“Never a dull moment”: HIV Specialist, Rose Hornedo, Takes Pride in Her Work & Identity

Our Creative Assistant Director, Brook Carter, sat down with HIV Specialist, Rose Hornedo, to discuss life in the field, her Taino heritage, being queer and more!

How long have you been an HIV Specialist and what got you into that field? 

I've been in the social service field since 1994, with over 15 of those years specializing in HIV prevention and care. A good friend actually tricked me into it! I was a business major in college and he was always bugging me to join him (he was already working part time at a local non profit). I was like, "hell nah, they don't pay shit and I've got 2 kids to raise!" LOL... guess he saw something in me I didn't because he didn't let up. I finally started listening when he mentioned employers preferring employees with some community work on their resume; he said it would make me look "well rounded"... he knew what he was doing. Once i started volunteering, I instantly fell in love with the work.

What’s the day in the life of an HIV Specialist?

LOL... every day is jam packed, crazy, frustrating, and exhilarating all at once. The beauty of this work is knowing every day will be different. Some days we are in office offering HIV/ STI testing and ensuring people living with HIV get connected to care as quickly and easily as possible. Other days we are out in the community, participating in events or sharing education. Never a dull moment.

As someone who is not only a part of the queer community but is active within that community, why is Pride Month important to you?

Well like many, Pride is where I first found a safe space to be my true self. That feeling is so incredibly crucial to young people questioning their identities. As I got older, and learned more of the history, I became more involved. I've always had an activists soul, so I felt drawn to not only celebrating us but to do my part in enacting change.

Who are some role models that inspire you to do the work that you do?

My mom, Mary Baker (my college mentor), my sister in law who became my 2nd mom after mine passed, Maya Angelou, Eartha Kitt, Angela Davis, Lolita Lebròn...

Where are you from? And how did your hometown play a role in who you are today?

I was born in Brooklyn, New York but my family moved to Brockton Massachusetts when I was 4. It's a very blue collar city. I have one younger brother who joined a gang and spent a good portion of his life in prison. I lost my baby brother to gun violence when he was 15. I'm a survivor of domestic violence and childhood abuse- both physical and sexual. As time passed, the city's economy worsened, poverty rose, crime rates rose. Gang violence and drugs were the norm... I couldn't just live my life in a bubble. So I began volunteering with a community coalition called Brockton Fights Back. That's all it took- I was hooked! Within 2 years I landed my first grant funded job as a community organizer. That was 1994.

Being in a field where you’re actively making a difference, what have been some moments when making an impact within the community made an impact on you?

Over a 28 year span, I'm blessed to say I've had many moments; watching a client who went from being homeless and fighting a 20 year addiction to opioid educate the governor's aide about methadone because her best friend got hooked on oxys, helping a young, pregnant, homeless couple decorate their apartment for Christmas just in time to greet their newborn, helping a man who lives with HIV and MS fight DCF and reunite with his daughter after her mom went to jail, marching in Washington to protest against pharmaceuticals, getting kicked out of a city council meeting after going toe to toe with a corrupt council member. There have been many sad moments as well, but I like remembering the ones that feed my soul so I can continue the fight.

I love your chin tattoo. What does that tattoo mean to you, especially as someone who is Taino and Puerto Rican?

Thanks! I learned the chin stripe is something Taino people assigned female at birth would receive when turning 13, as a symbol of entering adulthood. I wanted to honor my ancestors. I designed mine with 3 stripes, to represent the past, present, and future. But I made the middle stripe the boldest to remind me how important it is to focus on the present, the now.

Did you have a coming out moment? What was that experience like?

I've know I was queer my whole life but for reasons due to my culture, my family, and my own insecurities I didn't publicly come out until I was 40. But I've been such a vocal, hard-core activist within the LGBTQIA+ community nobody I knew was shocked- I'm pretty sure everybody already guessed.

What advice do you have for young queer people trying to figure out their sexuality?

When I was young and questioning, I allowed toxic, insecure, hateful people get in my head and convince me I wasn't good enough/ strong enough/ smart enough. I was lost for a good long while and I'm grateful the universe crossed my path with many who helped me deconstruct the shit I believed about myself.

Beautiful children:

Do not, for one moment, allow the hate to seep into you. Protect your heart/ mind/ soul from the toxicity because you are worth it. The negativity is coming from an external place- NOT from within. Do NOT drink the kool aid. Find your true family, either by blood or by bond. There you will be loved. There you will thrive. It's what you fucking deserve.