Joshua W. Robbins (born January 12, 1983 in

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States census. Jackso ...

) 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, blogger,

talent agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or s ...

, writer, and social media marketer. His work has been featured on '' The Advocate'',

Human Rights Campaign The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...

, '' POZ'' and a myriad of additional publications. Robbins was named to the ''POZ'' 100 List in 2013.

Advocacy

Before his HIV diagnosis, Robbins was raising awareness about HIV in the

LGBT community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and soci ...

and fundraising for the

AIDS service organization AIDS service organizations are community-based organizations that provide support for people affected by HIV/AIDS. This article focuses on HIV/AIDS service organizations in the United States only. There is a huge variety of these organizations in ...

Nashville CARES. He was also a volunteer for the

HVTN 505 HVTN 505 is a clinical trial testing an HIV vaccine regimen on research participants. The trial is conducted by the HIV Vaccine Trials Network and sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Vaccinations were stopped ...

clinical vaccine trial. He has been described as "one of a growing legion of bloggers who are breathing life into HIV activism". Robbins published a video on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...

of being told of his HIV diagnosis in January 2012, after revealing his HIV status on

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin ...

. Robbins also hosts the weekly digital series, ''HIV Video Minute with Josh Robbins'', and created the "Ask HIV" iPhone app. In 2018, Robbins was named the national spokesperson for DatingPositives.

Social media

Robbins uses digital and

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social me ...

to advocate for HIV education to reduce stigma and

discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS Discrimination against people with HIV/AIDS or serophobia is the prejudice, fear, rejection, and stigmatization of people with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV people living with HIV/AIDS). Marginalized, at-risk groups such as members of the LGBTQ+ community, int ...

. In 2014, Robbins introduced the "HIV Video Minute with Josh Robbins" digital video series, licensed to ''HIV+'' magazine.

Blogger and author

In 2012, Robbins launched his blog focusing on encouraging those living with HIV/AIDS, described as a combination of "fact-based reportage and highly personal social blogging — in a way that sboth insightful and utterly engaging". In 2014, Robbins self-published: ''HIV Won't Kill Me: Encouragement eBook'' He also published ''Social Media Is Not Prison, So Unlock Yourself: Tips from a Social Media HIV Activist''. In 2014, Robbins created an iPhone application called Ask HIV, described by

Product Hunt Product Hunt is an American website to share and discover new products. It was founded by Ryan Hoover in November 2013. Users submit products, which are listed in a linear format by day. The site includes a comments system and a voting system s ...

as "an HIV/AIDS hotline on your iPhone". In 2018, Robbins received the National Lesbian and Gay Journalist Association "Excellence in Journalism" Award for blogging.

Entrepreneur

Robbins is a veteran

, owning and operating BNA Talent Group with niche divisions for actors, hosts and children and a division managing brands called The BRANDagement at BNA Talent Group. His clients have appeared in studio feature films and on television. He also works with companies interested in casting models and actors aimed at LGBT consumers. As a business professional, Robbins is vocal for LGBT issues in the workplace.

Personal life

Robbins identifies as an

out Out may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 * ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander * ''Out'' (2002 film), a Japanese film ba ...

gay man and is open about his HIV-positive status. He supports

HIV/AIDS organizations 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 ma ...

including Nashville CARES and the

HIV Vaccine Trials Network The HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) is a non-profit organization which connects physicians and scientists with activists and community educators for the purpose of conducting clinical trials seeking a safe and effective HIV vaccine. Collaborativ ...

. He was diagnosed with HIV during his participation in the

clinical trial though he explained that his infection was not a result of the vaccine. Robbins has a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree in journalism, Advertising and Marketing from

Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as well as a college of Postgr ...

and lives in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Josh 1983 births Living people People from Jackson, Tennessee Middle Tennessee State University alumni HIV/AIDS activists People with HIV/AIDS American gay writers American LGBT businesspeople LGBT people from Tennessee Writers from Tennessee American writers with disabilities