Divine Magazine
  • Home
  • Lifestyle
  • Health
  • Home & Garden
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Business
    • Culture and Arts
    • Family & Parenting
    • Food
    • Gaming
    • Interviews
    • Internet & Technology
    • Movie & TV Reviews
    • Music
    • Music Interviews
    • Music Reviews
    • Real Estate
    • Sports & Fitness
    • Travel & Tourism
Aa
Aa
Divine Magazine
  • Home
  • Lifestyle
  • Health
  • Home & Garden
  • Entertainment
  • More
    • Business
    • Culture and Arts
    • Family & Parenting
    • Food
    • Gaming
    • Interviews
    • Internet & Technology
    • Movie & TV Reviews
    • Music
    • Music Interviews
    • Music Reviews
    • Real Estate
    • Sports & Fitness
    • Travel & Tourism
Follow US
© 2023 Divine Magazine
Health & Wellbeing

5 Stigmas to Crush When It Comes to HIV/AIDS and the LGBTQ Community

Last updated: 2022/07/28
By Kate Harveston July 28, 2022 5 Min Read
Share
SHARE

Modern medicine has made it possible for many to live well even with a diagnosis of HIV/AIDS. But the idea that only members of the LGBTQ community are at risk of receiving this diagnosis still permeates culture. It’s a toxic mindset and it needs to go — yesterday. Here are five stigmas that members of the community are tired of hearing and how we can shut them down.

Contents
1. Having a Different Sexual or Gender Identity Doesn’t Equate to Infection2. Community Members Know More, Not Less, About the Risks 3. Being Infected Doesn’t Mean Being Irresponsible4. You Truly Can’t Discern Health Status by Appearance5. Getting Diagnosed Is Not the End of the WorldTreating All Humans with Equal Respect and Love

1. Having a Different Sexual or Gender Identity Doesn’t Equate to Infection

For some reason, some who fall into the heteronormative camp still seem to equate LGBTQ individuals as abnormalities, rather than normal variations on the human experience and biology. The words of Shakespeare echo through time on this score: “If you prick us, do we not bleed?”

Just because members of the LGBTQ community celebrate Pride month doesn’t mean they run a higher risk of contracting HIV or AIDS than heterosexual, gender-normative folks. Everyone’s body works the same way, and a virus is a virus is a virus.

2. Community Members Know More, Not Less, About the Risks

Your HIV risk is determined by your behavior. Those who choose to engage in higher-risk sexual behaviors face a greater danger of contracting the HIV virus regardless of whether they prefer to engage in those behaviors with the same or the opposite sex.

It is for this reason that discrimination against gay and bisexual men in blood donation makes little sense. The blood flowing through the veins of an LGBTQ individual shares the same risk of being infected as heterosexual blood. With blood supplies at critically low levels, continuing to ignore biological reality will cost lives.

3. Being Infected Doesn’t Mean Being Irresponsible

Yes, some members of the LGBTQ community do receive diagnoses of HIV. What’s important to remember is that so do many heterosexual individuals. No matter how careful people are, mistakes happen. All people can really do is try to be careful. Always use condoms each time you have sex and double up with a spermicidal lubricant for added protection. Spermicide doesn’t kill every strain of HIV, but it makes a good second line of defense.

What we shouldn’t be doing is blaming people once they’ve contracted this condition. Just as no one would shame a lung cancer patient for getting sick, no one should shame a member of the LGBTQ community for receiving a diagnosis of HIV.

4. You Truly Can’t Discern Health Status by Appearance

Do you think you know what someone infected with HIV looks like? Think again. The disease not only doesn’t discriminate, but it also leaves very few visible signs if it’s being treated with medication. Whatever you do, don’t assume you can tell a person’s HIV status by how they look. With medication, the disease is controllable, and most sufferers look like anyone else.

5. Getting Diagnosed Is Not the End of the World

Watch any movie made where the protagonist receives an HIV diagnosis and you’d think their entire world crumbled upon hearing the words, “The test results came back positive.” In reality, receiving a diagnosis does cause shock — but normally it’s nowhere near this dramatized.

Modern medicine has made living well with HIV possible. In fact, many go on to have normal life spans and their overall quality of living is not diminished. Savvy individuals know this, and while they’re probably not thrilled to receive the diagnosis, their worlds don’t have to be shattered.

Treating All Humans with Equal Respect and Love

Love knows no bounds, and neither should access to quality health care when it’s needed. By addressing the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS among the LGBTQ community, we can educate everyone about basic biology as well as empathy. Follow the Golden Rule by treating everyone else how you would like to be treated yourself.

© 2019 – 2022, Kate Harveston. All rights reserved.

TAGGED: aids, equality, health, hiv, lgbt, lgbtq, lgbtqcommunity, sexualhealth, stigma
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Copy Link
By Kate Harveston
Follow:
I’m Kate! I’m originally from Williamsport, Pennsylvania. After obtaining my degree in Professional Writing, it only seemed natural to get out there and start blogging! I am currently pursuing a career as a journalist and freelance writer. My life goal is to be one of the best female writers online while having lots of fun along the way. When I’m not writing, I love exploring new coffee shops wherever I can find them and teaching Zumba Fitness classes.
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts

Interview with Shannon Hawley
Interviews Music Interviews
Best places to ebike in California
Lifestyle
Unlock the Benefits of a Hair Steamer Machine for Healthier Hair
Beauty & Fashion
Experimental Electro-pop duo Trust The Mask exude intrigue in Will you come?
Music
Interview with H.Pe
Interviews Music Interviews

Trending

Interview with H.Pe
Interviews Music Interviews
Interview with Shannon Hawley
Interviews Music Interviews
How Goo Phone Compares to Other Smartphones on the Market
Internet & Technology
Seven Tips To Plan a Move Overseas and What To Do Next
Home & Garden
Kelsey Hickman Debuts Novocaine in Love-As-Addiction Music Video
Music

Lifestyle

Best places to ebike in California
Lifestyle
Unlock the Benefits of a Hair Steamer Machine for Healthier Hair
Beauty & Fashion
How Goo Phone Compares to Other Smartphones on the Market
Internet & Technology
Top Places To Visit in Dubai
Travel & Tourism
5 Great Tips for Men to Dress Classy and Vintage Without Looking Outdated
Beauty & Fashion Lifestyle

Health & Wellbeing

The Expert’s Guide to Waxing for Beginners 2023
The Expert’s Guide to Waxing for Beginners 2023
Health & Wellbeing
How to lose weight without following a restrictive diet?
Food Healthy Eating
Getting to know vegan diets better
Food Healthy Eating
Learn how to stuff vegetables
Food Healthy Eating
Easy ways of including more salads in your daily meals
Healthy Eating

You Might Also Like

The Expert’s Guide to Waxing for Beginners 2023
Health & Wellbeing

The Expert’s Guide to Waxing for Beginners 2023

By Divine Magazine 7 Min Read
FoodHealthy Eating

How to lose weight without following a restrictive diet?

By Divine Magazine 5 Min Read
FoodHealthy Eating

Getting to know vegan diets better

By Divine Magazine 5 Min Read

Find Us on Socials

Divine Magazine is your destination for breaking music news, interviews, and entertainment news. Lifestyle, Fashion, Health, Beauty & Fitness, Real Estate, Business, Interior & Exterior Design & Travel

Latest Posts

Interview with Shannon Hawley
Interviews Music Interviews March 31, 2023
Best places to ebike in California
Lifestyle March 31, 2023
Unlock the Benefits of a Hair Steamer Machine for Healthier Hair
Beauty & Fashion March 31, 2023
Experimental Electro-pop duo Trust The Mask exude intrigue in Will you come?
Music March 31, 2023

© 2023 Divine Magazine

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Share your news
  • Write For Us
  • Media Kit
  • Technical specifications
  • Terms and Conditions
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Register Lost your password?