Appearing Friday on ABC's The View,
former child star Danny Pintauro said that he wants to be “the face
of HIV.”
In an interview broadcast last weekend
with Oprah Winfrey, Pintauro, who came out in 1997 after the National
Enquirer threatened to reveal his sexuality, announced that he's
been living with HIV for 12 years. The one-time Who's the Boss?
star blamed a crystal meth addiction at the time for “taking away
his inhibitions.”
(Related: Judith
Light, Alyssa Milano speak out in support of Danny Pintauro.)
Pintauro told Raven-Symone and Candance
Cameron Bure that he's planning to devote the next year discussing
the dangers of crystal meth and HIV.
“I don't want to be a hero. I don't
want to be a role model,” he said. “I want to be the example. I
want to be the example of what can happen if you get into drugs, if
you're being promiscuous, if you're not taking care of yourself, if
you're not being checked, if you're not living a healthy, responsible
lifestyle.”