DJ Fat Tony has revealed that he is awaiting permission from the Qatari government to allow him and his friend, who are both HIV positive, to enter the country where it is illegal to enter if you have the virus.
The star, 56, real name Tony Marnach, wants to go to the country with his partner Stavros Agapiou to wave the flag for trans rights after much publicized human rights issues.
The LGBTQ+ activist spoke at Advertising Week Europe on Wednesday as he plans to “experience the country firsthand.”
He added that he will not be in five-star hotels during the trip, but will be spending time with members of the trans community who “are unable to express who they are for fear.”
He said: “I have been waiting for permission from the government of Qatar so that me and my friend, who are both HIV positive, can go to a country where it is illegal to be HIV positive.
Candid: DJ Fat Tony has revealed he is awaiting permission from the Qatar government to allow him and his friend, who are both HIV positive, to go to the country where it is illegal to have the virus
Travel: The star, 56, real name Tony Marnach, wants to go to the country with his partner Stavros Agapiou to wave the flag for trans rights after much-publicized human rights issues
“I have been very vocal about members of my community going to Qatar and promoting it with all that is going on in the world and human rights atrocities.”
“I have hypocritically tattooed on my hand for a reason. I can say this very well, but I’m going to Qatar later this year to experience it firsthand.’
“Not in five-star hotels, but with members of the trans community and those who are afraid to say who they are.”
It comes after DJ Fat Tony posted shocking photos in January of when he was in the throes of a drug addiction as he celebrated 16 years sober.
He took to Instagram to share poignant images from when he was in the throes of a crack cocaine addiction, revealing that he was homeless and without teeth because of his habit.
He added that he posts the images every year as a “message of hope” to anyone struggling and to remind people to never give up.
He wrote on Instagram, “This was me a little over 16 years ago dying of addiction.
“I hated myself and life and all I looked forward to was death. I was homeless and had no teeth.
Intentions: The LGBTQ+ activist spoke at Advertising Week Europe on Wednesday as he intends to “experience the country firsthand”
Hopes: He added that he will not be in five-star hotels during the trip, but will spend time with members of the trans community who are “out of fear of expressing who they are”
Ideas: He said: ‘I have been waiting for permission from the government of Qatar so that me and my friend, who are both HIV positive, can go to a country where it is illegal to be HIV positive’
‘Today I celebrate 16 YEARS CLEAN AND SOBER and love life. I post these photos every year as a message of hope to anyone who is struggling, because when you think life can’t get any worse, it can only get better.
“Never take anything for granted and never give up. Thank you to each of you who have shown me love and a new way of living, I love you.”
Tony’s addiction continued for many years as a top DJ where he sometimes earned £100,000 a night.
The star discovered drugs when he was 18 and convinced himself he couldn’t DJ unless he was high, sometimes four or five nights in a row without sleeping.
The drugs affected Tony’s perception of reality and at one point said he became “so psychotic” that he thought there were creatures in his gums that he wanted to remove.
Speak against new! magazine in 2021, he said, “It got to the point where I was pulling my teeth out of my mouth with my bare fingers or prying them loose with a screwdriver. My whole face was numb from the drugs, so it didn’t hurt.’
His addiction damaged his relationship with ex-boyfriend James, who eventually helped him quit when he passed out on the floor of a nightclub and said, “What happened to you?”
Tony had an epiphany and he soon gave up drugs and spent six months in rehab trying to kick his addiction.
Although he is now clean, the DJ admitted that it was not an easy road to recovery as he replaced his drug addiction with a sex addiction.
He said: ‘It wasn’t an easy path, I replaced drugs with a sex addition and slept with up to eight guys a day. But I also treated that addiction, although James was not well.’
Tony shared how he also helped his good friend Boy George get clean.
Difficult: It comes after DJ Fat Tony posted shocking photos in January of when he was in the throes of a drug addiction as he celebrated 16 years sober
Message of hope: He took to Instagram to share poignant images and revealed he was homeless and had no teeth due to his habit
New life: The musician, who now hosts The Recovery Podcast, said he now enjoys life and knows that drugs are a doorway to death (pictured on This Morning in June)
The DJ also helps out at Resort 12, a specialist LGBT rehab center in Thailand, and says he thinks people in the community need special care.
Though he’s had moments of temptation since he’s been clean, Tony said his life is “too good” to risk what he has, saying booze and drugs are no longer “an option.”
Tony said he knows that if he drank or did drugs one night right now, he’d be “that guy with no teeth again.”
The musician, who now hosts The Recovery Podcast, said he now enjoys life and knows that drugs are a doorway to death.
