A new report from GLAAD released on
Monday shows Americans are not very well informed about HIV.
GLAAD's inaugural State
of HIV Stigma Study measures American attitudes toward HIV/AIDS
and people living with HIV.
About 90% of American adults said that
“there is stigma around HIV,” “people are quick to judge those
with HIV,” and that “people make assumptions when someone is
tested for HIV.”
Forty percent of respondents do not
believe HIV can be treated, while nearly 60% believe HIV is easily
transmissible.
Researchers also found that only
slightly more than half of American adults had seen stories about
people living with HIV in the media.
“People living with HIV today are
leading long, healthy lives and cannot transmit HIV when they receive
proper treatment, but the stigma that they face has persisted for far
too long and leads to harmful discrimination,” said GLAAD President
and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “HIV issues have flown under the radar,
but with advances in treatment and prevention, we urgently need to
educate the public on the facts about HIV today. GLAAD’s new
programs will ensure that local HIV advocates are front and center
throughout national and local media in an effort to educate the
public and uplift stories about people living with HIV.”
A majority of Americans (51%) and LGBT
Americans (55%) said that they “feel knowledgeable about HIV.”
GLAAD also announced two new programs
designed to help combat HIV stigma in the South. Gilead Sciences has
pledged $9 million to Accelerate Compassion and Accelerate Impact
programs. Accelerate Compassion will create a “first-ever scalable
curriculum to stop stigma before it starts,” while Accelerate
Impact will work with local media outlets to grow coverage of HIV and
LGBT issues.