Jonathan Van Ness opened up recently about his past struggle with addiction, being a sexual abuse survivor and being a part of the “beautiful HIV-positive community.”

in a profile published Saturday in The New York Times, The “Queer Eye” co-star said that he had been mentally preparing for the Sept. 24 release of his memoir, “Over the Top”: “I’ve had nightmares every night for the past three months because I’m scared to be this vulnerable with people.”

Regarding his positive HIV status, the 32-year-old said he was initially unsure about whether to publicly discuss it in the wake of the success of Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” the rebooted makeover series starring the “Fab Five” that premiered in February 2018.

“And then I was like, ‘The Trump administration has done everything they can do to have the stigmatization of the LGBT community thrive around me,’” he said, adding: “I do feel the need to talk about this.”

Van Ness told the Times he considered it important to join the public voices who are working to combat common misconceptions and stigmas about living with HIV.