World Aids Day: History making pilot says more work to be done to tackle HIV stigma
A pilot from Glasgow, who had a discriminatory aviation rule overturned, is telling MFR there is still more to be done to end the stigma around HIV.
A pilot from Glasgow, who had a discriminatory aviation rule overturned, is telling MFR there is still more to be done to end the stigma around HIV.
James Bushe made history as the first person HIV positive person to fly a commercial plane earlier this year, after challenging a Civil Aviation Authority rule which excluded him from holding a commercial pilot's license because of his positive status.
He took to the skies for the first time in January, flying a Loganair flight from Glasgow to Stornoway.
James is now backing calls from HIV Scotland for a new national campaign to challenge the misconceptions around HIV this World Aids Day.
Their research shows that 46% of Scots still believe HIV can be transmitted through biting, spitting, or kissing and less than 20% are aware than advances in treatment mean that people living with HIV on treatment who has an undetectable amount of HIV in their body cannot pass the virus on to their sexual partners.
The charity believes that the latest public attitudes poll highlights the need for an intensive campaign on about the modern realities of HIV.
James said: "Stigma is how I or anyone else makes me feel because of my diagnosis and I think there's still a hell of a long way to go to tackle that. If we look at the facts and the research carried out by HIV Scotland, the fact that 46% of Scots still believe HIV can be transmitted through kissing, biting or spiting... that's a huge number.
"And, even bigger than that a huge percentage of people didn't know that someone living with HIV, on successful treatment, such as myself, can't pass that on to anyone else.
"In my professional life I can honestly say the response I have had has been amazing. The support I've had from my colleagues, the airline and the industry has been fantastic and I've not experienced any stigma from them at all.
"But, there are parts that still get me. Dating is one example where I have to think 'when do I disclose my status' and some people might think 'how is that stigma?' Well, it's stigma because if it was diabetes for example, or some other chronic condition, I wouldn't need to think about it.
"There are moments where I walk into the hospital for my six monthly check ups and I have to go into the infectious disease ward and I think 'do I have an infectious disease' and of course, the answer to that is no because I am on successful treatment but stigma isn't necessarily about what we see and do - it's about how we feel.
"The last time we had a public campaign was the 'Don't Die of Ignorance' campaign in the late 1980s and every time I've had a conversation with friends or family and disclosed my status, if they've lived through that campaign we start from a place where they go from HIV, to tombstones, to death and as we've not had anything on that scale since then it's not surprising that public perceptions are going to be rooted in that. "
Commenting, the Chief Executive of HIV Scotland, Nathan Sparling said:
“We have 10 years to end the HIV epidemic in Scotland. That is the goal that HIV Scotland set for the country when we launched our #ZeroHIV plan in March 2019. Generation Zero is the next phase – making HIV the conversation in schools, workplaces and society-at-large over the next year to end HIV stigma.
“It is clear through the polling data which we’re publishing today that many myths still exist. There is a need for a national, coordinated public awareness campaign, including TV advertising, to end stigma. There has not been a TV ad since the ‘Don’t Die of Ignorance’ ads famed for its tombstone imagery – which undoubtedly has lingered in people’s minds, perpetuating the stigma of the 80s.
“Ending stigma will help us ensure that people can access services and receive the treatment and care they need to live well.
“Generation Zero is about reframing the conversation – it shouldn’t just be for the Government, NHS or charities to talk about HIV. It’s up to everyone.
“So, this World AIDS Day we’re asking all of Scotland to make HIV the conversation. By doing so, we can all be part of the generation that ended the epidemic. What a great achievement that will be. In 10 years’ time, we should be using World AIDS Day to reflect and remember lives lost and an epidemic confined to the history books.”
The Chair of HIV Scotland, Professor Nicoletta Policek, said:
“As a woman living with HIV, I am acutely aware of the myths and misconceptions about HIV that are still prevalent across society.
“The aim of Generation Zero is to bring people together, regardless of their age, sexuality or gender, to talk about HIV in the modern context. We are all far more aware of viruses and how they work – but we can’t allow the misinformation and myths from the eighties to continue.
“Ending the HIV epidemic is within our reach. Stigma is the only thing which prevents us from doing so. Conversations & stories will help us inform and educate – and there is no better day than World AIDS Day to commit ourselves to do better on behalf of those we have lost over the last 40 years.”
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