The resources listed below were extremely useful to me while writing FULL DISCLOSURE, not just in ensuring that Simone’s story was true-to-life, but because they taught me a wealth of information. I’m still learning and always will be. I hope they give you a jumping-off point as well.

Documentaries:

Fictional Movies:

Books:

  • Angels in America by Tony Kushner

  • The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

  • Reports from the Holocaust: The Making of an AIDS Activist by Larry Kramer

  • Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP, 1987-1993 by Sarah Schulman

  • How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee

  •  Body Counts by Sean Strub

Articles:

"Telling JJ: A year after learning she has HIV, an 11-year-old has a breakthrough." by John Woodrow Cox.

This article was a gigantic inspiration. It's about a 10-year-old black girl who was born with HIV and then adopted. When she stops taking her medication, her mom and her doctors have to tell her that she has HIV.

"Odd Blood: Serodiscordancy, or, Life With an HIV-Positive Partner" by John Fram.

"American Woman Who Adopted HIV-Positive Child Tells Parents There is 'Nothing to Be Afraid Of'" by Lizzie Dearden.

"A Positive Life: How a Son Survived Being Injected with HIV by His Father" by Justin Heckert.

Websites:

HIV.gov: This is the US Government's HIV-focused website. A good, up-to-date resource for facts and figures.

POZ.com: An online magazine for people with or impacted by HIV/AIDS. There are columns and first-person accounts and all kinds of other information. I turned to website a lot when I was writing my book. It shows how vast the experience of having HIV is and also how different HIV positive people can be from each other.

PedAIDS.org: This is the website for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS foundation, a nonprofit that works to prevent HIV and stop AIDS around the world, specifically in children.

UNAIDS.org: This United Nations program is committed to raising awareness and fighting AIDS on a global scale. Its website includes data and resources from around the world.

AdvocatesForYouth.org: Advocates for Youth is a nonprofit that works with young people and other organizations to champion sexual health and rights. They have a bunch of programs, including ECHO, which trains HIV-positive youth to become leaders in the movement to combat stigma against HIV/AIDS. They also coordinate National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day, and the hashtag #MyStoryOutLoud, which is an online storytelling project for HIV-positive youth and queer youth of color.

Even though Simone is very real to me, she isn’t actually a real person. But all of her great qualities—her determination, perseverance, you name it—are reflected in these activists I drew inspiration from. The five activists included below all have HIV and use their voices to advocate for themselves and others. You can read their work, listen to their talks, or follow them on social media (I would recommend doing all three.)

Activists: 

Ashely Murphy is a young woman who was born with HIV and gives speeches and writes columns about her experiences. You can follow her on Twitter @TheAshleyRose__ or watch her Ted Talk. 

Ben Banks has written and spoken a lot about how having HIV hasn't stopped him from having children (which is something Simone worries about.) He's written in TIME Magazine and was commended for his work by President Obama. 

Shawn Decker and his partner Gwenn are a sero-different couple who use their relationship as a jumping-off point to talk about sexual health. Visit them at shawnandgwenn.com or follow Shawn at @ShawnoftheBled.

George M Johnson is a queer black man with HIV who writes about his experiences often, including in his YA memoir All Boys Aren't Blue. Visit him at iamgmjohnson.com or follow him @iamgmjohnson.

Rae Lewis-Thornton is as black woman who has had HIV for over thirty years. She blogs about her experiences at raelewisthornton.com, and you can also follow her on Twitter at @raelt.