Recently I shared some links to a few online campaigns, including the Positive Women network, which aims to challenge the assumptions made about women with HIV and AIDS as well as providing practical support.
My partner had a look at the campaign and pointed out to me that it could be taken as dividing those women who have contracted HIV/AIDS into two camps; slappers & drug users versus wholesome Kiwi women. His thesis is that by focusing the campaign on women who have been infected by having hetero sex with their husbands, or through an accidental prick with a contaminated needle in the course of their nursing work, Positive Women is in fact saying that there are some people who don’t deserve to have HIV/AIDS, and some others who, well, were reckless and therefore less deserving of support.
Frankly I don’t see the campaign this way, perhaps because I have recently read Bryce Courtenay’s book April Fool’s Day and so a non-judgemental approach was in my mind at the time Positive Women came to my attention. To me challenging the stereotypes about those who have HIV/AIDS, or indeed any illness to which stigma is attached, is good for all of those with the disease as it encourages people not to judge at all.
But what do readers think? Is my interpretation overly generous?
3 comments:
I am the eternal optimist so I am inclined to agree.
I guess the campaign is starting from the lowest common denominator whereby those who consider HIV to be contracted only by "slappers & drug users" may be convinced otherwise and those who are more open to the idea that HIV can be contracted by anyone will remain of the same view. So if we can move even one person from the former view to the latter then the campaign is doing its work.
The people who will divide those who are "slappers & drug users" from "wholesome Kiwi women" have other prejudices which run far deeper than a Positive Women campaign can seek to influence.
In my uninformed opinion anyway ;)
I like your generous attitude but when I first saw the compaign my thoughts were "see 'nice' people get AIDS too" which sort of implies that the other people with HIV/AIDS aren't and therefore accentuates 'the division'. As Nikki said though - people that put value on the division probably aren't going to be swayed
I was a bit taken aback by the name of the Facebook group, which is "She must be a SLUT". But it has been set up by one of the four women who are fronting the campaign and I figure she has a much better right to determine these matters than me, all power to her.
Thanks nikki and aaml for your comments :-)
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