF-y Twitter user @Slatzism and their ilk, this was the most sinful content imaginable:
After his name started trending on Twitter over this hateful message, Zachary responded in his traditional cute style.
As he says, there’s good news and bad news:
“Good news is people are going to see that post, come over to my page, and give me views and likes,” he notes. “Bad news is those b*tches do not like me.”
In the days since, the good has massively, overwhelmingly come to outweigh the bad.
Instead of mocking his sparky style over this serious topic, most are celebrating his enduring happiness as evidence of how far out community’s battle with HIV has come.
And telling user @Slatzism to f*** off, naturally:
His mother didnt abandon him like so many others. Hes not laying in a dirty hospital ward untouched and all alone. He wont be apart of the miles long memorial quilt. He gets to live and its so wonderful that we have come so far. Hes so young and sparkly and full of life.
— Fancy on the Inside (@InfiniteWitches) March 8, 2023
Even if it’s not in the exact tone some would like, Zachary’s ability to have optimism about his positive diagnosis is the result of tireless work from advocates and the loss of so many great people in our community.
In what’s set to be his last daily HIV journey update, the creator shared that he was already close to undetectable and promised weekly updates for anyone that this video series was helping.
All while getting ready for a frat rave:
Shine on, Zachary!
