Career
She was Playboy Playmate of the Month for September 1986. Eight years later, she was the first Playmate to publicly announce that she is Human Immunodeficiency Virus-positive. Armstrong announced that she is Human Immunodeficiency Virus-positive in the September 1994 issue of The Advocate.
She said that she had known she was infected since 1989, but spent two years after her diagnosis escaping into substance abuse.
By the time of the publication of The Advocate article, she had come out as a lesbian and decided to educate others about Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, especially among lesbian and bisexual women. She said she was unsure of when she had contracted the virus, but might have as early as age 16.
In a 2013 speech to community college students in Spokane, Washington, Armstrong shared details about the early days of her illness, the aggressive AZT treatment that she endured, the good and bad times of that five-year period, and about her suicide attempt followed by a coma and a lengthy hospital stay. In addition to her former career as a model and her current activism, Armstrong has also competed as a bodybuilder.
2004 Muscle Beach (Venice Beach, California) – 1st (LW & Overall)
2004 Non-Player Character Los Angeles Championship – 1st (MW)
2005 Non-Player Character Pittsburgh – 1st (MW & Overall)
2005 Non-Player Character Nationals – 12th (HW)
2009 Non-Player Character Los Angeles Championships - 1st (HW and overall)
2009 Non-Player Character United States of America Championships - 7th (LHW).