Was he talking to me? I know nothing about this,” said Reid. “I said, I don't see anything for guys my age. Reid, the Director of Programs at Thrive SS, an Atlanta-based non-profit organization dedicated to providing support to Black gay/bisexual men living with HIV, recalls the moment he was called to action by Thrive SS Executive Director, Larry Walker, to create a space that reflected his experience as an older Black gay man living with HIV. But his story would not mirror those of his friends whom he laid to rest, instead, it would become the impetus he needed to co-create “ The Silver Lining Project,” a group that would impact his life and the lives of Black gay men living with HIV, particularly those over 50 who are often rendered invisible in the broader Black gay community.
It would be another eight years, in 1997, before Reid would learn that he acquired HIV.
