Give Love
An illustration of HIV
In the 1980s and early 90s HIV epidemic, many people who contracted the virus were eventually diagnosed with AIDS. Today, thanks to modern antiretroviral treatment, very few people in the UK develop serious HIV-related illnesses. While HIV is not as big of a health threat as it has been, people who carry the virus face stigmatisation and exclusion.
“It’s amazing that despite the advances in treatment, people’s attitudes are still exactly the same.”
Black African woman living in London, diagnosed with HIV in 1996. ->
Many people experience sexual rejection and avoidance due to their HIV status. The effects of the stigma are far reaching and in many cases lead to people who are suspecting a HIV contraction to avoid seeking medical advice in fear of discrimination. While the virus itself leads to heavy stigmatisation through society, the National Aids Trust finds that “HIV disproportionately affects black African men and women living in the UK. Whilst black Africans constitute 1.8% of the UK resident population, they accounted in 2012 for 34% of all people diagnosed with HIV. This is one of the starkest examples of health inequalities in this country and something which should be addressed urgently.”
The Prevention Access Campaign introduced the U=U message that aims to highlight modern advances in HIV treatment and dismantle HIV related stigma. The organisation says:
“Despite the monumental importance of the U=U message, many socio-cultural, political, economic, and systemic barriers have prevented people living with HIV from being accurately and meaningfully informed about their social, sexual, and reproductive health. As a result of these barriers, including many that have existed long before the start of the epidemic, the risk from people with HIV has been exaggerated. That exaggerated risk puts people living with HIV at risk of harm and injustice. Exaggerating the risk wastes valuable opportunities to greatly improve lives and bring us closer to ending the epidemic.”
Give Love is an illustrative poster I created in response and support to the U=U message and in an effort to help knock down the heavy and widespread stigmatisation of HIV. The illustration shows two men involved in a passionate kiss underlining that HIV should not be a dealbreaker for affection.
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