For some people, being HIV-positive and living life to the full is a matter of course. For others, this is not always the case. HIV medication, the scene, the circle of friends, one's own psyche and many other factors can have both a positive and negative influence on living with HIV. The scientific study positive voices 2.0 has clearly shown that exclusion, rejection and stigmatisation in particular have a negative impact on the lives of people with HIV.
Current results on living with HIV today
"Prejudice makes me sick! HIV does not!"
The majority of the people with HIV surveyed can now live well with the infection. "But at the same time, many experience discrimination and marginalisation on a daily basis," says project coordinator Matthias Kuske. "People with HIV experience discriminatory behaviour or are confronted with prejudice, particularly in the healthcare system, but also in their private lives, in their sex lives or in the media," Kuske continues.
All of this has a significant impact: As a result of discrimination, many people with HIV have poorer health, less well-being and less sexual satisfaction. In addition, the way they deal with their own HIV infection and their self-esteem are negatively affected by marginalisation and discrimination. Around one in four people surveyed are ashamed or feel guilty about being HIV-positive, or feel that they are not as good as others. A gay man in the study impressively described what this does to people:
"That was on a date in a restaurant. We got to know each other and at some point I told him about my HIV status. And then he just got up and left. And I'm sitting there feeling dirty and worthless - like rubbish. The next date, I didn't tell him until the fifth date, and he was furious and said 'Why didn't you tell me at the beginning? I'm just confused!"
"But I've already had bad experiences, including rejections. A sexual partner had found my medication. Then he quickly wrote a note saying that he had found it and had fled because of it, so he actually apologised a bit. I thought that was really bad at the time. I thought it was a bit exaggerated, he could have just spoken to me." Participants in the study positive voices 2.0 on living with HIV in Germany
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