0:00:00.806,0:00:04.906
So I want to start this talk[br]by showing y'all a photo,

0:00:04.906,0:00:08.367
and it's a photo many of you[br]have probably seen before.

0:00:08.367,0:00:11.107
So I want you all to take a moment

0:00:11.107,0:00:12.934
and look at this photo

0:00:12.934,0:00:16.393
and really reflect on some[br]of the things that come to mind,

0:00:16.393,0:00:20.024
and what are some[br]of those things, those words.

0:00:20.024,0:00:24.605
Now, I'm going to ask you all[br]you all to look at me.

0:00:24.605,0:00:26.938
What words come to mind[br]when you look at me?

0:00:26.938,0:00:31.740
What separates that man up there

0:00:31.740,0:00:34.068
from me?

0:00:34.068,0:00:37.241
The man in that photo[br]is named David Kirby,

0:00:37.241,0:00:40.518
and it was taken in 1990 as he[br]was dying from AIDS-related illness,

0:00:40.518,0:00:44.118
and it was subsequently[br]published in Life Magazine.

0:00:44.118,0:00:47.970
The only real thing[br]separating me from Kirby

0:00:47.970,0:00:50.496
is about 30 years of medical advancements[br]in the way that we treat HIV and AIDS.

0:00:50.496,0:00:58.266
So what I want to ask next is this:

0:00:58.266,0:01:01.103
if we have made such exponential progress

0:01:01.103,0:01:02.885
in combatting HIV,

0:01:02.885,0:01:08.140
why haven't our perceptions[br]of those with the virus evolved alongside?

0:01:08.140,0:01:13.905
Why does HIV elicit this reaction from us[br]when it's so easily managed?

0:01:13.905,0:01:17.670
When did the stigmatization even occur,

0:01:17.670,0:01:19.397
and why hasn't it subsided?

0:01:20.836,0:01:24.372
And these are not[br]easy questions to answer.

0:01:24.372,0:01:28.122
They're the congealing[br]of so many different factors and ideas.

0:01:28.122,0:01:30.723
Powerful images, like this one of Kirby,

0:01:30.723,0:01:34.097
these were the faces of the AIDS crisis[br]in the '80s and '90s,

0:01:34.097,0:01:37.249
and at the time the crisis[br]had a very obvious impact

0:01:37.249,0:01:39.505
on an already stigmatized group of people,

0:01:39.505,0:01:41.385
and that was gay men.

0:01:41.385,0:01:44.377
So what the general straight public saw[br]was this very awful thing

0:01:44.377,0:01:50.370
happening to a group of people who[br]were already on the fringes of society.

0:01:50.370,0:01:53.817
The media at the time began[br]to use the two almost interchangeably,

0:01:53.817,0:01:55.475
gay and AIDS,

0:01:55.475,0:01:58.562
and at the 1984 Republican[br]National Convention,

0:01:58.562,0:02:03.595
one of the speakers joked[br]that gay stood for "got AIDS yet?"

0:02:04.208,0:02:06.827
And that was the mindset at the time.

0:02:06.827,0:02:09.596
But as we started[br]to understand the virus more

0:02:09.596,0:02:10.982
and how it was transmitted,

0:02:10.982,0:02:14.324
we realized that that risk[br]had increased its territory.

0:02:15.592,0:02:19.342
The highly profiled case[br]of Ryan White in 1985,

0:02:19.342,0:02:22.979
who was a 13-year old hemophiliac[br]who had contracted HIV

0:02:22.979,0:02:25.104
from a contaminated blood treatment,

0:02:25.104,0:02:30.760
and this marked the most profound shift[br]in America's perception of HIV.

0:02:30.760,0:02:34.346
No longer was it restricted[br]to these dark corners of society,

0:02:34.346,0:02:36.339
to queers and drug users,

0:02:36.339,0:02:38.154
but now it was affecting people

0:02:38.154,0:02:41.114
that society deemed[br]worthy of their empathy,

0:02:41.114,0:02:42.517
to children.

0:02:42.517,0:02:47.930
But that permeating fear[br]and that perception, it still lingers.

0:02:47.930,0:02:51.117
And I want a show of hands[br]for these next few questions.

0:02:51.117,0:02:54.465
How many of you in here[br]were aware that with treatment,

0:02:54.465,0:02:58.241
those with HIV not only[br]fend off AIDS completely,

0:02:58.241,0:03:02.492
but they live full and normal lives?

0:03:02.492,0:03:04.676
Y'all are educated.

0:03:04.676,0:03:05.637
(Laughter)

0:03:05.637,0:03:07.361
How many of you are aware[br]that with treatment,

0:03:07.361,0:03:11.480
those with HIV can reach[br]an undetectable status,

0:03:11.480,0:03:15.178
and that makes them[br]virtually uninfectious?

0:03:15.531,0:03:17.306
Much less.

0:03:17.306,0:03:21.793
How many of you were aware[br]of the pre- and post-exposure treatments

0:03:21.793,0:03:24.874
that are available that reduce[br]the risk of transmission

0:03:24.874,0:03:26.362
by over 90 percent?

0:03:27.475,0:03:32.252
See, these are incredible advancements[br]that we have made in fighting HIV,

0:03:32.252,0:03:35.164
yet they have not managed[br]to dent the perception

0:03:35.164,0:03:39.210
that most Americans have of the virus[br]and those living with it.

0:03:39.210,0:03:44.818
And I don't want you to think[br]I'm downplaying the danger of this virus,

0:03:44.818,0:03:48.716
and I am not ignorant of[br]the harrowing past of the AIDS epidemic.

0:03:48.716,0:03:52.997
I am trying to convey[br]that there is hope for those infected,

0:03:52.997,0:03:55.877
and HIV is not the death sentence[br]it was in the '80s.

0:03:55.877,0:03:59.631
And now you may ask, and I asked[br]this question myself initially,

0:03:59.631,0:04:01.563
where are the stories?

0:04:01.563,0:04:05.583
Where are these people living with HIV?[br]Why haven't they been vocal?

0:04:05.583,0:04:09.833
How can I believe these successes,[br]or these statistics,

0:04:09.833,0:04:14.072
without seeing the successes?

0:04:14.072,0:04:17.327
And this is actually[br]a very easy question for me to answer.

0:04:17.327,0:04:20.061
Fear, stigma, and shame:

0:04:20.061,0:04:24.731
these keep those living with HIV[br]in the closet, so to speak.

0:04:24.731,0:04:28.357
Our sexual histories are as personal[br]to us as our medical histories,

0:04:28.357,0:04:30.693
and when you overlap the two,[br]you can find yourself

0:04:30.693,0:04:33.144
in a very sensitive space.

0:04:33.144,0:04:36.037
The fear of how others[br]perceive us when we're honest

0:04:36.037,0:04:38.638
keeps us from doing many things in life,

0:04:38.638,0:04:41.983
and this is the case[br]for the HIV-positive population.

0:04:41.983,0:04:47.440
To face social scrutiny and ridicule[br]is the price that we pay for transparency,

0:04:47.440,0:04:52.033
and why become a martyr[br]when you can effectively pass

0:04:52.033,0:04:54.776
as someone without HIV?

0:04:54.776,0:04:56.977
After all, there are no[br]physical indications you have the virus.

0:04:56.977,0:05:00.146
There's no sign that you wear.

0:05:00.146,0:05:03.003
There is safety in assimilation,

0:05:03.003,0:05:06.753
and there is safety in invisibility.

0:05:06.753,0:05:11.281
I'm here to throw back that veil[br]and share my story.

0:05:11.281,0:05:15.400
So in the fall of 2014,[br]I was a sophomore in college,

0:05:15.400,0:05:19.186
and like most college students,[br]I was sexually active,

0:05:19.186,0:05:23.590
and I generally took precautions[br]to minimize the risk that sex carries.

0:05:23.590,0:05:27.717
Now I say generally,[br]because I wasn't always safe.

0:05:27.717,0:05:30.690
It only takes a single misstep[br]before we're flat on the ground,

0:05:30.690,0:05:32.497
and my misstep is pretty obvious.

0:05:32.497,0:05:36.272
I had unprotected sex,[br]and I didn't think much of it.

0:05:36.272,0:05:38.501
Fast forward about three weeks,[br]and it felt like I'd been trampled

0:05:38.501,0:05:42.549
by a herd of wildebeest.

0:05:42.549,0:05:47.179
The aches in my body[br]were like nothing I have felt

0:05:47.179,0:05:47.657
before or since.

0:05:47.657,0:05:50.117
I would get these bouts[br]of fever and chill.

0:05:50.117,0:05:53.857
I would reel with nausea,[br]and it was difficult to walk.

0:05:53.857,0:05:58.153
Being a biology student,[br]I had some prior exposure to disease,

0:05:58.153,0:06:01.701
and being a fairly informed gay man,[br]I had read a bit on HIV,

0:06:01.701,0:06:04.812
so to me, it clicked[br]that this was seroconversion,

0:06:04.812,0:06:07.941
or as it's sometimes called,[br]acute HIV infection,

0:06:07.941,0:06:11.441
and this is the body's reaction[br]in producing antibodies

0:06:11.441,0:06:13.087
to the HIV antigen.

0:06:13.087,0:06:16.850
It's important to know that not everybody[br]goes through this phase of sickness,

0:06:16.850,0:06:19.444
but I was one of the lucky ones who did,

0:06:19.444,0:06:23.070
and I was lucky as in,[br]there were these physical symptoms

0:06:23.070,0:06:25.937
that let me know, hey, something is wrong,

0:06:25.937,0:06:29.664
and it let me detect[br]the virus pretty early.

0:06:29.664,0:06:33.554
So just to clarify,[br]just to hit the nail on head,

0:06:33.554,0:06:36.128
I got tested on campus,

0:06:36.128,0:06:40.051
and they said they would call me[br]the next morning with the results,

0:06:40.051,0:06:41.194
and they called me,

0:06:41.194,0:06:44.649
but they asked me to come in[br]and speak to the doctor on staff,

0:06:44.649,0:06:47.028
and the reaction I received from her

0:06:47.028,0:06:49.946
wasn't what I was expecting.

0:06:49.946,0:06:51.962
She reassured me what I already knew,[br]that this wasn't a death sentence,

0:06:51.962,0:06:57.226
and she even offered to put me[br]in contact with her brother,

0:06:57.226,0:06:59.801
who had been living with HIV[br]since the early '90s.

0:06:59.801,0:07:03.631
I declined her offer,[br]but I was deeply touched.

0:07:03.631,0:07:05.724
I was expecting to be reprimanded.

0:07:05.724,0:07:08.379
I was expecting pity and disappointment,

0:07:08.379,0:07:12.263
and I was shown compassion[br]and human warmth,

0:07:12.263,0:07:16.411
and I'm forever grateful[br]for that first exchange.

0:07:16.411,0:07:20.816
So obviously for a few weeks,[br]I was a physical mess.

0:07:20.816,0:07:23.244
Emotionally, mentally, I was doing okay.

0:07:23.244,0:07:25.656
I was taking it well.

0:07:25.656,0:07:27.124
But my body was ravaged,

0:07:27.124,0:07:29.848
and those close to me,[br]they weren't oblivious.

0:07:29.848,0:07:32.234
So I sat my roommates down

0:07:32.234,0:07:35.220
and I let them know[br]I'd been diagnosed with HIV,

0:07:35.220,0:07:39.311
that I was about to receive treatment,[br]and I didn't want them to worry.

0:07:39.311,0:07:42.662
And I remember the look on their faces.

0:07:42.662,0:07:45.427
They were holding each other[br]on the couch and they were crying,

0:07:45.427,0:07:47.196
and I consoled them.

0:07:47.196,0:07:49.878
I consoled them about my own bad news,

0:07:49.878,0:07:54.184
but it was heartwarming[br]to see that they cared.

0:07:54.184,0:07:57.127
But from that night, I noticed a shift

0:07:57.127,0:07:59.594
in the way that I was treated at home.

0:07:59.594,0:08:01.866
My roommates wouldn't[br]touch anything of mine,

0:08:01.866,0:08:04.703
and they wouldn't[br]eat anything I had cooked.

0:08:04.703,0:08:07.574
Now, in South Louisiana,

0:08:07.574,0:08:10.105
we all know that you don't refuse food.

0:08:10.105,0:08:10.956
(Laughter)

0:08:10.956,0:08:13.749
And I'm a damn good cook,[br]so don't think that passed me by.

0:08:13.749,0:08:16.350
(Laughter)

0:08:16.350,0:08:20.493
But from these first silent hints,[br]their aversion got gradually more obvious,

0:08:20.493,0:08:22.558
and more offensive.

0:08:22.558,0:08:26.548
I was asked to move my toothbrush[br]from the bathroom,

0:08:26.548,0:08:29.036
I was asked to not share towels,

0:08:29.036,0:08:33.162
and I was even asked to wash[br]my clothes on a hotter setting.

0:08:33.162,0:08:35.886
This wasn't head lice, y'all.

0:08:35.886,0:08:37.368
This wasn't scabies. This was HIV.

0:08:37.368,0:08:39.621
It can be transmitted through blood,

0:08:39.621,0:08:42.421
sexual fluids like semen[br]or vaginal fluids,

0:08:42.421,0:08:43.608
and breast milk.

0:08:43.608,0:08:46.507
Since I wasn't sleeping with my roommates,

0:08:46.507,0:08:48.659
I wasn't breastfeeding them --

0:08:48.659,0:08:49.643
(Laughter) --

0:08:49.643,0:08:52.129
and we weren't reenacting "Twilight,"

0:08:52.129,0:08:54.318
I was of no risk to them,

0:08:54.318,0:08:56.870
and I made this aware to them,

0:08:56.870,0:09:00.115
but still, this discomfort, it continued,

0:09:00.790,0:09:02.182
until eventually I was asked to move out.

0:09:02.182,0:09:03.854
And I was asked to move out

0:09:03.854,0:09:04.955
because one of my roommates

0:09:04.955,0:09:07.299
had shared my status with her parents.

0:09:07.299,0:09:13.884
She shared my personal[br]medical information to strangers.

0:09:13.884,0:09:17.227
And now I'm doing that[br]in a roomful of 300 of y'all,

0:09:17.227,0:09:20.426
but at the time, this was not[br]something I was comfortable with,

0:09:20.426,0:09:24.832
and they expressed their discomfort[br]with their daughter living with me.

0:09:24.832,0:09:27.968
So being gay, raised[br]in a religious household,

0:09:27.968,0:09:30.266
and living in the South,

0:09:30.266,0:09:31.954
discrimination wasn't new to me,

0:09:31.954,0:09:35.950
but this form was,

0:09:35.950,0:09:37.753
and it was tremendously disappointing

0:09:37.753,0:09:39.988
because it came[br]from such an unlikely source.

0:09:39.988,0:09:43.938
Not only were these[br]college-educated people,

0:09:43.938,0:09:47.460
not only were they other members[br]of the LGBT community,

0:09:47.460,0:09:50.555
but they were also my friends.

0:09:50.555,0:09:54.132
So I did. I moved out[br]at the end of the semester,

0:09:54.132,0:09:56.271
but it wasn't to appease them.

0:09:56.271,0:09:58.658
It was out of respect for myself.

0:09:58.658,0:10:01.528
I wasn't going to subject myself[br]to people who were unwilling

0:10:01.528,0:10:04.316
to remedy their ignorance,

0:10:04.316,0:10:07.471
and I wasn't going to let something[br]that was now a part of me

0:10:07.471,0:10:09.981
ever be used as a tool against me.

0:10:09.981,0:10:12.403
So I opted for transparency[br]about my status

0:10:12.403,0:10:13.754
always being visible.

0:10:13.754,0:10:19.370
And this is what I like to call[br]being the everyday advocate.

0:10:19.370,0:10:21.608
The point of this transparency,[br]the point of this everyday advocacy,

0:10:21.608,0:10:26.017
was to dispel ignorance,

0:10:26.017,0:10:28.820
and ignorance is a very scary word.

0:10:28.820,0:10:31.571
We don't want to be seen as ignorant,

0:10:31.571,0:10:33.957
and we definitely don't[br]want to be called it.

0:10:33.957,0:10:37.084
But ignorance is not[br]synonymous with stupid.

0:10:37.084,0:10:39.251
It's not the inability to learn.

0:10:39.251,0:10:42.549
It's the state you're in before you learn.

0:10:42.549,0:10:45.849
So when I saw someone[br]coming from a place of ignorance,

0:10:45.849,0:10:49.033
I saw an opportunity for them to learn,

0:10:49.033,0:10:52.606
and hopefully, if I could[br]spread some education,

0:10:52.606,0:10:54.684
then I could mitigate[br]situations for others

0:10:54.684,0:10:56.633
like I had experienced with my roommates

0:10:56.633,0:11:00.975
and save someone else[br]down the line that humiliation.

0:11:00.975,0:11:04.532
So the reactions I received[br]haven't been all positive.

0:11:04.532,0:11:07.365
Here in the South,

0:11:07.365,0:11:10.735
we have a lot stigma[br]due to religious pressures,

0:11:10.735,0:11:13.654
our lack of a comprehensive sex education,

0:11:13.654,0:11:17.415
and our general conservative outlook[br]on anything sexual.

0:11:17.415,0:11:19.999
We view this as a gay disease.

0:11:19.999,0:11:24.428
Globally, most new HIV infections[br]occur between heterosexual partners,

0:11:24.428,0:11:27.279
and here in the States, women,[br]especially women of color,

0:11:27.279,0:11:29.222
are at an increased risk.

0:11:29.222,0:11:31.535
This is not a gay disease.[br]It never has been.

0:11:31.535,0:11:35.749
It's a disease we should[br]all be concerned with.

0:11:35.749,0:11:39.290
So initially, I felt limited.

0:11:39.290,0:11:43.243
I wanted to expand my scope[br]and reach beyond what was around me.

0:11:43.243,0:11:45.805
So naturally,

0:11:45.805,0:11:50.253
I turned to the dark underworld[br]of online dating apps,

0:11:50.253,0:11:52.428
to apps like Grindr,

0:11:52.428,0:11:54.341
and for those of you who are unfamiliar,

0:11:54.341,0:11:56.517
these are dating apps[br]targeted towards gay men.

0:11:56.517,0:12:01.325
You can upload a profile and a picture

0:12:01.325,0:12:02.656
and it will show you[br]available guys within a radius.

0:12:02.656,0:12:03.682
Y'all have probably heard of Tinder.

0:12:03.682,0:12:05.447
Grindr has been around for a lot longer,

0:12:05.447,0:12:08.656
since it was much harder[br]to meet your future gay husband

0:12:08.656,0:12:10.943
at church or the grocery store,[br]or whatever straight people did

0:12:10.943,0:12:15.692
before they found out[br]they could date on their phones.

0:12:15.692,0:12:19.706
So on Grindr, if you liked[br]what you saw or read,

0:12:19.706,0:12:23.235
you could send someone a message,[br]you can meet up, you can do other things.

0:12:23.235,0:12:29.384
So on my profile, I obviously stated[br]that I had HIV, I was undetectable,

0:12:29.384,0:12:32.723
and I welcomed questions about my status.

0:12:32.723,0:12:34.566
And I received a lot of questions,

0:12:34.566,0:12:37.947
and a lot of comments,[br]both positive and negative.

0:12:37.947,0:12:40.349
And I want to start with the negative,

0:12:40.349,0:12:43.694
just to frame some of this ignorance[br]that I've mentioned before.

0:12:43.694,0:12:49.207
And most of these negative comments

0:12:49.207,0:12:49.886
were passing remarks or assumptions.

0:12:49.886,0:12:52.678
They would assume things[br]about my sex life or my sex habits.

0:12:52.678,0:12:55.787
They would assume I put myself[br]or others at risk.

0:12:55.787,0:12:59.866
But very often I would just be met[br]with these passing ignorant remarks.

0:12:59.866,0:13:03.999
In the gay community,[br]it's common to hear the word "clean"

0:13:03.999,0:13:06.811
when you're referring to someone[br]who is HIV negative.

0:13:06.811,0:13:10.868
Of course the flipside to that[br]is being unclean, or dirty,

0:13:10.868,0:13:12.150
when you do have HIV.

0:13:12.150,0:13:18.202
Now, I'm not sensitive[br]and I'm only truly dirty

0:13:18.202,0:13:18.703
after a day in the field,

0:13:18.703,0:13:19.603
but this is damaging language.

0:13:19.603,0:13:21.644
This is a community-driven stigma

0:13:21.644,0:13:25.148
that keeps many gay men[br]from disclosing their status,

0:13:25.148,0:13:26.952
and it keeps those newly diagnosed

0:13:26.952,0:13:29.235
from seeking support[br]within their own community,

0:13:29.235,0:13:31.747
and I find that truly distressing.

0:13:31.747,0:13:35.845
But thankfully, the positive responses[br]have been a lot more numerous,

0:13:35.845,0:13:38.065
and they came from guys who were curious.

0:13:38.065,0:13:41.379
And they were curious[br]about the risks of transmission,

0:13:41.379,0:13:43.614
or what exactly "undetectable" meant,

0:13:43.614,0:13:45.440
or where they could get tested,

0:13:45.440,0:13:48.251
or some guys would ask me[br]about my experiences,

0:13:48.251,0:13:50.102
and I could share my story with them.

0:13:50.102,0:13:52.387
But most importantly,

0:13:52.387,0:13:56.592
I would get approached by guys[br]who were newly diagnosed with HIV,

0:13:56.592,0:13:59.016
and they were scared, and they were alone,

0:13:59.016,0:14:02.291
and they didn't know[br]what step to take next.

0:14:02.291,0:14:04.094
They didn't want to tell their family,

0:14:04.094,0:14:05.277
they didn't want to tell their friends,

0:14:05.277,0:14:09.914
and they felt damaged,[br]and they felt dirty.

0:14:09.914,0:14:12.828
And I did whatever I could[br]to immediately calm them,

0:14:12.828,0:14:15.895
and then I would put them in contact[br]with AcadianaCares,

0:14:15.895,0:14:18.961
which is a wonderful resource[br]we have in our community

0:14:18.961,0:14:20.981
for those with HIV.

0:14:20.981,0:14:23.811
And I'd put them in contact[br]with people I knew personally

0:14:23.811,0:14:28.178
so that they could not only[br]have this safe space to feel human again,

0:14:28.178,0:14:30.334
but so they could also have[br]the resources they needed

0:14:30.334,0:14:32.495
in affording their treatment.

0:14:32.495,0:14:36.082
And this was by far[br]the most humbling aspect

0:14:36.082,0:14:37.732
of my transparency,

0:14:37.732,0:14:43.300
that I could have some positive impact[br]on those who were suffering like I did,

0:14:43.300,0:14:45.719
that I could help those[br]who were in the dark,

0:14:45.719,0:14:49.582
because I had been there[br]and it wasn't a good place to be.

0:14:49.582,0:14:52.025
These guys came from[br]all different backgrounds,

0:14:52.025,0:14:54.672
and many of them weren't[br]as informed as I had been,

0:14:54.672,0:14:58.167
and they were coming to me[br]from a place of fear.

0:14:58.167,0:15:00.338
Some of these people I knew personally,

0:15:00.338,0:15:01.752
or they knew of me,

0:15:01.752,0:15:03.990
but many more, they were anonymous.

0:15:03.990,0:15:08.643
They were these blank profiles[br]who were too afraid to show their faces

0:15:08.643,0:15:09.874
after what they had told me.

0:15:09.874,0:15:12.523
And on the topic of transparency,

0:15:12.523,0:15:15.376
I want to leave y'all with a few thoughts.

0:15:15.376,0:15:18.795
I found that with whatever risk[br]or gamble I took

0:15:18.795,0:15:20.652
in putting my face out there,

0:15:20.652,0:15:22.937
it was well worth any negative comment,

0:15:22.937,0:15:24.859
any flak I received,

0:15:24.859,0:15:29.821
because I felt I was able to make[br]this real and this tangible impact.

0:15:29.821,0:15:32.857
And it showed me that our efforts resound,

0:15:32.857,0:15:36.723
that we can alter the lives[br]that we encounter for the good,

0:15:36.723,0:15:40.803
and they in turn can take that momentum[br]and push it even further.

0:15:40.803,0:15:44.643
And if any of you or anyone you know[br]is dealing with HIV,

0:15:44.643,0:15:47.430
or if you want to see what resources[br]you have in your community,

0:15:47.430,0:15:50.960
or just educate yourself[br]more on the disease,

0:15:50.960,0:15:54.615
here are some wonderful national sites[br]that you can access,

0:15:54.615,0:15:57.409
and you are more than welcome[br]to find me after this talk

0:15:57.409,0:15:59.302
and ask me anything you'd like.

0:15:59.302,0:16:03.797
We've all heard the phrase[br]"to see the forest through the trees,"

0:16:03.797,0:16:09.448
so I implore all of you here to really[br]see the human through the disease.

0:16:09.448,0:16:13.394
It's a very easy thing[br]to see numbers and statistics

0:16:13.394,0:16:16.736
and only see the perceived dangers.

0:16:16.736,0:16:22.563
It's a much harder thing to see[br]all the faces behind all those numbers.

0:16:22.563,0:16:25.760
So when you find yourself thinking[br]those things, those words,

0:16:25.760,0:16:28.897
what you might have thought[br]looking at David Kirby,

0:16:28.897,0:16:35.569
I ask you instead, think son,[br]or think brother,

0:16:35.569,0:16:38.627
think friend,

0:16:38.627,0:16:41.109
and most importantly, think human.

0:16:41.109,0:16:44.267
See education when faced with ignorance,

0:16:44.267,0:16:45.982
and always be mindful

0:16:45.982,0:16:48.811
and always be compassionate.

0:16:48.811,0:16:50.653
Thank you.

0:16:50.653,0:16:52.374
(Applause)