Last week, retired Welsh rugby icon Gareth Thomas disclosed to the world that he is living with HIV. Now, he’s getting educated about the virus—and inviting the world along on his journey.

On Wednesday, September 18, BBC One Wales broadcast a special titled Gareth Thomas: HIV and Me. The news station tweeted video clips to promote the show. In one clip, Thomas speaks with Chloe Orkin, a professor of HIV medicine and chair of the British HIV Association.

“People with HIV who are diagnosed early have the same life expectancy as people who don’t have it,” she tells him. “But our challenge is to make their [life healthy], not just physically but mentally. What’s happened recently is amazing research.… What’s been shown is that in hundreds of thousands of [condomless] sex acts, if the virus is undetectable, it cannot be passed on, and that is what we call Undetectable Equals Untransmittable, U=U. So people can…let go of that sense that they are somehow infectious or can harm other people. Sometimes, when I tell people U=U, they cry.”

Thomas seems overwhelmed by the news and asks Orkin to confirm that the virus cannot be passed along via activities such as sharing a cup or tending a wound.

In another clip, Thomas discloses his status to a former teammate and prepares for an Ironman competition.

Matthew Hodson, an HIV activist, tweeted support for Thomas and the related HIV videos. “I was asked whether I thought Gareth Thomas’ coming out about his #HIV status would make a difference,” Hodson wrote. “There is no magic bullet that will wipe out HIV fear and ignorance, but we chip away at it. 124K views of this fab video (so far) means more now now #UequalsU. Keep sharing.”

POZ March 2019 cover U=U Undetectable = Untransmitable

To learn more about U=U, read our March cover story, “Understanding Undetectable Equals Untransmittable.” You can view the entire issue and its related U=U content here.