After 30 years of campaigning HIV doesn’t make the headlines anymore, but the stigma of HIV remains. Many still wouldn’t shake hands with an HIV positive person, and don’t even mention accidentally drinking from the same cup! With the fear of getting fired from their jobs or rejected by friends and loved ones, it’s no wonder people with the virus hesitate to come out as HIV positive.
Vangardist Magazine set out to bring HIV back into the headlines, restart the conversation and change our behavior to the better. By mixing sterilized blood from three HIV-positive donors with the printing press ink, 3000 copies of the magazine was printed. This way people were directly confronted with HIV and forced to realize that touching the magazine is just like touching anyone with the virus – harmless!
“I’m doing this because positive can be positive, and talking about HIV is the only way we can get more people to share that vision.” Wyndham Mead, 26 years
“At the beginning it was always difficult telling people about it, because the reactions you see in their faces is usually blank horror.” Anonymous, 32 years
Impact:
With 9 million shares and comments, 57 million reached and $ 3 million media earned, HIV made the headlines again, the conversation was restarted and perceptions were changed.
Video Case:
