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I'm wearing THE T-shirt today. The t-shirt simply says HIV POSITIVE and I'm wearing it all day today. So are about about 250 Northeast Ohioans, a few state- and nationwide, and even a few internationally.
http://www.cleveland.com/living/index.ssf/2010/03/aids_taskforce_t-shirt_aims_to.html
Activism takes many forms and The AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland decided to create an anti-stigma campaign wherein anyone, regardless of HIV status, agrees to wear The T-shirt all day, go about their regular routine and report about their experience.
The purpose is to break down the stigma surrounding those who are infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. However, you can see from the comments following the article above, some don't see it that way.
Would you wear the T-shirt? Why or why not?
To see folk's reports and pictures, go to Earl Pike's FB page or The AIDS Taskforce page.
What was your experience like, wearing the shirt?
Amy M.: "I wore the t-shirt to school. People reacted in many different ways. One girl said "YOU HAVE HIV, YOURE WEIRD".. then after I explained what we were doing she felt bad. In the hallway, a group of boys screamed that I have AIDS. I got double -takes all day. It was quite an experience."
One of the comments after the article in the PD (which says something about why we need to confront stigma) was: "Yes, let's remove the stigma of AIDS. Why not go ahead and make AIDS cool. Then everybody will want to get AIDS. Actually in some cases a stigma is a good thing. It makes people think twice about doing something if it's going to bring them shame and ridicule."
http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/local_news/brazen-shirts-come-with-aids-warning
http://www.youtube.com/user/ATFGCleveland?feature=mhw4