At a time when fewer and fewer want to put their head above the parapet, what a breath of fresh air Beverley Knight is (‘I was cancelled’: Beverley Knight on gay rights, race and her West End renaissance, 11 March). As well as excelling at whatever she turns her hand to, Beverley has done so much to be a voice for the voiceless – including as a consistent ally for the LGBT+ community and those living with HIV.
But the stigma and discrimination faced by people living with HIV isn’t a historical issue. As Beverley explains, headlines about a “gay disease” were commonplace in the 1980s and 90s, but there’s still a huge amount to do to update the public’s knowledge on HIV today.
Despite the UK aiming to be the first country in the world to end new HIV cases, by 2030, our recent polling on public knowledge and attitudes makes for pretty grim reading. We found that just a third of people would be happy to kiss someone living with HIV, and almost half would be ashamed to tell others they were HIV positive. Only a third knew the stigma-busting fact that those living with HIV and on effective treatment cannot pass HIV on to partners.
The reality is that we’ve made incredible progress in preventing, testing and treating HIV in the last 40 years. You can live a long, healthy life with HIV. You can have children who are HIV negative. Effective treatment means HIV cannot be passed on. But public perceptions haven’t kept up with the pace of change. We’re determined to change that, and we’re hugely proud to have our patron Beverley by our side.
Richard Angell
Chief executive, Terrence Higgins Trust
