There is still a long way to go to end HIV stigma | Letter

What a breath of fresh air Beverley Knight is at a time when fewer and fewer people want to stick their heads above the ground (‘I was cancelled’: Beverley Knight on gay rights, race and its West End renaissance, March 11). Beverley not only excels at everything she puts her hand to, but has done so much to be a voice for the voiceless – including as a consistent ally for the LGBT+ community and people living with HIV.

But the stigma and discrimination that people living with HIV face are not a historical issue. As Beverley explains, headlines about a ‘gay disease’ were commonplace in the 1980s and 1990s, but there is still a huge amount to be done to update the public’s knowledge of HIV today.

Despite Britain aiming to become the first country in the world to end new HIV cases by 2030, our recent polls on public knowledge and attitudes provide some pretty grim numbers. We found that only a third of people would be happy to kiss someone with HIV, and almost half would be ashamed to tell others they are HIV positive. Only a third were aware of the stigma-breaking fact those living with HIV and receiving effective treatment cannot pass HIV on to their partners.

The reality is that we have made incredible progress in preventing, testing and treating HIV over the past forty years. With HIV you can live a long and healthy life. You can have children who are HIV negative. Effective treatment means that HIV cannot be passed on. But public perception has not kept up with the pace of change. We are determined to change that, and we are extremely proud to have our patron Beverley at our side.
Richard Angel
CEO of Terrence Higgins Trust