Watch | HIV-positive guys read horrible dating app messages
By Will Stroude
As some of the reaction to Charlie Sheen’s recent announcement that he’s HIV positive has shown, stigma about the virus is still alive and well in 2015 – and the gay community is sadly no exception.
To highlight the ongoing problem of HIV stigma – despite the fact that positive guys on medication with an undetectable viral load are basically non-infectious – gay men’s health charity GMFA has teamed up with some of the guys from their s ‘HIV Stripped Bare’ campaign, to show just what HIV-positive guys have to put up with on a daily basis on dating apps.
From being told that they’re “sluts” who “deserve it” to being called a “walking disease”, it’s a horrifying insight into they way some gay men still treat those with the virus. With World AIDS Day just around the corner, GMFA hope that the video will help to challenge everyone’s preconceptions about HIV. Check it out below:
GMFA CEO Matthew Hodson said: “The medical treatment for HIV has had a dramatic impact on the health and life expectancy of those of us who are living with HIV. Unfortunately, the progress we’ve made in tackling the stigma associated with an HIV positive diagnosis has not been as fast.
“The all too visible stigmatisation of people living with HIV discourages people from testing, or talking honestly about HIV, their risk and their testing history. In a very real sense, stigma helps to perpetuate HIV.
“We’ve seen that education can have a positive impact on the way that people treat those of us with HIV. Understanding the benefits of treatment and the impact that an undetectable viral load has on transmission risk helps to dispel ignorance and fear. GMFA are committed to tackling stigma and ensuring that all gay men are able to enjoy better health and great sex.”
This World AIDS Day GMFA are asking people to donate £5 or £10 (or as much as they can) to help provide vital information about HIV and HIV prevention to even more gay men.
Text GMFA15 £5 or £10 to 70070 or donate online at www.gmfa.org.uk/donate
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