Tez Anderson is an HIV Long-Term Survivor. At 63 he has lived with the virus since 1983. An AIDS activist since 1986 and before that an LGBTQ+ Rights in Atlanta in 1981. Tez was born in rural Georgia but never fit in. Being a lifelong outsider, helps him fill the gaps others overlook. He coined and defined “AIDS Survivor Syndrome” to describe the psychosocial ramifications of living in the aftermath of the early AIDS pandemic.
He founded Let’s Kick ASS—AIDS Survivor Syndrome (www.LetsKickASS.hiv) in 2013 and started the annual June 5th HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day in 2014 (HLTSAD.org). His focus now is on improving quality of life for people aging with HIV, ending isolation, fighting stigma and ageism, and raising awareness that leads to action services, and policies for Older Adults with HIV.
He serves on numerous HIV and Aging advisory boards, projects and think tanks, including AIDS United HIV/Aging Policy Action Coalition (HAPAC); ANAC HIV & Aging Expert Advisory Committee; Ribbon Organizing Center for HIV and Aging (ROC4Aging+). He’s a U=U Ambassador and has been profiled by NBC’s Today Show and appeared in FX’s PRIDE docuseries, on The Takeaway and Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR.
