A poster campaign by the Terrence Higgins Trust to tackle anti-HIV stigma in the UK has been targeted in what they describe as a “homophobic vandalism”.
The posters, which show two men lying together – and the message that people living with HIV and on effective treatment can’t pass it on – have been featured on billboards and phone boxes across the country.
But now some have been covered with white paint in an attempt to prevent people seeing them.
The charity says it became aware of the vandalism when pictures started appearing on social media and are now asking supporters to speak out against the damage.
They have also taken to some sites to put a message on top of the paint which reads: “The poster under this white paint appears to depict two clothed men of identifiably different ethnicities. they are calmly lying next to each other one has a beard and the other just a little stubble. Their eyes are closed and their shared physical closeness implies a tender intimacy.”
The accompany text reads: “People on effective treatment cannot pass the virus. Fact.” As well as details for THT website and contact details.
Ian Green, chief executive at Terrence Higgins Trust, said: “This vandalism is so sad to see. Whether our posters have been targeted because it features two men in an affectionate embrace or because it’s about HIV, we will not be silenced. In fact it makes us even more determined to get the message out there that people on effective HIV treatment can’t pass it on.”
The poster campaign comes off the back of a nationwide survey commissioned by the charity which revealed that knowledge of HIV remains stuck in the 1980s.
It found just under one in five (19%) Brits are aware that people on effective HIV treatment can’t pass it on.
The charity’s YouGov survey also revealed almost half (48%) of Brits would feel uncomfortable kissing someone living with HIV – even though there is zero risk of transmission through kissing or other day-to-day contact.
The ‘Can’t Pass It On’ campaign has been the focus of Terrence Higgins Trust’s messaging during Pride season, including at Pride in London and Black Pride earlier this month.