The final project of my campaign, titled #wipeoutthestigma in an effort to help educate individuals on the reality of living with HIV/AIDS today and wipe out the stigma and discrimination that comes along with it, concludes with a print/digital facet.

By combining an old media approach (print) with new media (digital, social media), an expanded audience can be reached.

The purpose of these "ads" is to catch a person's attention quickly with cheeky images and cause them to see the fact at the bottom. Maybe it's a way to get someone to think, maybe it's just clever art. In today's over-connected world, one really has limited time to get the message across.

In the end, my passion for the issue of HIV/AIDS awareness and art combined to create a new campaign!

World AIDS Day: 7 facts about the disease*

USA Today Network Lori Grisham, USA TODAY Network

It's World AIDS Day, a day started in 1988 to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS and work to end the epidemic.
HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus that attacks the body's immune system. HIV can progress into AIDS, the final state of the infection when the body is unable to fight disease or infection.
Here are seven facts about where things stand today:
1. An estimated 34 million people have HIV/AIDS worldwide. In the USA, an estimated 1.2 million people live with HIV and one out of every seven are not aware they have the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
2. Sub-Saharan Africa has the most people living with HIV in the world and 70% of all new HIV infections occur there. In 2013, there were an estimated 24.7 million cases in the region, according to the World Health Organization.
3. In the USA, the number of new HIV infections reported have decreased from approximately 130,000 a year to 50,000 a year since the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, according to the CDC.
4. There is no cure for HIV, but antiretroviral drugs (ART) have helped people live longer with the virus. In 2013, 12.9 million people received the drug therapy, according to the World Health Organization.
5. From 2005 to 2013, AIDS-related deaths globally have decreased by almost 40% across age groups. However, deaths for children ages 10 to 19 have not decreased, according to UNICEF.
6. In the USA, HIV primarily occurs in urban areas with a population of 500,000 people or more. Hardest hit areas in 2012 included Atlanta, Miami, Baton Rouge, La., New Orleans, Memphis and Baltimore, according to the CDC.
7. The group most affected by HIV in the USA remains gay or bisexual men. Male-to-male sex accounted for 63% of new HIV infections in 2010, according to the CDC. The CDC reports that African Americans are disproportionately affected. In 2010, they made up 14% of the U.S. population, but accounted for 44% of new HIV infections.

*This article originally appeared in SC Times, Dec. 1, 2014 and can be found here.

HIV stigma is damaging our community today…

…and at least one way it could serve a higher purpose

Published: November 21, 2014 in A&E / Life&Style, Featured Stories
Updated: November 20, 2014 at 5:09 pm
  
By: Lawrence Ferber

stig·ma — noun — a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person.

Hearing the words “I’m HIV-positive” made Bryan (names and some details have been changed) freeze.
A 23-year-old graphic designer, Bryan had met a guy at a Manhattan gay club, a svelte 25-year-old tourist, Zach, with whom he danced, drank and laughed. Around 1 a.m., just before heading to Zach’s hotel for more private activities together, Zach disclosed his positive HIV status. His viral load was undetectable, successfully suppressed with a drug regimen to the point it was low to no risk for transmission, he was clear of other STDs and he packed an ample supply of condoms.
Bryan declined to go back with him, though, offering up a politely worded excuse rather than saying what he really thought: “I don’t sleep with HIV-positive guys.” Zach, however, had heard those words, or variations of the same, more than a few times since his diagnosis a couple of years ago, and he could see them clearly in Bryan’s green eyes. He felt like shit, judged, tainted, and while Zach wouldn’t lie and tell someone he was negative, he understood why so many others in his shoes have and do...

To read the full article @ QNotes.com, and you should, click here

Can Selfies in the Shower Fight HIV Stigma? Lather, Rinse, Snap, Repeat!

By Mathew Rodriguez From TheBody.com

November 24, 2014

If you're looking for HIV's answer to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which raised over US$100 million for the ALS Association, Jack Mackenroth just may have it: the HIV Shower Selfie Challenge. Mackenroth, a famous HIV-positive activist and prior contestant on Project Runway, has partnered with Moovz, a global gay social networking app, to launch the project. Playing to a culture that loves a good selfie, Mackenroth is urging everyone to fight HIV stigma by simply taking a special kind of selfie.

Jack Mackenroth

"I was inspired by the use of the word 'clean,' especially common in gay culture, to describe oneself as STI/STD free. Indirectly this implies that HIV-positive people are somehow 'dirty,'" says Mackenroth. "I thought a PG or PG-13 shower selfie or Vine video would be a fun way that everyone could easily show their support for finding a cure on social media by using the hashtag #weareALLclean when they post their photo with the link. They then nominate 3 other people to participate and hopefully donate to the project as well."

Encouraged by the amount raised by the ALS Association during its Ice Bucket Challenge, the goal of Mackenroth's selfie campaign is to raise US$1 million to stop the epidemic and help find a cure. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are currently 1.2 million people in the U.S. living with HIV and over 35 million people living with HIV around the world. The campaign will be ongoing indefinitely and all donations received will go to Housing Works, a nonprofit organization fighting on the front lines to end HIV and homelessness in New York and around the world. You can donate here.

"As someone who has been living with HIV for 25 years this is very personal to me," said Mackenroth. He added, "There is current urgency for funding as we have new treatments that maintain viral suppression and render HIV-positive individuals virtually non-transmissible. Those same treatments can be given to HIV-negative individuals and protect them from infection. Essentially we already have the tools to stop the epidemic from spreading. Exciting new research is bringing us closer to a real cure for AIDS every day."

Housing Works' President and CEO Charles King added, "My hope is that this campaign inspires conversation, action and a reinvigorated commitment to end AIDS."
The campaign will launch via Moovz, which has a history of high engagement with successful international LGBT social media campaigns. Mackenroth is no stranger to social campaigns -- or to working with Housing Works. His fundraising campaign for BRAKING AIDS Ride earlier this year raised eyebrows and blood pressures. He has enlisted a few "social media superstars" to get this latest campaign off the ground.

Chris Salvatore

Actor, model, singer and social media maven Chris Salvatore is helping spread the word about the campaign in Los Angeles in collaboration with Moovz, as well. "It's time to erase the stigma and unite as a global community. Regardless of your gender or sexual identity -- no matter what age, color, size or shape you are, you should be a part of this project! Let's all be one loud, united voice in support of awareness, education, treatment and research for a cure," said Salvatore. "And have fun with it. Be funny, sexy or silly. Who doesn't want to see people in the shower soaping up for a good cause?"
"I truly hope this campaign goes viral -- no pun intended," Mackenroth quipped.
The campaign is launching this year just prior to World AIDS Day. The hope is that there will be traction in the following weeks.
Do you want to get involved? Here's how:

1. Take a selfie or Vine video of yourself in the shower. No explicit nudity, please.
2. Post your photo now on Moovs and all social media platforms with the caption "Take HIV Shower Selfie Challenge raise $$ for AIDS Cure bit.ly/CUREAIDS #weareALLclean"
3. Challenge three or more other people to participate!
4. Donate! Please consider a small donation if you are able. Every penny counts!
5. On (or before) World AIDS Day, Monday, Dec. 1, please change all your social media profile pix to your shower selfie photo and spread the word!

Mathew Rodriguez is the community editor for TheBody.com and TheBodyPRO.com.
Follow Mathew on Twitter: @mathewrodriguez.

Copyright © 2014 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

This article originally appeared on thebody.com, the online resource of The Body, an HIV/AIDS resource, on November 24, 2014. The full article can be found here.