People living with HIV face numerous privacy and stigma issues related to their health status.

Trent Newmeyer, Associate Professor in Brock’s Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies who has been working to improve HIV-related stigma for more than 10 years, believes Charlie Sheen’s disclosure of HIV is an important opportunity to educate the public.

Often issues of HIV and stigma are under reported in the media until a celebrity helps to propel it into the mainstream, says Newmeyer. AIDS Awareness Week is now under way with World AIDS Day taking place Dec. 1.

“The issue with Charlie Sheen’s forced public disclosure highlights how HIV is still stigmatized in society,” he says, adding that HIV is stigmatized for a number of reasons.

“The initial populations associated with HIV were, and still are, marginalized in society. There was so much unknown about HIV for a long time due to social and governmental inaction.”

In the past, AIDS was a death sentence and was signified by very visible factors such as wasting and Kaposis Sarcoma lesions. The media latched on to these images creating a stereotype known as the ‘AIDS look’,” Newmeyer says.

“Today, we know so much more about HIV and with proper management, it is considered a chronic disease with no cure.”

Despite some media coverage on the advancement of HIV treatments, Newmeyer says he doesn’t think most people know HIV is no longer a death sentence for those who have access to medication. Social perception and media portrayals have not kept up with the realities of HIV.

One way Newmeyer has tried to educate students about HIV is when he’s teaching a Sociology of HIV/AIDS course, he starts off assessing and correcting the misconceptions students have of how HIV is transmitted.

“You’d be surprised what misconceptions still exist today, some people still believe you can catch HIV from a toilet seat, but you can’t.”

While there have been advancements in some areas, others remain sadly the same. It takes a lot of education to get people to understand how HIV has changed from the days of AIDS (a term rarely used anymore). AIDS Niagara, for example, has changed its name to Positive Living Niagara to reflect the changing reality of HIV and society’s perception of it.

Newmeyer says people living with HIV also face a number of privacy issues related to their status. In Canada, individuals must disclose their HIV status before they engage in activities that might put others at possible risk for infection. In some cultural communities, HIV is simply not discussed despite its presence. This means reduced community support, education and access to services.

“If Sheen, who was comfortable disclosing his issues with drugs and alcohol in the past and had access to the best medical services, did not feel comfortable disclosing his HIV status, can you imagine the barriers faced by less privileged individuals,” Newmeyer says.