Tips for living with or without HIV from people who know their status

Every year on the first day of winter, the whole world remembers HIV.

The media say that people with the virus have the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else. But off-air, people with HIV are often not hired, people won’t shake their hands, they are barred from entering buildings, and they aren’t invited to meetings.

When handing a pen to a person with HIV to sign documents, some doctors may wrap it in a napkin, and in our clinics, separate doors are set up for people coming in for treatment.

In reality, HIV today is not a death sentence. If detected early and treated responsibly with antiretroviral therapy (ART) under a doctor’s supervision, the viral load in the blood becomes so low that it may not be transmitted to another person at all.

And most importantly, the condition does not progress to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). Therefore, people living with HIV today can lead full and safe lives, and, if they wish, have healthy children.

The team behind the "TSL: Your Family Doctor" project proposes to stop dividing people based on their HIV-positive or negative status. The only truly important distinction is between those who know their status and those who do not yet know. After all, what stands in the way of overcoming the HIV epidemic is not a lack of protection or medication, but societal disregard, judgment, fear, disgust, and stereotypes—which cause many people to unnecessarily avoid testing.

All participants in this photo project know their HIV status. Among them are both HIV-positive and HIV-negative people.

You can (and probably will) try to guess who is who. But we won’t give you the answers. Because it doesn’t matter. What matters is that they are all vibrant and free people who know their status for sure.

The HIV epidemic isn’t slowing down, which means we all need to always be careful with one another: use condoms, get tested for HIV every year, don’t put others at risk, support others, and accept them regardless of their diagnosis.

Alexei

director, creative director

• I worked in advertising for a long time, and at some point I started thinking: what will I tell my children? Like when I launched the AHE deodorant on the Ukrainian market? Now I’m “drifting” into directing; I recently shot my first short film.
• In 2014, I became a volunteer for the “Come Back Alive” Foundation. I’m still doing this because the foundation truly helps people return alive from the war.
• One of my favorite directors is Todd Solondz. He makes ruthless comedies on sharply social themes. Without sighs or raised eyebrows. This is important because as long as we talk about complex issues in the usual polite language, we make them invisible.
• Even throughout the 1990s, the press referred to HIV as “the gay cancer.” This is a horrific, medieval phrase that sparked countless prejudices and irrational fears.
• I’m afraid of a lot of things. I’m especially afraid of heights.

Yuriy

priest, head of a civic organization

• I am a Christian, a priest, a husband to my wife, a father to my daughter, a caring son, and the head of a civic organization. One part of me is into math, while the other is creative—I play the guitar and write songs.
• I’ve been a fan of Depeche Mode since 1987. These days, I often listen to Dave Gahan’s song “Last Time”—it’s about how we’re living in the last days. The Bible speaks of this too, describing signs of the end times such as disease, debauchery, war, and famine. I see all of this today.
• I’m not saying you shouldn’t make any plans. But it’s important to realize that life could end tomorrow, in a month, or in a year, and to cherish every second and the people around you.
• I first heard about God from my grandmother Yanina. When I was accepted into the Young Pioneers and given a badge, I ran to her to “show off.” And she replied, “Those godless communists have even gotten to the children.” I asked, “What are atheists?” “They’re people who live without God.” “And who is God?” Grandma began to describe Him: faithful, eternal, the Creator of all things. I said, “And where is He?” And she replied, “You’ll see in due time.” And I did see Him—just ten years ago.
• A diagnosis isn’t a person; it’s just a diagnosis. Anyone can have one.
• Epidemics of hepatitis, HIV, and tuberculosis aren’t limited to marginalized groups. The virus doesn’t care if you’re riding in a Maybach or on a tram.

Mixed quotes from Alexei and Yuri:

⚫️ "I've known my HIV status since 2006. It's positive."

⚫️ "I’ve been tested for HIV many times. Usually just along with other routine tests. As artist Ivan Semesyuk says, ‘anything can happen.’”

⚫️ "It used to be much harder to get tested for HIV, let alone receive treatment. I saw people die simply because they stopped fighting. But I wanted to live. That’s why I fought." 

⚫️ "Am I afraid that people I know will see this project and think I’m living with HIV? Not at all. What’s so scary about that?"

  Original text of the publication in UKRAINSKA PRAVDA