Diagnosed at age 19, Tennessee native Marvelyn Brown announced her HIV-positive status in her hometown newspaper. As a result, she was alienated by many friends and family members. She has since appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, BET’s 106 & Park and America’s Next Top Model.

Brown, now 24, has written a book—The Naked Truth—that she hopes will convince a global audience to rethink its attitudes about HIV/AIDS. Here, the Emmy Award winner opens up to POZ about her new book.  

What sparked you to write the book?
I felt like God inspired me to write the book. It wasn’t something that I had planned to do.

What do you hope to achieve by sharing your story?
One of my goals is to educate people about the virus and shine light on what I go through every day.

What can we expect next from Marvelyn Brown?
My main goal is to reduce stigma, and that’s what I’m hoping to accomplish with this book. I won’t stop until that happens—that’s when I’ll be satisfied.