Rebekka Lynn Armstrong (born 1967) is an American

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

activist and former model and bodybuilder. She was ''Playboy''

Playmate of the Month A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...

for September 1986. Eight years later, she was the first Playmate to publicly announce that she is HIV-positive.

Biography

Armstrong announced that she is HIV-positive in the September 1994 issue of ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * ''The Advocate'' (LGBT magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States *''The Harvard Advocate'', a literary magazin ...

''. She said that she had known she was infected since 1989, but spent two years after her diagnosis escaping into substance abuse. By the time of the publication of ''The Advocate'' article, she had come out as a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

and decided to educate others about HIV/AIDS, especially among lesbian and

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

women. She said she was unsure of when she had contracted the virus, but might have as early as age 16. By the time she was interviewed in 1999 for

AIDS Project Los Angeles APLA Health is a non-profit organization that is focused on building health equity and promoting wellbeing for the LGBT and people living with HIV." APLA Health is one of the largest non-profit HIV service organizations in the United States. Its ...

she identified as bisexual and said she had been infected at 16 "to the best of my knowledge." A University of Toledo events notice in 2004 said that ''Playboy'' founder

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles which provoked charges of obsc ...

and the Playboy Foundation assisted Armstrong financially on her AIDS-awareness campaign, the College Campus Safer Sex education program. In a 2013 speech to community college students in

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...

, Washington, Armstrong shared details about the early days of her illness, the aggressive

AZT Zidovudine (ZDV), also known as azidothymidine (AZT), is an antiretroviral medication used to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. It is generally recommended for use in combination with other antiretrovirals. It may be used to prevent mother-to-child ...

treatment that she endured, the good and bad times of that five-year period, and about her suicide attempt followed by a coma and a lengthy hospital stay. In addition to her former career as a model and her current activism, Armstrong has also competed as a bodybuilder.

Bodybuilding contest history

* 2004 Muscle Beach (Venice Beach, CA) – 1st (LW & overall) * 2004 NPC Los Angeles Championship – 1st (MW) * 2005 NPC Pittsburgh – 1st (MW & overall) * 2005 NPC Nationals – 12th (HW) * 2009 NPC Los Angeles Championships - 1st (HW and overall) * 2009 NPC USA Championships - 7th (LHW)

References

External links

Rebekka Online - HIV/AIDS Activist
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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Rebekka 1967 births Living people 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Bakersfield, California American female bodybuilders American film actresses Lesbian models HIV/AIDS activists American LGBT sportspeople American LGBT models American lesbian actresses People with HIV/AIDS 1980s Playboy Playmates American sex educators LGBT people from California Lesbian sportswomen LGBT bodybuilders 21st-century American women Educators with disabilities