Inside the Denver housing complex for those living with HIV
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DENVER — Darrell Johnson delights in strolling through the hallways of Chesney-Kleinjohn Apartments in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
These corridors are a living museum, where antique shelves display a city permit for Denver’s first Pride, high heels worn by late drag performers and other poignant memorabilia honoring those lost to AIDS in Denver.
“Back in the 80s and 90s, when you got diagnosed with HIV and AIDS, your doctor basically told you you were getting a death sentence,” Johnson said. “You had to figure out how to live the rest of your life as best you could, because we didn’t know how much we had left.”
Johnson is one of 20 tenants at Chesney-Kleinjohn, Denver’s first, 17-unit apartment complex built exclusively for people living with HIV and AIDS.
Keith Chesney and Ray Kleinjohn, gay men who were diagnosed with the disease in Denver, purchased an empty plot of land in Capitol Hill to build the complex in 1994. Both Chesney and Kleinjohn died of AIDS before the complex was finished in 1996.
Chesney-Kleinjohn continues to restrict residences to those living with HIV. All 20 tenants have subsidized housing, either through a Section 8 voucher or rental assistance from the Colorado Health Network.
Data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment shows 15,414 people are currently living with HIV in the state. The same data show 254 people have died from the disease in the last six years.
Even though most people diagnosed with the disease have access to antiretroviral therapy, which prolongs their lives, Johnson said an apartment complex exclusively for those with lived experience is still necessary.
“Even though HIV is no longer a death sentence, it's still a debilitating disease and the people who have it or have had it for a long time are faced with unique challenges in life,” Johnson said. “This is a safe place to land.”
Johnson, who was one of the first three people to move into the complex in 1996, was elected president of the tenants’ union the following two years. He now manages the property, cleaning common areas, responding to maintenance requests and welcoming other residents as they move in.
“When I moved into Chesney-Kleinjohn, I felt like I was needed and it gave me a sense of purpose and made me feel like a contributing member of society again,” Johnson said. “When you’re struggling so hard out there to have a place which truly feels like home, it’s invaluable.”Johnson was diagnosed with HIV in 1983 when he was 27 years old and living in New York City. More than 3,500 people had died from the disease, but President Ronald Reagan did not mention the virus until 1985.
“It felt like shouting as loud as you could just begging for someone to hear you,” Johnson said from his home.
“It was Western medicine, it was the Reagan administration, it was everyone. You just felt invisible and terrified,” he said.
Johnson, who grew up in Commerce City, moved back to Colorado in 1995 to be closer to his sister and enjoy the remainder of his life.
He immediately joined the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus and made a point to see as much of the world as possible.
Now on medication to mitigate the side effects of the virus, Johnson still prioritizes living every day to the fullest. His apartment is decorated with magnets from the countries he’s visited, art pieces collected from around the world and photos of himself, his partner and their family.
“Once you come to the realization that you’re not going to die and that you need to make the most of the life that you have left, it makes you approach things with an enthusiasm that’s really hard to explain,” Johnson said. “I’ve lived an extremely full life, and I kind of think the reason I’ve enjoyed it as much as I have is because of how precious I find it all.”
Christopher Sloan, a longtime gay activist in Denver and co-founder of The Center on Colfax, moved into Chesney-Kleinjohn in 2020 after months of serious health issues prevented him from being able to live on his own.
He was diagnosed with HIV in 1983, 10 years after arriving in Denver, where he had moved to perform drag under the name Christi Layne. As Christi Layne, Sloan centered social justice issues, such as what he saw as government inaction on the AIDS epidemic, in his performances.
“Most people with the disease were islands and a lot of people were afraid to tell you their real name, so you really were an island by yourself while you were trying to survive,” Sloan said.
Sloan used $35 he raised at a drag show to help create The Gay Community Center of Colorado, now called The Center on Colfax. The Center’s original purpose was to help gay men with HIV navigate legal, housing and medical resources.
Sloan used $35 he raised at a drag show to help create The Gay Community Center of Colorado, now called The Center on Colfax. The Center’s original purpose was to help gay men with HIV navigate legal, housing and medical resources.
“We had no way of knowing what doctors we could trust, we had no way of figuring out legal aid if you got kicked out of your apartment,” Sloan said.
Sloan plans to spend the rest of his life at Chesney-Kleinjohn. Johnson is one of his best friends, and the two hope to leave a legacy of growth and activism in Denver, both in and outside of the building.
“This place is about paying homage to the lives we’ve lived,” Johnson said. “Especially when we didn’t know there would be more life left.”