Woman Forced to Quit Job After Bosses Found Out She Was HIV Positive: “Why Would You Belittle Me?”

• A woman who tested positive for HIV had no choice but to quit her job after her employers were made aware of her status
• The HIV activist attended a hearing to prove that she was competent to do her job
• She disclosed that she contracted the virus by partying with friends at a club where she was raped

After testing positive for HIV, a woman was forced to quit her job following the discrimination she endured at her former workplace.

Woman shares why she left her job

While in conversation with Briefly TV Life, HIV activist Rachel Stevens stated that her previous employers wanted to dismiss her based on "incapacity due to unreliability and ill health."

Rachel states:

Read also

Young brave woman quits her toxic workplace and finds success, shares video

"I remained transparent more than anything, provided all doctors' letters and I told them about my status."

Although Rachel disclosed the details of her health with her bosses, a hearing still took place.

Rachel, who is now self-employed, adds:

"It got to a point where I took my very first blood test into the hearing, and said, 'Clearly, you don't belive me. Why would you belittle me like this and not give me a chance?' "

The HIV activist states that her former manager noted that they would hold her accountable "like any other employee" after having a look at the details of her blood test.

Rachel also said she left the company with immediate effect because she felt she was being pushed into a corner and forced to leave.

Further explaining her reasons for her resignation, Rachel says:

"Not only was it the discrimination and belittling, it was also the complete ignorance. They couldn't even find a different department for me to work in."

Read also

Woman working as midwife discovers husband impregnated another woman during delivery

She continues:

"In this economy, I didn't have a job lined up, but it was a decision I needed to make for the sake of my well-being."

Woman discloses how she was infected with HIV

Rachel states that while she was at a club with friends, her drink was spiked, leading to her feeling ill. Noting that she had been targeted, Rachel says the perpetrator followed her into the bathroom and raped her.

While it may not be easy to share an HIV-positive status with family and friends, Rachel states that she first told her very supportive mother.

She later told the rest of her family and publicly shared her status on TikTok last year.

Listen to Rachel's story below:

New HIV prevention drug available in Mzansi

In March, Briefly News reported that a new HIV treatment is expected to prevent the spread of the virus when taken by those at risk of infection.

Read also

"I was once a good girl": Viral bridesmaid Olivia Emmanuel shares she's into married men

The drug is called cabotegravir and is expected to be long-acting. Three years ago, its effectiveness was tested and initially shown to be 66% effective.

Source: Briefly News