Ricky Martin praises ABC reporter Karl Schmid for coming out as HIV-positive

Ricky Martin has praised ABC News reporter Karl Schmid for coming out as HIV-positive. 

The Attitude cover star is one of the many famous faces praising Schmid’s decision to be open about his status in an attempt to tackle the stigma which still surrounds the virus. 

Schmid, 37, came out in an emotional Facebook post last Saturday (March 24) which he shared alongside an image of him wearing a t-shirt promoting the AIDS memorial Instagram page, which is dedicated to the people lost to the virus. 

In the post, Schmid said he had been warned that being open about his status would “ruin” his career and that he had struggled with the decision to come out. He also urged others to “stand tall and stand proud”. 

In an Instagram post shared yesterday (March 30), Schmid once again thanked fans for their support.

He wrote: “One week on and still the flood of touching, personal, kind and heartfelt messages keep rolling in! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Again, I honestly had no idea that me just being honest would resonate with so many.

“I stand by what I said and will continue to do so… hopefully my loud mouth can give a little volume for the more softly spoken of you out there who aren’t quite sure if you’re ready to step out of the shadows. It’s time to fight the stigma and bring it and HID/AIDS to an end! Undetectable = Untransmitable”. 

 

One week on and still the flood of touching, personal, kind and heartfelt messages keep rolling in! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Again, I honestly had no idea that me just being honest would resonate with so many. I stand by what I said and will continue to do so.. hopefully my loud mouth can give a little volume for the more softly spoken of you out there who aren’t quite sure if you’re ready to step out of the shadows. It’s time to fight the stigma and bring it and HIV/AIDS to an end! Undetectable = Untransmitable #theaidsmemorial #uequalsu #whatisrememberedlives @theaidsmemorial

A post shared by Karl Schmid (@karljschmid) on Mar 30, 2018 at 3:49pm PDT

Soon after Schmid had shared the post, Empire actor Rafael de la Fuenta sent his congratulations. 

Ricky Marin followed soon after and commented “Bravo!!!!” on the post. 

After Schmid thanked the Puerto Rican singer for his comment, Martin wrote: “No no no #THANKYOUKARL Thank you brave man”. 

Meanwhile, the American Crime Story: Versace star opened up about his marriage and facing up to his sexuality in a world-exclusive interview in Attitude’s May issue – available to download, in shops now and with a second special cover featuring Kylie Minogue.