Mark S. King

Mark S. King (born December 23, 1960) is an HIV/AIDS activist, blogger, writer, and actor. King tested positive for HIV in 1985 and became an HIV/AIDS activist soon after. He is the creator of the video blog, My Fabulous Disease, which has been nominated four times for a GLAAD Media Award.

Early life

Mark King, one of six siblings, was born on December 23, 1960 to a military family that settled in Shreveport, Louisiana. He graduated from the University of Houston in 1981.

Career

Following college, King went to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting, and appeared in television commercials. While in California, he also owned and operated a gay fantasy phone service, Telerotic. His memoir, A Place Like This, focuses on his time in Los Angeles during the early years of the AIDS pandemic.

After King tested HIV positive in 1985, he became an AIDS activist, and was the first public relations director for the Los Angeles Shanti Foundation. He later served as director of education and communication for AID Atlanta,

King publishes a video blog, My Fabulous Disease, the subjects of which include HIV and AIDS, LGBTQ+ issues, substance abuse, politics, sex, and his own family. King advocates against HIV criminalization and is a proponent of U=U (undetectable = untransmittable) and the use of PrEP. My Fabulous Disease was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in 2015, 2017, 2018,. and 2019

King has presented at, and reported on, regional, national, and international HIV/AIDS conferences, including the International AIDS Conference. His coverage of AIDS2016 in Durban, South Africa, was featured in materials for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

King's articles, blog entries, videos, and commentaries have appeared in Huffpost, TheBody.com, The Advocate, and Poz Magazine, among others. He has been interviewed or cited on NBC, CNN, NPR, Salon, and the Washington Post. He also participated in the original "Let's Stop HIV Together" campaign launched in 2012 by the Centers for Disease Control.

In 2013, HIV Equal included him in a list of thirteen notable HIV/AIDS activists.

Personal life

King tested positive for HIV in 1985, the year testing became publicly available. King is openly gay, and is also open about his addiction to alcohol and drugs, particularly crystal methamphetamine. He has been sober since 2012. In 2015 he married Michael Mitchell.

Selected Publications

• A Place Like This: A Memoir (2007)
• "Suicide, A Love Story," in Shades of Blue, Amy Ferris, ed. (2015)
• My Fabulous Disease (video blog)
• "David Furnish talks Sir Elton, PrEP and U=U at AIDS2018 Confab," Queerty, August 1, 2018 (interviewing David Furnish)
• "Finding Larry Kramer," Poz Magazine, May 15, 2018 (interviewing Larry Kramer)

Films and television

• Featured participant, Meth (2006)
• Producer, actor, Merce, Seasons 1 & 2
• Contestant, The Price is Right (1980)

Selected conferences

• 2018 OHTN Research Conference, Toronto, ON (plenary speaker)
• 2018 United States Conference on AIDS (plenary speaker)
• 2015 NLGJA Conference (plenary panel moderator)
• 2013 ADAP Advocacy Association Annual Conference (panelist)

Awards and recognition

• 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 – GLAAD Media Award Nominee, for My Fabulous Disease
• 2014, 2016 – Excellence in Blogging Award, National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, First place, for My Fabulous Disease
• 2013 – Listed in "Legendary Activists in the Fight Against AIDS" in HIV Equal
• 2013 – Selected as a Grand Marshall for Atlanta Pride Parade
• 2011, 2018 – Listed in Poz Magazine's "Poz 100"
• 2010 – Included in "The Best of 'It Gets Better'", The Advocate, October 4, 2010