4 Years After Diagnosis, HIV Stigma Is The Real Epidemic

The virus is under control. I’ve never been healthier, actually.

This moment was tough 4 years ago. I still think about it almost every day. It was the day that I met the first HIV positive person I would ever know — myself. But, I didn’t realize this day would start a journey that I would never have expected. Let’s start with a fact.

HIV is a virus. It’s only a virus.

Although there is no cure yet, the medications currently available drastically increase the ability of those living with HIV to lead normal lives. But the conversation doesn’t have to stop there. For those living with HIV and our allies, merely surviving isn’t enough.

We can do more.

It starts quite simply with our speech. Why can’t we be more understanding of those living with the virus? Many fear telling their families they live with HIV. We need to help them overcome that fear. Why can’t we stop the judgmental conversations derived from fear and ignorance of transmission routes that we hear in our communities? But mainly, why can’t we choose to offer encouragement to those living with HIV?

We can.

We must.

It’s my opinion that simple encouragement and words of wisdom to those newly diagnosed with HIV can actually be one of the greatest tools to help prevent new infections.

For those living with HIV and our allies, merely surviving isn’t enough.

How?

By offering encouragement. Supporting people living with HIV and those newly diagnosed offers compassion at exactly the right time. It’s more than just wearing a red ribbon.

Being HIV-aware and offering understanding, compassion, and encouragement empowers people. Empowered people speak freely and openly within their own circles and communities, and they become the new faces of the virus in a very real and vulnerable way. I have witnessed this numerous times in my patient activism. The best part is that funding for this sort of prevention is free. So, we can’t even complain about budget cuts.

I’m an HIV activist who uses social media and digital spaces to attempt to provide that type of needed support. But I’m not the only one. There are many others who are doing the same type of HIV activism, and it’s having a far-reaching impact. People like: Jack Mackenroth, Patrick Ingram, Maria Mejia, Kevin Maloney, Aaron Laxton, Alex Garner, Chris Richey, Tyler Curry, Mark S. King, Sean Strub, Ongina, and so many more.

“I am more than a cause. WE ALL ARE MORE THAN A CAUSE.” — Josh Robbins

Raising HIV awareness today means helping us all reduce the stigma that remains, by speaking up and encouraging those who live with the virus to keep living well. Once you look past the misconception that this requires a red ribbon, it will then become a bit more comfortable for you to help HIV-positive individuals live well, or at the least allow it without subjecting anyone to stigmatizing and uneducated messages. We deserve to continue living well. Science can only help us so far. We aren’t dying from AIDS anymore. Thank God. It’s a humbling moment thinking of those who paved this journey for us. I know they would want us to live well.

Now that’s a cause worth supporting!