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This Valentine’s Day, the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research (CANFAR) is calling on Canadians to spread messages of love and challenge HIV stigma.

A Valentine’s Day message from our National Ambassadors.

Watch as our National Ambassadors bust common HIV myths in under a minute.

Why should I care about HIV stigma?

Stigma remains a significant challenge for people living with HIV in Canada.

Many people living with HIV experience unfair treatment due to their status.

HIV stigma arises from fear, lack of knowledge, and existing prejudices against groups of people most affected by the virus. These include gay and bisexual men, people of colour, immigrants, Indigenous people, and injecting drug users.

Because of stigma, people living with HIV may have a hard time finding housing, accessing healthcare, or securing employment. They may also face emotional and mental health challenges associated with isolation and/or discrimination they experience due to stigma.

Stigma affects HIV prevention. Fear can stop people from getting tested regularly and knowing their status. It can also cause people living with HIV to feel uncomfortable disclosing their status to their partners. People who experience stigma are also more likely to miss check-ups with doctors or access medications due to fears of being ‘outed’ or discomfort speaking with others about their status. That can lead to an increase in their viral load and subsequently increase the risk of onward transmission.

What are some examples of myths that drive HIV stigma?

Myth

You shouldn’t kiss someone who has HIV because they might pass the virus to you.

Fact

HIV is not passed on through saliva. It can only be passed on through blood, semen, vaginal fluid, rectal fluid, and breastmilk.

Myth

People who have HIV shouldn't have children because they will pass the virus to their baby.

Fact

If a woman takes medication throughout her pregnancy and has an undetectable viral load, she can deliver a healthy baby with little to no risk of HIV transmission to the baby.

Myth

Anyone who has HIV can transmit the virus sexually.

Fact

People who have HIV and consistently take their anti-retroviral medication can have an undetectable viral load, which means the amount of HIV in their blood is so low that it cannot be passed on to another sexual partner. Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U).

Myth

If someone has HIV, it means they are sexually promiscuous or pleasure-seekers.

Fact

Not all people living with HIV got it from sex. And if they did, it doesn’t mean they have a lot of sex. Besides, we shouldn’t be ashamed of having sex if all partners consent to it and it allows us to feel good, celebrate our bodies, and show others that we love them!

Myth

You can tell that someone has HIV by looking at them.

Fact

No, you can't! That's just silly. You can't tell whether or not someone has HIV just by their appearance.

Myth

HIV is a problem for gay men and people who live in big cities.

Fact

HIV does not discriminate. Anyone of any sexual orientation and gender identity, in any geographic location, can have HIV.

Myth

If you test positive for HIV, you will get AIDS and die.

Fact

With proper treatment, people living with HIV can live a long and healthy life that matches similar to people who are HIV-negative. In Canada, most people who have HIV will never get AIDS.

What can I do to challenge HIV stigma?

Learn about how far we’ve come with HIV treatment, and tell others that U=U.

Thanks to decades of research supported by organizations like CANFAR, we have come a long way in our ability to treat HIV. While there is no cure for HIV, medication is available that allows HIV-positive people to live long and healthy lives.

Nowadays, people living with HIV can take medication that suppresses the virus so effectively that they have an undetectable viral load, which means that they cannot pass HIV on to others.
Undetectable=untransmittable. For more information on U=U check out this website.

Be mindful of how you use your language. Don’t say things that might make people living with HIV feel blamed, shamed, or unwanted. For example, referring to yourself as “clean” because you don’t have HIV implies that people who are positive are dirty, which is untrue and stigmatizing. To learn more about destigmatizing language, check out this guide.

If you know someone living with HIV, show them that you care. Lend a listening ear, have a warm conversation, and do all you can to make your positive friend or family member feel loved and supported.

Meet Our Ambassadors

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Messages from our Ambassadors

"Growing up, I went through different phases. At first I was very naïve, telling everybody [about my HIV status]. Not aware of the repercussions. So I’ve dealt with a lot of stigmatisation and discrimination, being uninvited to birthday parties as a young kid. Being 20 years old now, I’ve learned to not care what other people think despite the stigma that I faced. Knowing who I am and just rocking that, it makes a world's difference."
Ashley Murphy
Ashley Murphy#LoveIn #StigmaOut
"I disclosed to my father when I was much younger that I was gay, and then also disclosed to him years later that I was HIV-positive. And he told me, 'You know, son, I just love you the same as I would. Because you’re my son.' And I think that was really beautiful. And I recognize that might have been actually quite difficult news for him to take but yet he did it with dignity and respect and compassion."
Christian Hui
Christian Hui#LoveIn #StigmaOut
“Back then, there was nothing about HIV for trans people. I decided to be an activist for HIV/AIDS for the trans community. This is my purpose now – to fight for those behind me because I never had a mentor in my life.”
Evana Ortigoza
Evana Ortigoza#LoveIn #StigmaOut
"It certainly was not an easy experience when I found out about my status, but I knew this was going to be another important milestone in my life. Many people find it shocking when they find out about my status. As I get to share my stories more, I start to feel more empowered and comfortable."
Eugene Nam
Eugene Nam#LoveIn #StigmaOut
“As long as I have a strong tight family and community of people—whether that family is chosen or the one I'm born into—it’s all the same to me. It’s all love and support. That’s what makes life worth living to me. It was that support that helped me deal with my own internalized stigma. And I think if it wasn’t for my son and my wife that I may not have ever started antiretrovirals and I wouldn’t be here today.”
Trevor Stratton
Trevor Stratton#LoveIn #StigmaOut
"This whole idea that people who go out there and use PrEP are promiscuous, that they don’t care about their health, that they’re not looking out for themselves—the inverse of that has actually been found to be true. The people that care most about their HIV prevention are the people who are most likely to be adherent to the medication, the most likely to follow up."
Matt Hyams
Matt Hyams#LoveIn #StigmaOut
"When I feel anxious, lonely, and rejected, I turn to my friends and mentors for support and love. I have incredible friends and mentors who have been guiding and supporting me through ups and downs. They provide me with unconditional love and acceptance. Their genuine support and love makes me feel seen, heard, and acknowledged as a whole person."
Eugene Nam
Eugene Nam#LoveIn #StigmaOut
“On this Valentine's Day, I just want other people living with HIV to know that you are worthy of love. And that everyone is worthy of love. Having HIV doesn’t make you less of a person. It makes you human. It means you’ve gone through different experiences. And know that you need to be able to love yourself.”
Ashley Murphy
Ashley Murphy#LoveIn #StigmaOut
“I want people to know it’s okay to be positive and trans too. I’m undetectable for 16 years, and I’m very healthy. I take care of myself. I sleep better, I eat better, and I have better sex too.”
Evana Ortigoza
Evana Ortigoza#LoveIn #StigmaOut
"This Valentine’s Day, I want people to know that if you’re living with HIV, you can live a long and healthy life, if you take the medications every day. I also want them to know that there are people out there – if you choose to reach out. There is support. But you need to reach out and find it."
Trevor Stratton
Trevor Stratton#LoveIn #StigmaOut
"This Valentine’s Day, I would love to let every person living with HIV out there know that there are people that see beyond HIV. That the world is changing and along with that, it’s taken a whole new generation of thinking, science, and technology to create, hopefully, a future that looks much brighter than what we’ve experienced so far. But there’s always somebody out there to rely on."
Matt Hyams
Matt Hyams#LoveIn #StigmaOut
"On this Valentine’s day, I encourage you, fellow Canadians, to take a moment to Love In, Stigma Out, by showing people living with HIV kindness, care and compassion. How you can do this is to show loving kindness. If you can do this to yourself, you can do this to others. I would also encourage all Canadians to extend this same loving kindness to people who use drugs as well."
Christian Hui
Christian Hui#LoveIn #StigmaOut
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