-˜AIDS’ has had its day
The National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS wants people, particularly the media, to stop using the terms -˜AIDS’ and -˜PLWHA’ in favour of words with less stigma.
The peak body of organisations representing HIV positive people in Australia indicated it might also drop -˜AIDS’ from its title, but will keep the acronym NAPWA.
Misuse of the word -˜AIDS’ in media reports, like -˜AIDS victims and carriers’, were insulting and contributed to stigma and discrimination, it said.
It’s time we looked at the language we use around HIV. Some of it, such as -˜HIV/AIDS’, has served its time. -˜HIV’ alone is adequate as it encompasses all stages of the disease, including AIDS.
It also recommended the long-standing term PLWHA be replaced with PLHIV for people living with HIV. However, four of its state member organisations still use PLWHA as their name.
The NSW organisation changed its name to Positive Life in 2007.
It’s contentious because some people relate more strongly with the term AIDS Â-” people who’ve had the condition for a long time, maybe had an AIDS diagnosis before the treatments, Positive Life spokesman Rob Lake told Sydney Star Observer.
But he supported moving away from the HIV/AIDS dichotomy.
We think it’s important to communicate the full range of people’s experience. It reflects the fact that people with HIV having a difficult time can happen for a range of reasons, not just those who have had an AIDS-defining illness.
PLWHA Victoria acting president Paul Baines said although it may be difficult for some people to get used to abandoning the term, the NAPWA guidelines are in line with United Nations policy.
We’ve got to collectively decide that on the whole it is probably better to change the way we speak about this.
If there is an increase in HIV infections it will not be ACON’s fault anymore than deaths from lung cancer are the NSW Cancer Council’s fault. I reckon most people know in the back of their minds that AIDS is a killer but they think the chances are it won’t happen to them. Just as speeding drivers believe doing 120ks in a 60k zone won’t get them killed or caught.
Perhaps there should be more advertising on the consequences of unprotected sex. But unless the government somehow enforces celibacy, risky sexual behaviour will continue.
Incidentally, I’ve also noticed that any suggestion of cracking down on alcohol intake gets a hostile response. I bet if ACON “does something” about risky sexual behaviour there would be a similar response. A no-win situation.
Jerome I couldn’t agree with you more. ACON have done such a good job whitewashing this disease with years of no impact ‘gay wallpaper’ ads trivialising this deadly disease ( culminating in the “glamreaper” campaign that most young gay men ( and a lot of the older ones too) now have no fear of this disease or contracting hiv. You are hard pressed in this town to find anybody consistently using condoms with casual partners…bareback sex is the norm!!!. God help us all but I fear there is going to be an explosion in new infections over the next few years..thankyou ACON , thankyou the PC brigade and now thankyou PLWA for your last nail in the coffin in the dumbing down of this deadly disease.
What a truly scary suggestion. Who are these freaks? Hasn’t Aids been normalised enough by the likes of ACON? A spade is a spade, damnit!!
Why don’t we call cancer… challanging health reajustment syndrome……what a lot of BS this is!!!!!!!!!
HIV is the AIDS virus and I believe people need constantly reminding of that.
Every 12 to 16 seconds a person dies from AIDS, which leaves another 34,080,500 approx living with HIV:
http://www.unfpa.org/aids_clock/
The pendulum has swung too far in the destigmatisation move, it needs to swing back again for a while for renaissance of HIV/AIDS awareness.
I am with those in the community who disagree with the whole AIDS industry push to stop using -˜AIDS’ as part of the continuing destigmatisation process, which, I believe, crossed the line way back and left particularly gay men in developed nations perceiving catching the AIDS virus to be something akin to a walk in the park, whereby a few pills are taken and life continues as normal.
It’s an often horrendous condition for many and I don’t think we as a society should -œstop mentioning it (AIDS) any more than we should stop mentioning/naming other discomforting/horrendous world realities, such as famine, genocide, vivisection, etc.
Honestly, what rubbish. This is news?!?! Reality check – AIDS *is* AIDS, that’s its name. HIV *is* HIV, that’s its name. They actually mean two separate things. To say that they should both be called “HIV” is ridiculous. And hasn’t it occurred to people like Rob Lake that whatever new word is adopted, it may also get ‘misused’ by the media? What then? We change the word again? I know – how about we change the word on an annual basis so the word doesn’t have time to be ‘stigmatised’ and no-one ever gets offended. Please.