Sex, drugs, illness, and death create a fertile base for stigma. AIDS is mainly transmitted through sexual activities (i.e.,
unprotected sex) and blood-borne transmission (i.e., shared drug needles), which are two activities we don’t like to talk about.
In 2007, a national survey by the Foundation for AIDS Research found that 1 in 5 respondents would be uncomfortable even having a close friend who was HIV positive. However most adoptive families have found the majority of responses to be accepting of their HIV+ child.
One approach to reducing stigma has been to create very visible imagery and commentary of people living with HIV/AIDS—showing them as who they are: everyday people doing everything things with families, without families, at work, in social situation. This helps to normalize the fact that people living with HIV/AIDS are just like everyone else. Moreover, it also helps demonstrate that if we can increase access for treatments, HIV+ people can live healthy and productive lives.
Once, in this country and world, POLIO carried much of the same kinds of stigma as HIV/AIDS does now. Even before we had an effective vaccine, we had improved knowledge and awareness, understanding of risk factors, compassion and support for those infected, and increased access to treatment. We have to get to the same place with AIDS.