Jury’s In
By Keith Reynolds | May 23 2017
While the science of HIV treatment and prevention is making progress, stigma around HIV remains. People living with HIV face tremendous obstacles and risks from sexual partners. Disclosing their status means the possibility of rejection or violence, and yet they face prosecution if they don’t, even when the possibility of transmission is negligible. Currently, the laws around HIV non-disclosure are archaic. They have significant negative consequences such as incarceration, lowered testing rates, and reinforcing prejudice towards people living with HIV.
With an increasing number of health care professionals coming out in support of messages like “Undetectable = Untransmittable” (U=U), it’s clear that the science surrounding HIV transmission has changed. It’s time for our society, our beliefs, and our laws to change. In light of this, Resist Stigma has one simple message, the Jury’s In.
Jury’s In
HIV is complex, however it has become clear that discrimination and criminalization only drive the epidemic. For this reason, Resist Stigma, in line with it’s mission to empower and educate young GBQ2ST men, has reached out to people who are affected by HIV in order to share their experiences. Resist Stigma has created a series of blogs from authors who combine recent developments in the science of HIV with their own experiences to dismantle stigma including:
-
HIV criminalization is a crime! – One member of the Resist Stigma team talks about what criminalization means, why it’s wrong, and how you can help
-
Undetectable = Untransmittable – HIV positive youth tackle what the science of U=U means for them and how they incorporate this information into their sex lives
-
Neg UB2 and HIV Phobia in the Age of Apps – One researcher explains how only having sex with negative guys promotes fear and is a poor prevention strategy
-
Seeking For Revolutionary Love: Resisting Racism, Lateral Violence, And Oppression As A Racialized Queer Poz Activist – One activist has experienced racism from within the gay community and how it relates to other forms of oppression
Resist Stigma invites you to read, reflect upon, and share these articles in the hopes that they will educate.
- Categories: