HIV in the UK today

The outlook has never been better for people with HIV in this country. HIV treatment is very effective and has brought a longer, healthier life...

What are stigma and discrimination?

Stigma means different things to different people. A dictionary definition of stigma is ‘a disgrace or a reproach attached to something.’ Stigma is often described...

A good place to start

When thinking about the way you feel about negative attitudes and behaviour, a good place to start might be to try telling yourself how irrational and...

Your own feelings about having HIV

Stigma can be hard to deal with. One important reason why this is the case is that some people with HIV stigmatise themselves. Consciously or...

How to deal with stigma and discrimination

Experiencing stigma and discrimination can be very painful. Try not to bottle up your feelings about these experiences. First of all, don’t blame yourself.  Remind...

Your family and friends

The thought of facing HIV alone is daunting and family and friends are often the first place that people turn to for support....

The community

A community can be based on many things.  You may think of your friends and family as your community.  But it is likely there are...

Health care

Everybody with HIV needs to go to a specialist HIV clinic to get the best possible treatment and care. It’s also important that people with...

Work

Most people with HIV will never experience any problems at work because they have HIV. But discrimination does occur either in the form of gossip,...

Housing, shops, hotels etc

The DDA also makes it illegal to discriminate against people with HIV in the provision of goods and services, such as when finding housing or in...

The media

HIV sometimes receives very good coverage in the media. At other times the media uses clichés or misrepresents the real experience of life with HIV,...

Getting support and making your voice heard

Stigma and discrimination are serious issues and tackling them is taken very seriously by HIV organisations and government agencies, such as the police and the NHS. There are...

Making a complaint

All the organisations listed above can help you complain if you encounter stigma and discrimination to help you secure your rights. Keep detailed notes about the...

Championing your rights

Some organisations specialise in leading campaigns, responding to unfair treatment of people living with HIV....

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