HIV-positive US actor Charlie Sheen wants celebrities to come forward if they have contracted the virus to help lift stigma.

“There is a lot of prejudice against HIV-positive people and I hope to change that,” Sheen said in a recent interview with German Playboy as quoted by AFP.

The Platoon and Two and a Half Men star revealed that he was HIV-positive in an interview aired on US national television last November.

(Read also: Charlie Sheen's ex-fiancee sues actor over HIV exposure)

He says he did not endeavor to be a public advocate for the cause, but that the role was more thrust upon him. "People approach me on the street and congratulate me on having the courage," he said. "Whether I want to or not, it is important to teach about sexually transmitted diseases."

Last April, Los Angeles police opened a criminal investigation against Sheen claiming that he had threatened to kill his ex-fiancée Scottine Ross.

 Sheen says he has turned his back on his bad-boy days and wants to use his time productively. “I want to stay healthy and do good. I want to make peace with the past, live in the present and look toward the future," he said. (tif/kes)

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