cross posted from my RH RealityCheck column
December 1st is World AIDS Day.
There are many resources and media educators can use in the classroom
to draw attention to and teach about HIV and AIDS. Often I’ve noticed
that educators use forms of media and activities that honor those who
have died of complications of AIDS, focus on rates of HIV infection
worldwide, and are only discussed for one day or week. Forgotten are
those who are living positive with HIV, especially youth, honest
discussions about transmission and treatment of HIV and AIDS, and on how
the ideas of young people can be used to raise awareness and educate
others in an inter-generational way.
In the past I’ve shared some resources I’ve found useful for
educational and community space for World AIDS Day and for discussions
about living positive and remaining HIV negative. These include
suggestions for National Women and Girls HIV Awareness Day March 10th, how I approach and discuss conspiracy theories around HIV with students who bring them up, the myths and messages youth have around HIV and AIDS, interview with Miss Kings County 2011 whose platform was “de-stigmatizing getting tested for HIV,” a history of HIV and AIDS media messages, and examples of how I teach and discuss HIV and AIDS in a human sexuality class.
One of the first things I hope we as educators remember is that
although there is one day worldwide we focus on HIV and AIDS; these are
conversations that must occur year round. The most comprehensive film
about the history of HIV and AIDS in the US and internationally is the
PBS Frontline documentary Age of AIDS. The full program is online
and over 3 hours long. Often I have students watch the first hour and a
half at home as homework and then watch the last hour to get an idea of
how the views of HIV and AIDS emerged and have shifted today. Below are
a few sources of media that may be useful for educators and those
working with youth or planning interactive programs for HIV and AIDS in
general and for World AIDS Day.
“I’m Positive” Documentary
This year MTV has partnered with The Kaiser Family Foundation,
Octagon Entertainment, and DrDrew Productions to present the documentary
“I’m Positive” focusing
on three young people living positive and will air on World AIDS Day.
If the communities you are working with have access to cable or the
internet, it may be a good idea to mention this documentary and ask them
to watch. I’m not a huge fan of Dr. Drew’s work with youth, but believe
there may be a lot of useful discussions we can have with viewers
pre-and post-watching the documentary. I have no doubt that MTV will
have this documentary on their website within 24 hours of it being aired
and that it will air more than once.
TheSEROProject
Sero is a non-profit
human rights organization that centers people living positive. Their
mission includes “promoting the empowerment of people with HIV,
combating HIV-related stigma and advocating for sound public health and
HIV prevention policies based on science and epidemiology rather than
ignorance and fear. Sero is particularly focused on ending
inappropriate criminal prosecutions of people with HIV for
non-disclosure of their HIV status, potential or perceived HIV exposure
or HIV transmission.”
Sero has created an online library of video testimonies of
people living positive. These videos go well with The Body’s publication
by writer Dave R. “Crime and Punishment: An International HIV Disclosure Dilemma.”
Dave R. follows and reports on some of the cases occurring worldwide
around HIV disclosure. Below is the story of Monique Moree, an Army
veteran who was prosecuted for non-disclosure.
TeachAIDS HIV/AIDS Prevention Tutorial
TeachAIDS is a project at Stanford University focusing on
creating interactive approaches to educating folks on HIV and AIDS. The
have a strong library of videos on their YouTube channel with videos on Mandarin, Swahili, Kinyarwada, Hindi, Telugu, and Spanish. Below
is a cartoon style clip featuring Southeast Asian communities. The
video also has built in subtitles in English. I appreciate their
representations, especially of the white blood cells as soldiers. This
is one way I explain to youth what white blood cells do and how they
keep us healthy. If you only have a hour long session and want to get
good information into your time with students, this video covers all of
the HIV 101 needs.
BrainPop
I’m one of those educators who believes it’s important to discuss HIV
and other aspects of our bodies and sexuality with youth in age
appropriate and honest ways throughout our lives. As a result, I loved
when the online teaching site BrainPop created a short video for HIV. They have a full space devoted to health topics and one of their free videos each year for World AIDS Day is on HIV. They also feature BrainPop Jr. for grades K-3 and BrainPop en español. If
your school or space does not have the funds to subscribe to BrainPop
they offer a free 3 day trial offer where you an explore the site and
watch the films and take the short quizzes offered.
Apps
Finally, encouraging youth to find locations to get tested now has an app! The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created the HIV/AIDS Prevention & Service Provider Locator which can be used as an app or on other mobile devices.
I admit I was very surprised when I used the locator for my area and
discovered there were NO testing locations in my community, which is
also the community where I teach. Although there were several testing
areas in other communities near my neighborhood, they were all over
several miles away. I wonder what does this mean for the youth and
students I work with on a daily basis who want to know their HIV status
and need testing services.
To remind those of us who remember a time when HIV and AIDS
were not widely known about that we are living in the future,
researchers re also looking to create an app that can test for HIV
via a cell phone. These approaches to using media, popular culture,
technology, and medicine to test for HIV can have an impact on youth
today. I’m sure they would have a lot to say about if this would work
for informing partners, communicating with a partner, and issues of
hacking.
What are some of the sources you use in the classroom or with
your community? If you’ve used any of these what have been the
reactions? Here’s to supporting one another as educators. If your
students and faculty haven’t told you that you are appreciated I want
you to know I appreciate all the work and education that is being done
worldwide.
Showing posts with label World AIDS Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World AIDS Day. Show all posts
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Myths and Messages About HIV
cross posted from my Media Justice column
For World AIDS Day and the week that followed I did several HIV education presentations for high school students in the Bronx. I love doing these presentations, and especially in the borough where I live, because it gives me an opportunity to work with youth that are a part of the same community. Often as a guest speaker it’s sort of a “treat” for students to hear from folks other than their teachers or academic faculty. What I realized this month was that there are some messages, inaccurate and hurtful, that students are still receiving. I wondered if I was the only one (it can’t be that I am), and as an educator I had to share.
Here are some of the top questions and myths I receive and challenge/rectify when providing HIV education in high schools (many of which include students of Color and/or working class students):
MYTH: Saliva is one of the top 5 bodily fluids that transmit HIV.
When I talk about HIV and bodily fluids I discuss: blood, semen, vaginal secretions, breast milk, and pre-ejaculatory fluid. Students, without fail, will mention saliva (or spit) as a bodily fluid. I often thank the student for their suggestion, share it’s a common belief, and go into a discussion on how one would have to consume so many gallons of saliva a person living positive with HIV must create. First, it’s hard to find someone who can produce that much spit and second I have yet to meet anyone who is that thirsty to drink all of those gallons in one sitting!
This belief that HIV is transmitted via saliva is so old school! I’m talking when we first began to see and try to understand what HIV and AIDS was and how it impacted our bodies. Folks would not drink after others who were living positive, make them drink out of paper cups, have separate utensils for them to use, and not want to come near, let alone kiss them. We’ve known better for decades, yet, this stereotype is still alive and well.
MYTH: People living with HIV don’t have sex anymore.
There is this idea that folks who are living positive will never, ever experience sexual pleasure again, especially with other people! I often share that if this were the case would we not see a reduction in the new infection rates? It is also a good opportunity to share how many folks who are living positive (an estimated 25%) don’t know they are living positive and thus are not aware of their status and may be transmitting the virus to others. This is also a good time to talk about how to properly use condoms, dental damns, latex gloves and other barrier methods, and abstinence. Just as many people have different definitions of what abstinence means (many students think it means “not having sex” when really it means “waiting to have sex” and that waiting period is usually one where people do not have sex, but it’s not the same as celibacy).
This idea also assumes that pleasure is only for people who are HIV negative. Unfortunately, this idea is dangerous. Who else will be thought to be not good enough to experience pleasure? A good conversation about pleasure and how sexual experiences may be more pleasurable when people feel comfortable, have open and honest communication, and know their partner’s HIV and STI status. This may mean getting to know someone, practicing abstinence, and developing skills to discuss these topics.
MYTH: You can prosecute someone who is HIV positive for transmitting the virus to another person during a consensual sexual encounter.
No. I often explain that it is important to keep in mind the topic of consent. It is also important to keep in mind that if this were true it would need to be proven in a court of law that the person pre-mediated and/or had intentions to infect others with HIV through unprotected sexual activities. Often students hear stories but do not realize these stories may also be connected to domestic violence, rape, assault, and other non-consensual encounters. AVERT, an international HIV and AIDS organization, has a great discussion ofcriminal transmission and laws in countries all over the world.
Good discussions about consent and testing also come about from these ideas and questions. Often the young people rationalize this question and idea to discriminate and hurt the positive person instead of recognizing the power and accountability the other person has in the situation. When people consent to engage in sexual activities together what does that mean? How do we get consent, what does it look and sound like? How do we learn that we have power when it comes to consent and in choosing to have sex of any type with folks means we are taking the responsibility to make a specific decision? A part of that decision is connected to communication, testing, holding ourselves accountable, and being clear about our personal boundaries. This story of William Brawner, a Black man who was a student at Howard University and living positive, spoke out on having numerous sexual partners while at Howard is also a story that comes up with regards to consent. It also speaks to HIV positive people still having active sex lives and the responsibility we all have to be aware of our status and of our partners.
Unfortunately, this music video and song is not helpful in sending this message.
MYTH: Magic Johnson doesn’t have HIV anymore.
Yes he does. Magic Johnson is a wealthy Black man living in the US who has US citizenship. These are all important to keep in mind because they play a role in his status and his health. As someone who has access to eating foods that are “healthy/organic,” have a personal chef, physician, access to many things you and I don’t have impacts his live in positive ways. Magic Johnson has what is called an undetectable viral load. This means the amount of HIV that is detectable in his blood is minimal, but that does NOT mean he is cured from HIV. He is still positive and can still transmit the virus to other people. I often use this as another example of how condoms do work! Magic Johnson is married and his wife, as far as we know, remains HIV negative. If they are still having sex with one another it is most likely while using barrier methods to keep her HIV negative.
MYTH: People catch HIV.
No they don’t. You catch a ball, your shirt may get caught on a nail, but people do not catch HIV. Instead, HIV is transmitted, just as knowledge is. It is passed from one person to another in specific ways. Using the term “catch” to connect to HIV transmission is a judgement. It places blame on the person who is living positive, regardless of how they became positive and is an attempt to shame them for living positive. I also see this use of language as a way to scare people and I’m not a fan of the “scared straight” approach.
MYTH: HIV isn’t a big deal because people are living longer and it’s not a death sentence.
Wrong. The virus impacts each body differently. Not all people will have the same response to HIV medication and treatments as others. What works for Magic Johnson may not work for someone else (or many other people!). The medication and treatment many folks may need to stay as healthy as they can while being HIV positive, is toxic! Taking medication is not fun. Many of the side effects for some HIV medications are things that folks do not enjoy (i.e. diarrhea, vomiting, nausea), but they may also result in death. A side effect of some of these medications is death. That’s a big deal! Not to mention the cost of medication is not cheap!
MYTH: HIV is only something that happens to gay men.
Is this 1984? (pun intended). A homophobic presidency under the Reagan administration that sent the message that HIV in the US was something that impacted gay men only ignored the infections of heterosexual, poor, people of Color, sex workers, and people all over the world! HIV impacts us all and all of us may be at risk for HIV transmission if we make certain choices in our lives. A student asked me “why do people think only gay people can get HIV?” and I had to give a short history lesson. I also talked about assumptions that all gay men have anal sex, when in reality anybody with an anus can have anal sex! It’s a stereotype, and stereotypes like this are not helpful and harmful for us all.
MYTH: Lesbians don’t have to worry about HIV.
No. Everybody must be aware and know their options in living as best they can as an HIV positive person, or as a healthy HIV negative person. Lesbians are not immune to HIV (or any other STI), and the assumption that they are is problematic. If we are sharing and exchanging bodily fluids that may transmit HIV, we are at risk, regardless of the sex assigned at birth and gender of our partners.
At the end of all my presentations I hope that youth realize the power they have. It is such an important and valuable power that many adults often try to take away from them. It’s beyond choice, it’s power. And I believe when we share with youth that we, as adults, recognize and honor their power, they may do the same which may impact their choices and lives.
Here are some of the top questions and myths I receive and challenge/rectify when providing HIV education in high schools (many of which include students of Color and/or working class students):
MYTH: Saliva is one of the top 5 bodily fluids that transmit HIV.
When I talk about HIV and bodily fluids I discuss: blood, semen, vaginal secretions, breast milk, and pre-ejaculatory fluid. Students, without fail, will mention saliva (or spit) as a bodily fluid. I often thank the student for their suggestion, share it’s a common belief, and go into a discussion on how one would have to consume so many gallons of saliva a person living positive with HIV must create. First, it’s hard to find someone who can produce that much spit and second I have yet to meet anyone who is that thirsty to drink all of those gallons in one sitting!
This belief that HIV is transmitted via saliva is so old school! I’m talking when we first began to see and try to understand what HIV and AIDS was and how it impacted our bodies. Folks would not drink after others who were living positive, make them drink out of paper cups, have separate utensils for them to use, and not want to come near, let alone kiss them. We’ve known better for decades, yet, this stereotype is still alive and well.
MYTH: People living with HIV don’t have sex anymore.
There is this idea that folks who are living positive will never, ever experience sexual pleasure again, especially with other people! I often share that if this were the case would we not see a reduction in the new infection rates? It is also a good opportunity to share how many folks who are living positive (an estimated 25%) don’t know they are living positive and thus are not aware of their status and may be transmitting the virus to others. This is also a good time to talk about how to properly use condoms, dental damns, latex gloves and other barrier methods, and abstinence. Just as many people have different definitions of what abstinence means (many students think it means “not having sex” when really it means “waiting to have sex” and that waiting period is usually one where people do not have sex, but it’s not the same as celibacy).
This idea also assumes that pleasure is only for people who are HIV negative. Unfortunately, this idea is dangerous. Who else will be thought to be not good enough to experience pleasure? A good conversation about pleasure and how sexual experiences may be more pleasurable when people feel comfortable, have open and honest communication, and know their partner’s HIV and STI status. This may mean getting to know someone, practicing abstinence, and developing skills to discuss these topics.
MYTH: You can prosecute someone who is HIV positive for transmitting the virus to another person during a consensual sexual encounter.
No. I often explain that it is important to keep in mind the topic of consent. It is also important to keep in mind that if this were true it would need to be proven in a court of law that the person pre-mediated and/or had intentions to infect others with HIV through unprotected sexual activities. Often students hear stories but do not realize these stories may also be connected to domestic violence, rape, assault, and other non-consensual encounters. AVERT, an international HIV and AIDS organization, has a great discussion ofcriminal transmission and laws in countries all over the world.
Good discussions about consent and testing also come about from these ideas and questions. Often the young people rationalize this question and idea to discriminate and hurt the positive person instead of recognizing the power and accountability the other person has in the situation. When people consent to engage in sexual activities together what does that mean? How do we get consent, what does it look and sound like? How do we learn that we have power when it comes to consent and in choosing to have sex of any type with folks means we are taking the responsibility to make a specific decision? A part of that decision is connected to communication, testing, holding ourselves accountable, and being clear about our personal boundaries. This story of William Brawner, a Black man who was a student at Howard University and living positive, spoke out on having numerous sexual partners while at Howard is also a story that comes up with regards to consent. It also speaks to HIV positive people still having active sex lives and the responsibility we all have to be aware of our status and of our partners.
Unfortunately, this music video and song is not helpful in sending this message.
MYTH: Magic Johnson doesn’t have HIV anymore.
Yes he does. Magic Johnson is a wealthy Black man living in the US who has US citizenship. These are all important to keep in mind because they play a role in his status and his health. As someone who has access to eating foods that are “healthy/organic,” have a personal chef, physician, access to many things you and I don’t have impacts his live in positive ways. Magic Johnson has what is called an undetectable viral load. This means the amount of HIV that is detectable in his blood is minimal, but that does NOT mean he is cured from HIV. He is still positive and can still transmit the virus to other people. I often use this as another example of how condoms do work! Magic Johnson is married and his wife, as far as we know, remains HIV negative. If they are still having sex with one another it is most likely while using barrier methods to keep her HIV negative.
MYTH: People catch HIV.
No they don’t. You catch a ball, your shirt may get caught on a nail, but people do not catch HIV. Instead, HIV is transmitted, just as knowledge is. It is passed from one person to another in specific ways. Using the term “catch” to connect to HIV transmission is a judgement. It places blame on the person who is living positive, regardless of how they became positive and is an attempt to shame them for living positive. I also see this use of language as a way to scare people and I’m not a fan of the “scared straight” approach.
MYTH: HIV isn’t a big deal because people are living longer and it’s not a death sentence.
Wrong. The virus impacts each body differently. Not all people will have the same response to HIV medication and treatments as others. What works for Magic Johnson may not work for someone else (or many other people!). The medication and treatment many folks may need to stay as healthy as they can while being HIV positive, is toxic! Taking medication is not fun. Many of the side effects for some HIV medications are things that folks do not enjoy (i.e. diarrhea, vomiting, nausea), but they may also result in death. A side effect of some of these medications is death. That’s a big deal! Not to mention the cost of medication is not cheap!
MYTH: HIV is only something that happens to gay men.
Is this 1984? (pun intended). A homophobic presidency under the Reagan administration that sent the message that HIV in the US was something that impacted gay men only ignored the infections of heterosexual, poor, people of Color, sex workers, and people all over the world! HIV impacts us all and all of us may be at risk for HIV transmission if we make certain choices in our lives. A student asked me “why do people think only gay people can get HIV?” and I had to give a short history lesson. I also talked about assumptions that all gay men have anal sex, when in reality anybody with an anus can have anal sex! It’s a stereotype, and stereotypes like this are not helpful and harmful for us all.
MYTH: Lesbians don’t have to worry about HIV.
No. Everybody must be aware and know their options in living as best they can as an HIV positive person, or as a healthy HIV negative person. Lesbians are not immune to HIV (or any other STI), and the assumption that they are is problematic. If we are sharing and exchanging bodily fluids that may transmit HIV, we are at risk, regardless of the sex assigned at birth and gender of our partners.
At the end of all my presentations I hope that youth realize the power they have. It is such an important and valuable power that many adults often try to take away from them. It’s beyond choice, it’s power. And I believe when we share with youth that we, as adults, recognize and honor their power, they may do the same which may impact their choices and lives.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
World AIDS Day
Today is World AIDS Day and a busy week for me. So I wanted to highlight some of the writings I've done over the years on this space and encourage you all to get tested to know your status.
Find locations to get tested for FREE and anonymously here (US only).
Read about my last HIV test.
Video: F&#% You AIDS a video from the Spanish-speaking Americas that takes a proactive stance of AIDS and HIV infection and education.
Reflecting On HIV With Oprah where a town hall discussion about HIV and AIDS was revisted. Taped in the 80s, it's very interesting to see and hear where we have come from and where we remain today.
Find locations to get tested for FREE and anonymously here (US only).
Read about my last HIV test.
Video: F&#% You AIDS a video from the Spanish-speaking Americas that takes a proactive stance of AIDS and HIV infection and education.
Reflecting On HIV With Oprah where a town hall discussion about HIV and AIDS was revisted. Taped in the 80s, it's very interesting to see and hear where we have come from and where we remain today.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
History of Media Messages on HIV & AIDS
This is cross-posted from my Media Justice Column and as I think ALL my entries on my MJ column are fabulous and important, I think this one is especially important for this time we are in and in educating ourselves especially because I've spoken about this film to friends all week.
This entry is a part of our World AIDS Day Blogathon. During this week we share our experiences, stories, and ideas about how HIV affects young people around the world. Join the blogathon.
Many of you reading this already talk about HIV every day, not just on World AIDS Day. Yet, as time progresses I realize that not many of us know what role the media played in HIV and AIDS prevention and education. The history of HIV has been overlooked as efforts in prevention focus on the here, now, and future. Yet, the history of HIV and AIDS in the US and around the world, and the role media played is, in my opinion, essential to crafting, creating, and implementing new prevention efforts.
When I begin to teach about the sociology of health and illness, HIV is always part of my anticipated class discussions. You see, I remember a time in this world when HIV was not something I had to worry about because it had not yet existed (same thing with computers, but that’s another post). This is not the case for all of us today. As many of my students were born after 1990, their understanding of the history of HIV and AIDS in the US and the world is limited.
In some communities the idea that HIV and AIDS only infects gay White men is still prevalent. Yet, many people do not know where or how this myth began. Part of my essential reading list for my students is to watch the PBS Frontline documentary: The Age of AIDS. I ask students to at least watch the first hour of the documentary (which is over 5 hours long). PBS has created a timeline of AIDS around the world and many of the cases are stunning to see how far along we have come in technology to be able to detect infection in blood samples from the 1950s.
Watching the documentary and hearing from doctors who worked with patients in the late 1970s and early 1980s informs us that people all over the world were infected with HIV and/or dying of AIDS. Not all of them where White, gay, or men. In fact Black, heterosexual Haitian men and women were infected, injection drug users on the east coast of the US become infected, gay men and heterosexual women in Paris, heterosexual men in Portugal, and Central Africans of every sexual orientation became infected. Instead of recognizing how this disease affected all people around the world, the US government, at the time, chose to use the media and their power, to send a very specific message about HIV and AIDS.
This message was not just in cutting the budget for HIV and AIDS research. The media was used to isolate, target, and marginalize specific communities. In 1987 President Reagan speaks about HIV for the first, and only time, prior to that he said nothing. For people who wonder where the “Silence=Death” mantra comes into play, for many activists it was created in response to the silence among the US government. Silence is a very constructed message. [Please don’t confuse this type of conscious silence with the silence some people exercise because they are doing hard work: thinking, being thoughtful. This type of silence implemented is the type where thoughts have already led to a decision to remain quiet.]
Not all leaders reacted the same way. President of Uganda since 1986, Yoweri Museveni , spoke of challenging stigma, myths of transmission of HIV or AIDS, and had said: “you can only find AIDS if you go looking for it.” Uganda has one of the most effective HIV and AIDS prevention efforts in the world. Their initial program was ABC (A for Abstinence, B for being faithful, and C for if you can’t do the first two use a condom). The messaging in Uganda is drastically different from what we see in the US, even today. At the same time Uganda recognized how HIV and AIDS affected their people, it is from a heterosexist perspective as President Museveni has proposed to introduce laws that will isolate and incarcerate people who identify as anything other than heterosexual.
Even though the media was used in such a way towards the LGBTQ community in the US, it is through the activism of many LGBTQ people that we are able to do the work we do today around HIV prevention and education. It is also through the efforts abroad that we have been able to examine how utilizing the media can create change and awareness surrounding HIV. For example, the documentary states that Thailand was the first country to utilize mass media for prevention and education. Prime Minister of Thailand, Anand Panyarachun, supported national condom distribution efforts among Thai people with specific focus on sex workers. The rates of HIV infection among sex workers decreased by 90% over a 10 year time period. One of the first countries to utilize mass media, Thailand has been on the vanguard in prevention efforts especially with media use.
We continue to see how the media can be useful, especially social media. Many of my friends on Facebook and Twitter have posted about World AIDS Day. We see how some progress is being made utilizing the media (even if it is Bono speaking with President Bush about HIV around the world, President Clinton shaking the hand of Chinese activists who are living with HIV and having Chinese Deputy Ministers shake his hand as well during a largely televised session, celebrities and musicians speaking to youth to get tested, and famous people living with HIV sharing their stories). Yet there is so much more to do, so much more that can be done. This week I hope you don’t find exhaustion, I hope you find excitement in continuing such efforts and utilizing the media in ways that have yet to be done.
The media is powerful. With advancements in technology we become media makers, and thus have power. How will we utilize our power to create messages that can combat stigma, eliminate myths, and encourage people that they are valuable and powerful?
This entry is a part of our World AIDS Day Blogathon. During this week we share our experiences, stories, and ideas about how HIV affects young people around the world. Join the blogathon.
Many of you reading this already talk about HIV every day, not just on World AIDS Day. Yet, as time progresses I realize that not many of us know what role the media played in HIV and AIDS prevention and education. The history of HIV has been overlooked as efforts in prevention focus on the here, now, and future. Yet, the history of HIV and AIDS in the US and around the world, and the role media played is, in my opinion, essential to crafting, creating, and implementing new prevention efforts.
When I begin to teach about the sociology of health and illness, HIV is always part of my anticipated class discussions. You see, I remember a time in this world when HIV was not something I had to worry about because it had not yet existed (same thing with computers, but that’s another post). This is not the case for all of us today. As many of my students were born after 1990, their understanding of the history of HIV and AIDS in the US and the world is limited.
In some communities the idea that HIV and AIDS only infects gay White men is still prevalent. Yet, many people do not know where or how this myth began. Part of my essential reading list for my students is to watch the PBS Frontline documentary: The Age of AIDS. I ask students to at least watch the first hour of the documentary (which is over 5 hours long). PBS has created a timeline of AIDS around the world and many of the cases are stunning to see how far along we have come in technology to be able to detect infection in blood samples from the 1950s.
Watching the documentary and hearing from doctors who worked with patients in the late 1970s and early 1980s informs us that people all over the world were infected with HIV and/or dying of AIDS. Not all of them where White, gay, or men. In fact Black, heterosexual Haitian men and women were infected, injection drug users on the east coast of the US become infected, gay men and heterosexual women in Paris, heterosexual men in Portugal, and Central Africans of every sexual orientation became infected. Instead of recognizing how this disease affected all people around the world, the US government, at the time, chose to use the media and their power, to send a very specific message about HIV and AIDS.
This message was not just in cutting the budget for HIV and AIDS research. The media was used to isolate, target, and marginalize specific communities. In 1987 President Reagan speaks about HIV for the first, and only time, prior to that he said nothing. For people who wonder where the “Silence=Death” mantra comes into play, for many activists it was created in response to the silence among the US government. Silence is a very constructed message. [Please don’t confuse this type of conscious silence with the silence some people exercise because they are doing hard work: thinking, being thoughtful. This type of silence implemented is the type where thoughts have already led to a decision to remain quiet.]
Not all leaders reacted the same way. President of Uganda since 1986, Yoweri Museveni , spoke of challenging stigma, myths of transmission of HIV or AIDS, and had said: “you can only find AIDS if you go looking for it.” Uganda has one of the most effective HIV and AIDS prevention efforts in the world. Their initial program was ABC (A for Abstinence, B for being faithful, and C for if you can’t do the first two use a condom). The messaging in Uganda is drastically different from what we see in the US, even today. At the same time Uganda recognized how HIV and AIDS affected their people, it is from a heterosexist perspective as President Museveni has proposed to introduce laws that will isolate and incarcerate people who identify as anything other than heterosexual.
Even though the media was used in such a way towards the LGBTQ community in the US, it is through the activism of many LGBTQ people that we are able to do the work we do today around HIV prevention and education. It is also through the efforts abroad that we have been able to examine how utilizing the media can create change and awareness surrounding HIV. For example, the documentary states that Thailand was the first country to utilize mass media for prevention and education. Prime Minister of Thailand, Anand Panyarachun, supported national condom distribution efforts among Thai people with specific focus on sex workers. The rates of HIV infection among sex workers decreased by 90% over a 10 year time period. One of the first countries to utilize mass media, Thailand has been on the vanguard in prevention efforts especially with media use.
We continue to see how the media can be useful, especially social media. Many of my friends on Facebook and Twitter have posted about World AIDS Day. We see how some progress is being made utilizing the media (even if it is Bono speaking with President Bush about HIV around the world, President Clinton shaking the hand of Chinese activists who are living with HIV and having Chinese Deputy Ministers shake his hand as well during a largely televised session, celebrities and musicians speaking to youth to get tested, and famous people living with HIV sharing their stories). Yet there is so much more to do, so much more that can be done. This week I hope you don’t find exhaustion, I hope you find excitement in continuing such efforts and utilizing the media in ways that have yet to be done.
The media is powerful. With advancements in technology we become media makers, and thus have power. How will we utilize our power to create messages that can combat stigma, eliminate myths, and encourage people that they are valuable and powerful?
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