LOS ANGELES — For its March/April 2016 issue, Plus magazine unveils its second dual-cover issue featuring The Prancing Elites’ Kareem Davis and activist-turned-actor Joseph Kibler, who is best known for his work on Re-Casting Kyle and was recently seen on CSI: Cyber. For the first cover story, Davis talks to Plus about how he discovered his HIV status, the unexpected reactions he received from audiences around the globe, and how he is done putting limitations on his life. Kibler follows in the second dual-cover story telling Plus about his documentary, Walk On, that aims to inform and inspire others by detailing what it is really like living with HIV and other disabilities.
The first of the dual-covers features The Prancing Elites Project star Kareem Davis. The Prancing Elites – an all-male, all-black, gender-nonconforming dance troupe from the Deep South – rocketed into the national spotlight after videos of the team went viral. The Oxygen Channel picked up the Elites for their own TV show, solidifying the group as reality TV stars and LGBT icons. Just as filming for the reality show began, Davis was diagnosed with HIV, which he decided to keep a secret.
On last year’s season of The Prancing Elites Project, Davis revealed his status, both to his teammates and a worldwide audience. Davis was greeted by enormous support and notes from fans noting how he inspired them. Davis says that many people have told him he is helping to break down the stigma so often associated with HIV. He has also formed a relationship with the National AIDS Minority Council and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, hoping to eradicate the stigma of living with HIV both in Alabama and on a national scale. Davis concludes, “The stigma is still just so bad. Some people take the stigma of HIV to their grave. And I just think it is no longer that deep.”
The second cover story for Plus magazine’s March/April 2016 dual-cover features Joseph Kibler. In the cover story, ‘Walking (and Riding) Tall’, Kibler – the first person to appear on Plus magazine in a wheelchair – discusses his documentary Walk On, a film that Kibler made about his journey training to walk more than six miles in the annual Los Angeles AIDS Walk. The 26-year-old actor, writer, and producer shares his story of being born with HIV, which led to his disability. Kibler syas, “I first started out with this idea that I was a lone soldier marching out to fight the battle for diversity, inclusion, and the end of HIV and disability stigma. But there are plenty of people fighting to have their voices heard. If I truly tried to speak for every single person, I wouldn’t be heard by anyone.”
Read Plus’s full featured cover stories now at:
Kareem Davis: http://www.hivplusmag.com/print-issue/2016/1/19/hiv-positive-reality-star-ready-danceJoseph Kibler: http://www.hivplusmag.com/cover-stories/2016/2/08/walking-and-riding-tall
