Queer Eye‘s Jonathan Van Ness not only enjoys a good coif, he loves storytelling.
On Tuesday, the reality star announced his first picture book,Peanut Goes for the Gold,about a gender nonbinary guinea pig who dreams big.
“Growing up, the things that made me unique were not always celebrated, and I wanted to do something that would inspire kids to celebrate the things that make them special,” Van Ness, 32, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. “With that being said, I’m so excited to announce my debut children’s book,Peanut Goes for the Gold, an inspiring story of a guinea pig rhythmic gymnastics prodigy.”
Sara Jaye Weiss/Shutterstock
“Having had the opportunity to work with Jonathan Van Ness onPeanut Goes for the Goldhas truly been a dream come true,” said executive editor David Linker. “He’s an absolute inspiration. Just like Peanut, Jonathan embodies the idea that no dream is impossible when you put your whole heart into it, and I’m so thrilled to have had the opportunity to help Jonathan translate that spirit into his amazing first-ever book for kids.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
HarperCollins Children’s Books
“It was the moment that you dread hearing,” the starsaid about his diagnosisduring a September interview on theTodayshow. “It’s the thing that I had feared, which I also talk about in the book, it was something that I had been very fearful of as a small child. I was born in 1987, so growing up in the midst of the HIV-AIDS crisis and having two parents who were at the age of seeing people just — we lost an entire generation of people.”
But his story is one of triumph. Van Ness is healthy and he hasn’t used hard drugs in years. He’s excited to be an advocate for those who are HIV positive.
RELATED VIDEO: Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness Recalls the Day He Was Diagnosed HIV-Positive After Fainting
“WhenQueer Eyecame out, it was really difficult because I was like, ‘Do I want to talk about my status?’ ” the authortold theNew YorkTimesbeforeOver the Topwas released. “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.’ I do feel the need to talk about this.”
Now Van Ness is expanding his reach withPeanut Goes for the Gold.He hopes to encourage young people to follow their dreams and stay true to themselves.
“You just have to learn to believe in yourself….” he told PEOPLE afterOver the Topwas published. “Just be you, because everyone else is taken.”
source: people.com
