A gay man from Liverpool diagnosed with HIV in 1993 at 23, who held suicide as a safety net for years before channelling his experience into a career as an NHS psychotherapist - and who inherited a cat called Ava.
Summary
Martin Fenerty was 23 and had been out as a gay man for only a couple of years when, in the summer of 1993, a cold sore erupted into an extreme facial herpes outbreak that covered his face and neck. His GP didn't question why. He went to the Seaman's Dispensary in Liverpool, a sexual health clinic favoured by gay men and sex workers for its open-mindedness, but the service transferred to the Royal Liverpool Hospital while his sample was at the laboratory. A health adviser turned up at his door at five o'clock on a long, rainy November evening.
For years, Martin held the idea of suicide as a safety net - if things get too difficult, at least I can end my own life. He kept it as a back pocket option while navigating the early antiretrovirals, the stigma of 1990s Liverpool, and a family that had already struggled with his sexuality. What pulled him through was a man called Mark Morrell Williams, the first person with HIV he ever met - introduced to him in a hospital bed, of all places. Mark ran Body Positive in Chester and lived openly with HIV in the 1990s. He became Martin's role model. Mark died in 1997, aged 39, just before combination therapy could have saved him.
Martin went on to build a career as a counsellor and psychotherapist, working in the NHS, the charitable sector, and LGBTQ+ and HIV services. He lives with his husband and a cat called Ava, inherited from a friend who passed away - sometimes referred to as the spiritual leader of the country.
Key Moments
- [00:05] Suicide as a safety net - the idea of ending his own life held as a back pocket option for years
- [03:12] Liverpool, 1993 - diagnosed at 23, two years after coming out, with a family still adjusting to his sexuality
- [03:56] Facial herpes - an extreme outbreak that made socialising impossible and a GP who didn't ask why
- [06:05] The Seaman's Dispensary - a clinic for seafarers, favoured by gay men, transferring to the Royal Liverpool while his sample was in the lab
- [07:52] The rainy November doorstep - a health adviser arriving at five o'clock with results
- [39:05] Mark Morrell Williams - the first person with HIV Martin ever met, introduced in a hospital bed, a role model who died in 1997 at 39
- [42:18] Ava the cat - inherited from a friend, occasionally referred to as the spiritual leader of the country, and very much the centre of the home
Dedication
Martin remembers Mark Morrell Williams, who ran Body Positive in Chester, lived openly with HIV in the 1990s, and died in 1997 aged 39 - just before combination therapy arrived. Martin supported him through the last 18 months.
About Martin Fenerty
Martin Fenerty is a 55-year-old gay man from Liverpool, diagnosed with HIV in 1993 at 23. He works as a counsellor and psychotherapist in the NHS, the charitable sector, LGBTQ+ and HIV services, and private practice. He lives with his husband and a cat called Ava.
Resources
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