HIV stigma is hindering the process of getting people tested, remaining in treatment and even disclosing their status to others. In order to end HIV, we cannot shun others based on their HIV status; we have to come together and fight this fight together no matter what your status is. Below is a link to an article about HIV stigma in the gay community and how we are no longer embracing one another but shaming others for being HIV positive.
“HIV-related stigma is worse than ever. Not the external kind, where a society is panicked about the new plague. Thankfully, the days of being shunned by hospital orderlies or funeral homes are over. But I’d prefer that kind of stigma over today’s brand. At least I knew how to fight the external kind. Today’s internal stigma, where a community shuns its own, is seemingly intractable and far more destructive.” – Peter Staley, AIDS and gay rights activist
Gay-on-Gay Shaming: The New HIV War: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-staley/gay-on-gay-shaming-the-new-hiv-war_b_4856233.html
