The Here Comes Honey Boo Boo family isn't generally known for speaking out on serious issues, but that could change, thanks to series star Lee "Uncle Poodle" Thompson. In a new interview with Atlanta magazine Fenuxe, the openly gay Thompson talks about the importance of safe sex -- and reveals that he was diagnosed as HIV-positive last year.

"I was adamant about getting my HIV status checked on a regular basis," the TLC standout explains of how he learned the news. "On March 16, 2012, I tested negative. Then, in May of 2012, my test results came back positive. I knew it had been my boyfriend who infected me. I later learned he had been HIV-positive and was not taking medication and had not bothered to tell me about it."

Thompson says he was advised to press charges against his now-ex, which he did, somewhat "hesitantly." The man is currently serving a five-year sentence in jail for the crime.

"I would have been cool with his HIV status if he had been honest," Alana's uncle tells Fenuxe. "I don't have an issue with the disease. I would have known how to protect myself."

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The star stresses that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, should practice safe sex. Those who don't "are damn fools," he says. "They are playing Russian roulette; they are playing with their lives and that of their sexual partners."

This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Honey Boo Boo's Uncle Poodle Reveals He's HIV-Positive