LOSS, RESILIENCE OF EARLY YEARS OF AIDS PANDEMIC
IT HAS been 40 years since the onset of the HIV/Aids pandemic.
The International Aids Candlelight Memorial is a time not only to remember the many lives lost to Aids, but also to reflect on the stories of long-term survivors and caregivers.
These stories must inform our practical response to HIV today, both in policy and for social equity. The wisdom of these stories can also improve our responses to Covid-19, future pandemics and other contemporary crises.
Many early depictions of HIV/Aids focus on the experience of gay communities in the US, or the UK in the recent television series It’s a Sin.
However, HIV/Aids has deeply affected, and continues to affect, many different communities in Canada. This includes gay, bisexual and queer men, who are still disproportionately affected by the pandemic, as well as women, Indigenous people, transgender people and African, Caribbean and black people, who are often overlooked in HIV policies and histories.
People who live at the intersections of marginalised communities face unique barriers.
As multidisciplinary HIV researchers, we know how important it is to continue learning from these histories to improve HIV treatment, support and prevention efforts today.
So far, we have conducted 116 oral history interviews with long-term survivors of HIV and their caregivers in British Columbia between 2017 and 2020 as part of the community-based HIV In My Day project. These interviews will soon be available in a publicly accessible digital archive.
Our oral history research identified a lack of support and information for people living with HIV and their caregivers.
It documents their experiences of HIV stigma in both health care and society, and the loss of their lovers, friends and community members.
It also illustrates the community care and resilience that helped them deal with the emotional impact of HIV/Aids, and the grassroots advocacy that was necessary to improve medical responses.
HIV In My Day is a collection of diverse stories that provides a nuanced picture of the early years of the HIV/ Aids pandemic in British Columbia. These stories demonstrate the importance of people coming together.
Marginalised communities mobilised in response to shared public health challenges that were exacerbated by structural forms of oppression. These personal stories highlight the living history of HIV, including experiences of isolation, discrimination, caregiving, positive thinking and activism.
Gay, bisexual and queer men were at the epicentre of HIV/Aids in British Columbia in the early years of the pandemic and while many of them lived with and died of Aids, the lesbian and gay communities came together to care for each other in the face of government apathy towards HIV/Aids rooted in homophobia.
HIV In My Day provides moving personal stories of how individuals and their communities responded to the tragedy and injustice of the HIV/Aids pandemic by challenging prejudice and being more inclusive.
Let’s remember these examples and follow them in our ongoing responses to HIV/Aids and other crises challenging society. We must face them together, now and in the future.