DinetiaJohnson

Dinetia Johnson

ca. 1968 - ca. 1999?

Dinetia was diagnosed positive at the age of 22, just a few months after becoming sexually active.1 She got tested after her former fiancé encouraged her to do so. As a result of her HIV diagnosis, Dinetia worked culinary services in an adult education program and was fired as her employer feared word would spread and it would affect her business. She was excommunicated from her family's Jehovah's Witness faith. Dinetia was featured in Eric’s Video talking about her experience as a 23-year-old newly diagnosed positive woman and the biases she’d learned about HIV2.

She was one of the first women involved in the PWACoalition3 She worked to educate the community on HIV/AIDS. On October 12, 1990, she was a presenter at Memorial University of Newfoundland4.

By the age of 31, she was living in the Annapolis Valley, married with children. She was frequently turned away for care based on her HIV status5. On one occasion, after being denied care she was placed in an ambulance to proceed to Halifax for care. She died en route.

Dinetia is profiled in the AIDS Activist History project.

Memories

• AnitaMartinez says: Dinetia Johnson was like a daughter... HIV... died on the way from the Valley when the hospitals in the Valley would not treat her... sweet woman... tough story. I do have photos. JaneAllen has some of Dinetia's story also... as Jane worked with and maybe still does, the AIDS community... Yes with Dinetia it is , 1996... and by the way also there was a CBC movie done of Dinetia's life called "The Fallen Angel" very interesting... Jane ..one with dark hair was in the mid 90's the other 2012/13 maybe...6

Photos by AnitaMartinez on line here

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