Why Ending HIV Isn’t Just About Sex

PPGNY Action Fund
2 min readJul 29, 2019

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By James Factora, Planned Parenthood of New York City Communications Intern

As HIV Awareness Month comes to a close, let’s talk about one of the most important aspects of ending HIV: ending HIV stigma, also known as serophobia.

HIV prevention is about much more than just sex. HIV prevention also means changing our internalized biases toward HIV and people who are HIV positive. It means understanding that there is no one image of what an HIV positive person looks or acts like. It means not using language like “clean” to refer to people who don’t have HIV, or STIs in general. It means understanding that HIV-positive folks can and often do live long and happy lives.

There’s nothing wrong with taking measures to protect yourself from getting HIV, like getting on PrEP, just like there’s nothing wrong with taking daily birth control. Everyone deserves a healthy and happy sex life, and everyone deserves access to the resources for a healthy and happy sex life. There’s nothing wrong with facilitating other resources and practicing the principles of harm reduction, like clean needle exchanges and safe injection sites — these measures save lives.

People will always practice “risky” behaviors, and shame and stigma do nothing to stop that. Instead, let’s think twice about our attitudes toward HIV and work toward deconstructing them and fighting stigma.

If you’re interested in learning more about HIV prevention methods and/or HIV testing and counseling, Planned Parenthood of New York City is here for you.

Make your appointment and learn more today at www.ppnyc.org!

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PPGNY Action Fund
PPGNY Action Fund

Written by PPGNY Action Fund

We’re Planned Parenthood of Greater New York Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization.

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