Introduction from GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis
This marks the fifth year that GLAAD, with Gilead Sciences and the Gilead COMPASS Initiative®, have tracked Americans’ knowledge and attitudes around HIV and HIV stigma. Ending stigma and increasing public education about HIV remain urgent, and the keys are found in using media to tell stories of HIV today and of people living with HIV.
Approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV. According to the CDC, gay and bisexual men account for about two-thirds of new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. each year, with Black and Latine gay and bi men disproportionately impacted. The CDC also estimates that over 14% of transgender women are living with HIV.
Today, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by 99%. And treating HIV can suppress the virus to the point where it is no longer detected, allowing people living with HIV to live long and healthy lives. When HIV is undetected, it is not sexually transmittable. This is the key message of U=U (undetectable = untransmittable) and GLAAD encourages all media and notables to include U=U when speaking about HIV today.
While this year’s Stigma Report shows that nearly 90% of Americans feel knowledgeable about HIV, fewer Americans this year report knowing that people living with HIV can live long and healthy lives. This decline is particularly seen in the U.S. South. And alarmingly, this year’s State of HIV Stigma Report also showed that Gen Z, the most diverse and out LGBTQ generation in history, continued to be the least knowledgeable about HIV. GLAAD and Gilead Sciences, along with partner organizations, are leading campaigns and programs that break down information barriers on HIV, PrEP, and U=U, especially for younger and underrepresented LGBTQ people.
In the entertainment industry, programs like GLAAD’s Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI), now in its third-year cohort of Black queer creatives, bridges gaps in opportunities to create stigma-breaking content. GLAAD’s Studio Responsibility Index and Where We Are in TV studies continue to hold Hollywood accountable for a lack of stories about HIV and diverse LGBTQ people. Our latest TV study counted only one LGBTQ TV character who was portrayed as living with HIV (on Showtime’s GLAAD Media Award-winning limited series Fellow Travelers). By leaving stories that serve the public good, and are likely to earn praise from audiences and critics, on the table, Hollywood is missing major opportunities and evading a responsibility to represent their audiences.
In news media, GLAAD has launched two bureaus in the U.S. South that have supercharged the quality and quantity of news stories that combat HIV stigma, with over 500 original articles on topics related to HIV since our work with Gilead Sciences began – from local outlets like the Mississippi Free Press to Good Morning America and CNN – GLAAD has briefed more than 1,000 journalists across newsrooms to ensure articles about HIV are accurate. GLAAD has also engaged the world’s most notable talent, including Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, JAY-Z and more, to speak out about U=U and HIV, but much more is needed.
Our research shows that seeing stories about HIV increases comfort around engaging with people living with HIV, as well as education. Media shapes how we show up in the world. And how we show up in the world has the power to shift culture, break stigma, and change behaviors. As you read this report, we hope you are moved to share what you have learned and add to your own stories. Ending HIV and HIV stigma should be every generation’s lasting achievement.
Sincerely,
Sarah Kate Ellis
President & CEO, GLAAD