“The organisation I work for believed that my HIV status called into question my fitness to practice and that took 8 months to investigate. They told me it was perfectly standard procedure; it had nothing to do with my HIV status and applied to everybody who made a health declaration. But obviously I spoke to colleagues who made health declarations and none of them had the same issue.” Gay man at NAT focus group
“When I was looking for primary schools for my daughter, I met with the head teacher. When I told her that my daughter had HIV she immediately sat back and physically pulled away from me. Her body language shouted at me and gave her thoughts away, with utter disbelief on her face. She said: ‘We haven’t had one of those before’ and I was horrified. She said she’d have to tell the teachers and dinner ladies. Later she said one of the teachers wasn’t happy teaching my daughter. In the end we had to find a different school and we haven’t felt able to tell the new school.” Mother of HIV positive daughter
Read more stories that have been submitted about getting tested here.
Watch videos about living with HIV here.
“I want to stand proud and say I am who I am, I am Andrew and I’m HIV+, love it or hate it, its who I am. If you’re confused or unsure about it, ask me. Don’t hate me in silence.” Andrew, 28
A third of people living with HIV have faced discrimination. Whilst scientific understanding of HIV, and how to treat it, has developed rapidly over the last two decades, social attitudes are changing much more slowly.
People with HIV report facing discrimination at work, in school, from friends or family, even in healthcare settings. Although the law does offer some protection from HIV-related discrimination, the stigma experienced by people living with HIV means that they are often nervous of accessing legal redress in discrimination cases fearing wider disclosure of their HIV status.
HIV prejudice is often the result of ignorance about how HIV is passed on and unfounded fear of becoming infected. Encouraging those around us to talk about HIV and find out the facts can help overcome this. Find out more about how stigma and discrimination affects people with HIV and what is being done to prevent it here.
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