Ulrich was probably one of the first Germans to take an HIV test, which must have been in the mid-1980s. At the time, AIDS was considered a "death sentence", as there was no medication against it. Nevertheless, the Hamburg native agreed when his family doctor offered him an HIV test for the first time: "I wasn't really scared," recalls the now 62-year-old: "I was fine, and my motto anyway is: the sooner I'm in, the sooner I'm out."
Nobody really knew what was going on.
Ulrich could have been nervous. He had heard about Aids earlier than others. The lawyer was a trainee lawyer in San Francisco in the early 1980s. The Californian metropolis was not only a dream destination for hippies and gays, but also one of the first cities where experts became aware of the immunodeficiency disease. "I first read about AIDS in gay magazines," reports Ulrich. The term didn't exist back then: "Nobody really knew about it. You only read about Kaposi's sarcoma." This skin cancer breaks out when Aids has destroyed the immune system. Doctors and scientists were at a loss. It was not until 1983 that the AIDS pathogen HIV was discovered. A reliable HIV test was available from 1985.
At least once a year
By this time, Ulrich is back in Hamburg and has himself tested. It would be his last for a long time: a short time later, he was in a steady relationship. "I only had sex with my boyfriend and we both tested negative," he says. "I trusted him and can say for myself: I've never been at risk of infection in almost 15 years."
Since Ulrich has been single again, he has developed a testing routine: "I take a test at least once a year," says Ulrich. They were always negative. "But I also witnessed a good friend die of Aids," says Ulrich: "That leaves its mark." This is another reason why he now works as a volunteer at the gay information centre Hein & Fiete. As a member of the "Safety Crew", he provides information about safer sex and treatment options in bars, clubs and saunas. "Back then in San Francisco, I was just lucky not to get infected," emphasises Ulrich. "But with today's knowledge and thanks to the new drugs, I can do something about Aids and sexually transmitted diseases."
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