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This HIV Anti-Stigma Campaign Wants YOU in the Picture!

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Today is A Day with HIV, the anti-stigma photo campaign created and carried out by Positively Aware magazine, this year, September 23rd.

A Day with HIV captures 24 hours in the lives of people in an effort to combat HIV stigma and show how we’re all affected.

HIV stigma affects everyone—regardless of age, race, or even HIV status. The social media-driven campaign, now in its tenth year, is an opportunity for people to share a moment of their day and tell their story, while breaking down the barriers that stigma creates and raising awareness about HIV.

“Stigma can isolate and scare people,” said Positively Aware’s art director Rick Guasco, who created the campaign. “It can also prevent people from accessing care and treatment. A Day with HIV brings people together; it shows that we’re all affected by stigma, and that people living with HIV are just like everyone else.”

Take a picture and post it to your social media with the hashtag #adaywithhiv; include a caption that gives the time and location—and what inspired you to take the photo.

Pictures can also be uploaded to adaywithhiv.com, where they will be considered for publication in a special section of the November+December issue of Positively Aware, an HIV treatment and health magazine produced by TPAN, a nonprofit HIV/AIDS service organization in Chicago.

A number of uploaded photos will also be selected for different versions of the magazine’s cover.

“Some great photos are taken for A Day with HIV, but the real impact comes from the stories behind those images,” added Guasco, who was diagnosed in 1992. “Posting their picture is an opportunity for a person to tell their story, and to humanize life with HIV.”

A Day with HIV is produced by Positively Aware, a national magazine published six times a year that delivers HIV wellness news and inspiring stories to over 100,000 readers. For details and to subscribe, go to their site.

Positively Aware is published by TPAN, which also provides lifesaving care in the Chicagoland area to people living with HIV or who are at risk. 

A Day with HIV is today, Monday, September 23, the date is timed to coincide with the Autumnal Equinox.. For more info or details, go to A Day with HIV.

Following are some photos that touched us from  #ADayWithHIV:

7:13 AM: Arecibo, Puerto Rico  Angel L. Hernández: I woke up early to get my hands dirty in my garden, wearing my TREAT AIDS, DON’T TURN BACK t-shirt from Médecins sans Frontières. There is nothing more rewarding than doing volunteer work as a peer educator and coordinator of relief efforts in the aftermath of hurricane María, supporting people living with HIV in my community.

10:00 AM: Brooklyn, New York Bruce Richman: Walking down the East River to the new U=U office, feeling fine and ready to fight HIV stigma by sharing the news that people living with HIV who are on treatment and have an undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV. Undetectable equals Untransmittable.

12:00 PM: Tuscumbia, Alabama and  Katie Willingham is enjoying the end of summer sun before the fall winds blow, even in rural Alabama HIV is a reality, so get tested and KNOW YOUR STATUS!

1:55 PM: Minneapolis, Minnesota Cree Gordon: I have been HIV positive for 13 years. The last time I participated in A Day with HIV was in 2011. My “opposites attract” photo made such an impact on folks in my life and the people I came into contact through education opportunities and on social media, I did not think I could top it. Advancements in HIV have been made since then, so I thought I would update it. Treatment as Prevention works to reduce HIV transmission. PrEP works to reduce HIV transmission. We can end HIV with help of TasP and PrEP; we just have to address the barriers of access, especially for Black, Latino, rural, and low-/no-income folks. This can happen. We can get to zero. Join me in ending HIV and the stigma attached to it.

3:00 PM: Atlanta, Georgia Shyronn: Homework time for my kindergartener.

4:12 PM: Latham, New York Mika DeRoo: I’m an HIV-negative ally. In an effort to support people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, I’ve participated in 11 AIDS rides as a volunteer—10 since 2008 as part of BRAKING AIDS Ride. Since 2014, I’ve worked in Housing Works’ Advocacy Department. I remember those who have died of AIDS. I’m proud to be of service in our collective work to end AIDS and to ensure those living with HIV can live their lives fully.

6:00 PM: Doha, Qatar  David Durán: “37: 8 1/2 years HIV-positive, 8 years undetectable, and 5 years since I made a life change, quit my job, and began traveling full-time as a freelance writer. I’ve now been to more than 70 countries and all seven continents, and nothing, including my HIV status, is going to slow me down.”

4:12 PM: Latham, New York

6:00 PM: Miami, Florida Alessandro Pino, Andre Ampudia, Matthew Phelps, Andres Sosa, Yoel Moreno, Nicholas Ferrera, Alejandro Suarez of Latinos Salud: HIV doesn’t discriminate; good thing pizza doesn’t either!

6:48 PM: Quincy, Illinois Tamara Mayfield Dietrich: I started as a student doing this fitness class in 2016, and it’s been awesome to watch my transformation. I’ve been teaching this class since December 2017. I still have my ups and downs, but it’s a lot better than before.

7:15 PM: Nashville, Tennessee Josh Robbins: Humor has always gotten me through the hard parts of living with HIV. #stayPositive

8:10 AM: San Francisco, California Hank Trout: As a writer and editor-at-large at A&U: America’s AIDS Magazine, I give voice to the unexpected consequences and challenges as well as the joys of being a long-term HIV/AIDS survivor.

10:33 PM: Savannah, Georgia Kamaria Laffrey: This Black Girl Magic isn’t for show, doesn’t come easy, and takes work to maintain. I’m learning to trust it along with my Creator and all that I am called to do. This is my power shift of empowerment.

 

 

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