HIV survivor shares personal story in hopes to educate
When Gladys “Gizzy” Somarriba found out she tested positive for HIV in January of 2013, she immediately worried about what her family would think of her.
“I told my mom over a text message, asking her if she would still love me,” Somarriba said. “I was crying hysterically, I was embarrassed. I didn’t want her to hate me. When I called to tell my dad, he hung up on me.”
Shortly after being diagnosed, Somarriba experienced a state of depression that led her to cut herself in self-mutilation.Ā It was through the help of antidepressants and the creation of her Facebook pageĀ “Gizzy’s Story”Ā that Somarriba was able toĀ cope with her disease and help educate others.
“I know I’m helping other women through my page because they reach out to me,” SomarribaĀ said. “If I can stop at least one person from having unprotected sex or if I can encourage at least one person to go out and get tested then I feel it is all worth it.”
Somarriba decided to get tested after finding suspicious emails on herĀ ex-boyfriend’sĀ iPad.Ā Somarriba had discoveredĀ him texting another girl in the past and after seeing his response to another man’s Craigslist advertisement about a “back massage,” Somarriba considered the needĀ to get tested.
Her boyfriend was sitting in the room next her when the nurse gave her the diagnosis. She said she knew it was her ex who infected her, but thought it was byĀ accident.Ā It was through social mediaĀ that she discovered thatĀ her ex-boyfriendĀ had beenĀ born with the disease and had known about it the entire time they dated
“I just felt like everything was over,” Somarriba said. “I didn’t want to accept that the man I fell in love with and planned a future with knowingly infected me.”
National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was commemorated March 10. Of theĀ more than 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S., one in four are women, according toĀ Greater Than’s website. Somarriba was 29 years old when she was diagnosed.
“To me, everyday is HIV awareness day,” she said.
In March, close toĀ her one-year anniversary of living with HIV, Somarriba created a Facebook page to share with the public her story ofĀ seroconversion. Somarriba said she was motivated by the difficulty in finding an HIV/AIDS support group where she felt comfortable.Ā When she revealed the truth about her infection to a support group for battered women at Kaiser Permanente, they toldĀ her that sheĀ didĀ notĀ look like someone whoĀ had HIV.
āI realized that even though we are in the 21st Century, people still think HIV has a face,ā Somarriba said. āHIV can happen to anyone.ā
SF State Peer Educators Advocating Campus HealthĀ volunteer Alec Santos said part of the stigma some people have with the disease is having a misunderstanding of the distinction between HIV and AIDS.
“Gizzy’s boyfriend may have infected her with HIV,Ā or human immunodeficiency virus,” said Santos. “It is a virus that causes the progressive failure of the immune system causing a space for opportunistic viruses to thrive.”

The P.E.A.C.HĀ program provides HIV/AIDS education in various ways, ranging from in-depth workshops that are either done in the Student Health Services Conference Room or in classrooms around campus if requested, Santos said.
“In regard to Gizzy and her boyfriend, that is a very sad and unethical situation,” he said. “By the state of California, people are mandated to inform their sexual partner of any infectious diseases that may be carrying. If someone who does have a virus and transmits said virus knowingly, the transmission is considered a misdemeanor.”
Somarriba’s Facebook page inspired film studentsĀ Tucker Morgan and Diana Chen to createĀ aĀ short documentaryĀ about how she was able to cope with the virus by sharing her story online and educating others.
Morgan and Chen, who tookĀ aĀ Bay Area Video Coalition documentary and community off-campusĀ class offered byĀ SF State, were given an assignmentĀ to profile someone in the community, and Morgan thought āGizzyās Storyā was one that needed to be shared.
āI really admired Gizzyās bravery,ā Morgan said. āAnd making the film was kind of a way that I could support her and what she was doing.ā
Chen said sheĀ was so moved by the film that she entered it in the 54th annual SF state film finals whileĀ Morgan uploaded the film toĀ YouTube.
Although Somarriba said she has received a lot of Ā feedback and support for sharing her story, sheĀ hasĀ also receivedĀ criticism, including a response fromĀ one woman who accused her of lying about her disease.
āI have tons of people question my story and I donāt understand why people think I would lie,ā SomarribaĀ said. “Who would want to be known as the girl with HIV? This isnāt a lifetime movie, this is my life and Iām not getting money from this or book deals. I wish I was lying. I wish it wasn’t true.”
Somarriba said that despite having to deal with a lot of negativity and even receiving a restraining order from her ex-boyfriend after reveling his identity online, the positive feedback hasĀ outweighed the bad.
She participates in the AIDS Walk every year and her ultimate goal is to become a guest speaker and share her story with young girls. She said she would like toĀ eventually startĀ her own HIV/AIDS foundation for women.
“I wouldĀ love for it to be a huge organization,” Somarriba said. “But even it’s just a weekly meeting in my living room where women can gather and support one another, I’ll be happy.”
This article is factually incorrect regarding the restraining order. The boyfriend got a permanent restraining order against Gladys because she was verbally harassing him and she threatened to harm him and to have others do harm to him. It had nothing to do with her recent online harassment campaign, which only came AFTER the restraining order was issued by Judge Michael Begert of the San Francisco County Superior Court.
Oh gee, he deliberately infects her with HIV and she’s supposed to be nice?
I feel so sorry for him.
NOT!!
The article falsely states that the restraining order was obtained because of her online comments against him, probably because Gladys lied and didn’t want people to know that she had been found to be a domestic abuser by the courts. It damages her narrative as the innocent victim.
So she is not his victim? Puleeze. Stop trying to defend the indefensible. The fact is that he knowingly infected her with HIV. That is a crime you know.
Are you his friend or are you the jerk who thought it was OK to infect his girlfriend with HIV?
Stop blaming the victim.
I don’t know if she is his victim and neither do you. This article is only based on what Gladys says and she lied about the restraining order, so who is to say she isn’t lying about the HIV as well?
It is most certainly a crime in California to knowingly infect another with HIV, yet her ex-boyfriend was not prosecuted, so it looks like her claims didn’t add up for the District Attorney.
I feel sorry for the next boyfriend who breaks up with her.
I feel sorry for you!
Or he is probably his lover… So ce he knows so much!
That account is fake and is someone associated with him
I love you and your fake allegations! Where was I shown to be abusive? Lol! Some rumors truly are funny! Show the proof or stop making malicious comments
Hello Concerned Joe,
My name is Eva Barragan and I’m the reporter who worked on the story. Would you mind emailing me or giving me a call. I want to make sure I’m getting the facts correct and representing every side of this story.
Thank you,
Eva
[email protected]
Done.
Eva, and when you get his/her info, let me know, so I can let my attorney know! As a reporter, I am shock that you would play into malicious comments.
I don’t know that a reporter is required to reveal their sources, and I think that would be grossly irresponsible to do such in this case. A good reporter would explore both sides of the story, IMO. Someone with an actual attorney, would let their attorney know and their attorney would compel the information, if possible through the court. I am unfamiliar with the Golden Gate Xpress, and this is the first article I have read, so I will not formulate my opinion of such based on this topical which reminds this commentator of a High School newspaper without the balance. It is a pleasant surprise to see the writer attempting to follow up for a fact check. IMO, this whole story sounds like a couple b*tches, so it must have been a gay lovers quarrel. When did Gizzy get the sex change? Was it before- or after- they contracted HIV? Because from reading the story, it sounds like Gizzy was outted by telling the parents they had gay sex and got HIV. I expect this is the real reason the father hung up on Gizzy. I suspect that is why Gizzy receives so much resistance. That would be an attempt to play the role of victimized woman and garner sympathy for themselves, and suddenly this article starts to make sense. Am I wrong? If I am wrong tell me, I claim no factual evidence. I only relay what I see in this article that was not written. Judging by the vehement defenses and threats, I am sure if I am wrong there will be some denial and evidence to the contrary. Yet I expect to see neither.
No you are factually incorrect! He had never been threatened, which is why the judge did NOT give him the stay away order! The Facebook page, has been up and running way before that silly restraining order! If I wanted him dead, he would be dead! I had so many chances, but unlike him, I don’t intentionally harm others.
No, you just commit domestic violence against others š
He’s complaining of verbal assault and this women has to live the rest of her life with hiv because of a man she thought she could trust are you serious? knowingly infecting someone with hiv is just sick!!! If that was me I would probably be in jail right now, I’m just saying!
Did she delete her Facebook page. I followed her daily and we are no longer friends.
What happened to Gizzy’s fb page?