Saturday Straight Talk: My Problem With The HIV Equal Campaign

(Image Via www.out.com)

        If you guys haven't heard, there's a new campaign out to end the stigma that people who have HIV and AIDS suffer. It's called HIV Equal. In the campaign stars like Jack Mackenroth of "Project Runway", Broadway star Nick Adams, and Congressman Chris Hines are shown with an equal symbol somewhere on their bodies to represent that whether they are positive or negative, they are all equal. Through lessening the stigma of HIV, the creators of the campaign hope to make it less of a deal for folks to go out and get tested. While I believe no one should be discriminated against due to their HIV status, I feel that the campaign sends a misleading message to young people out there that neglects to talk about how to prevent oneself from contracting HIV. Furthermore, I feel that people need to realize that when it comes to choosing who to have sex with, it does matter what the other person's HIV status is so that they know what they may be getting into if their partner is positive, and the "HIV Equal" campaign fails to address these concerns by implying that HIV status, even of those who you may choose to have sex with, doesn't matter because everyone is equal.
          If the "HIV Equal" campaign would also focus on teaching young men and women to protect themselves through the use of condoms, spermicidal lubes, and all that other fun stuff they have out there to lessen one's chance of contracting HIV, I would be all on board. They are not though. Instead, they are getting pretty people to take pretty pictures that give the false sense that one's sexual behaviors don't matter because we are all "HIV equal". I know it may sound harsh, but I feel that this campaign fails to deliver any real substance. In fact, I don't even feel that it really feels to really show that we are HIV equal because there are no messages in the images that show the stigma that people with HIV face, and I find it hard to find the message to go out and get tested anywhere in the campaign's images. In the end, I understand that the people behind this campaign have good intentions, and I respect what they are trying to do. I just think that they need to have a more rounded and solid message when it comes to their vision of the world being "HIV equal", and that's my "Saturday Straight Talk".