Text produced by Mariana Albuquerque, a journalism graduate student at IDP.
The prejudice surrounding HIV frightens the ignorant and brings them closer to the viral danger, in order to To truly understand what the virus is and how it forms. HIV and AIDS are not the same thing. HIV is the acronym for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. This is a virus that attacks the immune system, which protects the human body. HIV cannot yet be completely eliminated from the human body. AIDS, on the other hand, is the immunological disease caused by the virus.
The virus that took the lives of great music stars like Cazuza, who throughout his life was surrounded by questions about his sexual orientation, actually goes beyond common sense, and most people don't know what the turn of the century meant for science and for people living with the virus that was once deadly.
Freddie Mercury's big secret led to his death after he refused to continue taking medication to treat HIV. The bisexual Queen vocalist couldn't bear to take the fact that he was HIV-positive to the grave; the day before he died, he confirmed he had AIDS and, in the end, asked, "I hope everyone will join me, my doctors, and the whole world in the fight against this terrible disease," he said. Freddie's fight is not yet over, but there is much to be proud of in the fight against the virus.
The fight against HIV and AIDS: towards ending mortality.
UNAIDS leads the global effort to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. According to the organization itself, since the first cases of HIV were reported 40 years ago, 78 million people have been infected with HIV and 35 million have died from AIDS-related illnesses.
To give you an idea of the number of deaths caused by a virus that has been talked about so much:
But, really, does the virus have a sexual orientation?
No. And this was proven by research from the HIV bulletin in 2019, the Southeast and Midwest regions of Brazil showed a predominance of the homo/bisexual exposure category (46,5% and 41,5%, respectively), while in the other regions the predominance was heterosexual. This differentiates risk group stigmas from risk situation stigmas, with the architecture of prejudiced behavior posing the closest and mitigating danger among heterosexuals.
Source: HIV bulletin 2020/gov.br
What is it like to deal with the virus?
According to UNAIDS itself, there is no specific behavior for people living with HIV that differs from the behavior of any person concerned about their physical and psychological well-being. "It is important that people living with HIV are aware of their lifestyle and focus on self-care, attending regular medical appointments and adhering to antiretroviral therapy. Appropriate HIV treatment is 100% free and available through the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS)."
Digital influencer Lucian Ambrós, from @posithvidades on Instagram, who is openly gay, says he received the news 12 years ago and that the lack of information and the taboo surrounding the subject were significant, causing him great fear. On his social media, he normalized the topic and, in turn, opened the debate to support people who receive this result. He always emphasizes that "the first thing a person should do upon discovering their HIV status is to start treatment so they can have a peaceful life and be undetectable."
"Undetectable" – this term represents the goal of any patient undergoing regular HIV treatment; read more about it. in this report.
Lucian Ambrós, an influencer, speaks about the importance of HIV prevention and treatment, wearing an undetectable shirt.
Homophobia and prejudice
Lucas Sousa, a computer science student from Brasília, is HIV-negative and gay with an active sex life. For him, homophobia and prejudice against the LGBTQIA+ community are evident. “Much of the stigma from the beginning of the epidemic still remains, perhaps precisely a kind of distrust due to the inability to fully know who has or doesn't have the virus, that old saying: – those who have HIV don't have a warning sign on their forehead. A misguided and constant warning against homosexuals.”
The student says that the dialogue about HIV within the community is much more open compared to the topic among heterosexuals. The subject already comes up frequently on dating apps aimed at the gay community, such as Grindr, compared to heterosexual relationships. "Even though there is no obligation whatsoever for someone with HIV to disclose their status to others. Especially since I've had several conversations with men who immediately reveal their serological status," he reports.
However, for Lucian, who has been living with HIV for 12 years, the prejudice was much more difficult to deal with. He confides that many times he didn't have the opportunity to talk about his serological status when interacting with other people. He says that at first he was afraid to talk about it, and that this generated enormous insecurity in him.
Lucian speaks openly about HIV on his social media. He uses his online visibility to raise awareness among young people and demystify the excessive prejudice against homosexuals. He argues that the idea that LGBTQIA+ people are more likely to contract the virus is incoherent. "Simply having unprotected sex is enough to contract the virus, regardless of sexual orientation," he warns.
Lucas reinforces the responsibility of guiding young people and fostering open debate about this topic, stating, “There are conservatives who see teaching sexual health as perversion and the eroticization of youth. Against this madness, I believe the best way to prevent LGBTQIA+ youth from contracting STIs is through education. Since talking about sexual health and forms of protection has once again become a major taboo, I believe that the use of the internet and social media can greatly assist young people in this learning journey.”
Learn more about projects aimed at supporting the LGBTQIA+ community with HIV.
"It came back positive, now what?"A UNAIDS project focused on young people and the LGBT community. These groups often connect.", It uses fast-paced and easy-to-understand language.
"LGBTI+ Health Guide: Policies, institutions, and health in times of COVID-19."
Launched in partnership with TODXS Brasil, a civil society organization that works specifically with the LGBTQIA+ community.
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