Show Notes
This week Christopher sits down with Eugene (@eugenelynch83) - a Dublin-born corporate professional turned TikTok HIV-awareness advocate followed by thousands. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Eugene traces the through-line from a two-bedroom house with no central heating in 1980s Dublin, through school years spent quietly hiding who he was, to meeting the love of his life at 4am in a Vauxhall nightclub - and the diagnosis that changed everything. This episode is only part 1, part 2 will follow next Wednesday.
Follow Christopher on TikTok and Instagram @christopherallenofficial, and follow Eugene on TikTok @eugenelynch83 and Instagram @eugenelynch.
Subscribe wherever you listen so you don't miss Part 2 - new episodes every Wednesday.
References mentioned in this episode: Terrence Higgins Trust (HIV support and information) — https://tht.org.uk/ NHS: Shingles, causes and who's at risk — https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/shingles Fire, Vauxhall (nightclub) — https://thatsup.co.uk/london/nightclub/fire-london/ The Netherlands becomes the first country to legalise same-sex marriage, 2001 — https://spectrumlocalnews.com/ap-top-news/2021/04/01/the-dutch-went-first-in-2001-who-has-same-sex-marriage-now
CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THIS EPISODE: HIV DIAGNOSIS DRUG USE ALCOHOL USE MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES HOMOPHOBIA / BULLYING
Chapters: 00:00:00 Welcome & meeting Eugene 00:01:55 Born in Dublin, 1983: growing up working-class 00:04:00 A quiet inferiority complex, and feeling "other" at school 00:07:48 His aunt, and the wedding in Amsterdam she couldn't attend 00:11:06 Secondary school: freedom, friendship, and the class "moment of realisation" 00:16:46 University: becoming an atheist and deciding to "just be" 00:19:31 2007: meeting the love of his life at 4am in Fire, Vauxhall 00:20:12 A wild period, toxic relationships, and trying drugs for the first time 00:24:30 Why he talks about HIV on TikTok 00:26:04 Getting ill: shingles, diagnosis, and telling Tim
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