Sense Project

HIV stigma or “serophobia” EXISTS!!! By HIV stigma, I mean all of the HIV-related guilt, discrimination, fear, prejudice and shame that exist within and outside of the gay community. HIV stigma can be overt and/or subtle. For instance, a person who rejects someone because they have or might have HIV is a form of serophobic behaviour. And, a person who gossips about someone based on the possibility that they might have HIV is, also, serophobic. These attitudes and behaviours can lead to incorrect assumptions, anxiety, fear and unsafe sexual practices.

So, how can we fight HIV stigma in our own lives and within our communities?

World AIDS Day is coming up on December 1^st and it’s an awesome opportunity for people around the world to remember and support people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS.

It has been estimated that “there are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. During 2007, 2.5 million people became newly infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35″(UNAIDS, 2008). Indeed, these shocking statistics call for a dramatic increase in awareness - an awareness that is vital to the improvement of sexual health education and our fight against prejudice.

It is for these reasons that the Sense Project wants to engage people online throughout the month of November in ways that relate to World AIDS Day and its mission. Starting this week, we will be posting a series of myth busting questions and answers as well as opinion polls for you to participate in. We hope that you will take this as a fun opportunity to learn and educate others about this very important issue.

Please make your voices heard!!!