“There are still individuals who won’t engage with you in certain ways or who have a judgment that you must have done something dirty, you must have had a million sex partners in order to get your condition,” he said. “And that is not the reality. It just takes once, and it can be a relatively special and intimate moment.”

Mr. Boyd, an independent sales professional in his 30s, began his new chapter by going public with his diagnosis, sharing it on social media in late 2016.

He also became a volunteer with FPWA, participating in agency-led AIDS and H.I.V. forums centered on raising awareness for the increasing transmission rates among blacks. FPWA is one of the eight organizations supported by The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund. Mr. Boyd has also dedicated himself to the broader goal of becoming a voice for those with H.I.V. and AIDS.

His volunteer work focuses on health and wellness for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, with a particular interest in gay black men and those who are H.I.V. positive.