Oscars 2014: Post Dallas Buyers Club awards can we finally let go of HIV stigma and discrimination

Dallas Buyers Club won three awards at the 86^th Academy Award winners with two of its actors – Matthew McConaughey (Best Actor) and Jared Leto (Best Supporting Actor) winning at the Oscars. It’s amazing that a movie on HIV discrimination and stigma should do so amazingly well. While the story was set in the 80s, it continues to be a burning issue in this day and age. Both the actors lost a significant amount of weight for their roles, Leto playing a HIV positive transgender woman while McConaughey plays a homophobic drug dealer who is given 30 days to live. As the movie progresses McConaughey finds a better drug to fight AIDS which is not approved the USFDA.

He starts smuggling the drug in from neighbouring Mexico and even loses his homophobia as he befriends Leto’s character Rayon. Based on a true story, the movie depicts the grim reality of how the medical community and the most industrialised Western nation in the world were simply not equipped to deal with the disease when it first emerged. It deals with issues of medical malpractice, HIV stigma and discrimination and many other issues that continue to haunt HIV+ people to this day.

The early years

Randy Shilts’ investigative book And the Band Played On portrays the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the lack of response to it from either the medical community or the authorities. When the disease first emerged, it was believed that the disease was a curse for people who actually deserved it like homosexuals or intravenous drug users. It wasn’t until people like Ryan White (a boy who got HIV through blood transfusion) and other prominent HIV-infected people like Magic Johnson and Arthur Ashe were diagnosed with the disease that public perception about it changed. Many experts believe that this sluggishness to deal with the disease led to its spread which had claimed 30 million lives by 2009.

Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of hiv/aids.

The HIV/AIDS stigma in India

Since the disease surfaced, HIV positive people have been subjected to strong discrimination from various sections of society. One of the primary reasons for this was that initially the disease was more prevalent among drug users, homosexuals and sex workers – people society usually tends to look down upon. While that attitude has changed a bit, HIV discrimination is still the norm. In fact, it’s quite common for employees to lose their job and families to be ostracised in their HIV positive status is revealed. A bill to reduce this discrimination was tabled in 2006 and was recently introduced in the Rajya Sabha. Called the HIV/AIDS (Prevention and Control) Bill 2014 the bill looks to end discrimination against HIV positive people.

Under the proposed law, HIV/AIDS-affected people will be provided protection against discrimination in employment, healthcare, education, travel and insurance, in both public as well as private sectors. (Read: Living with HIV – diagnosis, treatment and prevention) The bill proposes imprisonment and fine for those spreading hatred and discrimination against HIV patients. According to official information, a fine up to Rs 10,000 and two years’ imprisonment has been proposed as punishment for spreading hatred against people with HIV/AIDS. (Read: Prevention of transmission of HIV-virus to the child during pregnancy) The bill also proposes a legal commitment to provide Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) by the government to the patients as far as possible. (Read: Social protection key to prevention of HIV/AIDS: NACO)

Despite whatever bill is passed in Parliament, people will continue to discriminate until they understand the myths attached to the disease. It’s time we cleared those doubts. Let go of the stigma, and accept that everyone irrespective of their HIV status is human and deserves to be treated as such. If you know someone who has HIV or AIDS, support them and don’t ostracize them — it could well be you next.

For more articles on HIV/AIDS, visit our HIV/AIDS section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.

Tags: Healthcare Oscars Academy Awards 2014 86th Annual Academy Awards Oscars 2014 Dallas Buyers Club Matthew McConaughey Academy Awards Antiretroviral drugs HIV/AIDS Jared Leto

http://goodguyswag.com/10-ways-to-win-a-girls-heart joan

I want to thank Dr Okoko for the herbal HIV medicine he gave to me and my daughter, i was suffering from HIV when i gave birth to my daughter and that was how my daughter got the sickness indirect from me, but to God be the glory that i am heal with the herbal medicine that DR Okoko gave to me when i contacted him. i want to use this medium to tell everyone that the solution to our sickness has come, so i will like you to contact this great healer on his email address: okokoherbalhivcure@gmail.com with him all your pains will be gone, i am really happy today that i and my daughter are cured of HIV, we are now negative after the use of his medicine,my doctor confirm it. once more i say a big thank to you Dr Okoko for healing hands upon my life and my daughter, i say may God continue to bless you abundantly and give you more power to keep helping those that want your help in their lives. email him now he is waiting to receive you. :okokoherbalhivcure@gmail.com Or contact his number:+2347053728736
http://goodguyswag.com/10-ways-to-win-a-girls-heart joan

DR Okoko is the only Dr who could ever get my HIV-AIDS cured with his healing spell, i have tried almost everything but i couldn’t find any solution on my disease, despite all these happening to me, i always spend alot to buy a HIV drugs from hospital and taking some several medications but no relieve, until one day i was just browsing on the internet when i come across a great post of !Michelle! who truly said that she was been diagnose with HIV and was healed that very week through the help of these great powerful healing spell doctor, sometime i really wonder why people called him Dr Okoko, i never knew it was all because of the great and perfect work that he has been doing that is causing all this. so i quickly contacted him, and he ask me some few questions and he said a thing i will never forget that anyone who contacted him is ! always getting his or her healing in just 6 hours after doing all he ask you, so i was amazed all the time i heard that from him, so i did all things only to see that at the very day which he said i will be healed, all the strength that has left me before rush back and i becomes very strong and healthy, this disease almost kills my life all because of me, so i will to hospital to give the final test to the disease and the doctor said i am HIV negative, i am very amazed and happy about the healing DR Okoko gave to me from the ancient part of Africa, you can email him now for your own healing too at: okokoherbalhivcure@gmail.com or call him on his cell phone number on :+2347053728736
marl

Hello,my name is marl i want to testify no what Dr George
did for me, i was infected with H.I.V disease wish cost me my
relationship, and i was all alone till i met a friend of my who directed
me to Dr George, i never believed in spell caster or voodoo till i met
him, he casts a spell on me that cure me from H.I.V. if you need help
or you have a problem, there is nothing Dr George can do,so e-mail him
with this mail address: aknemutemple@outlook.com or call his phone number +2348166103674
- http://goodguyswag.com/10-ways-to-win-a-girls-heart joan
  
  I want to thank Dr Okoko for the herbal HIV medicine he gave to me and my daughter, i was suffering from HIV when i gave birth to my daughter and that was how my daughter got the sickness indirect from me, but to God be the glory that i am heal with the herbal medicine that DR Okoko gave to me when i contacted him. i want to use this medium to tell everyone that the solution to our sickness has come, so i will like you to contact this great healer on his email address: okokoherbalhivcure@gmail.com with him all your pains will be gone, i am really happy today that i and my daughter are cured of HIV, we are now negative after the use of his medicine,my doctor confirm it. once more i say a big thank to you Dr Okoko for healing hands upon my life and my daughter, i say may God continue to bless you abundantly and give you more power to keep helping those that want your help in their lives. email him now he is waiting to receive you. :okokoherbalhivcure@gmail.com Or contact his number:+2347053728736
Kate

I have been suffering hardship from HIV/AIDS since 7yrs now, and i happen to have 2 kids for my husband, and now we cannot proceed to have another kids all because of my disease and now i have do all what a human like i and my husband can do just to get my disease healed, i have went to several places to seek for help not even one person could ever help, until i melt a comment on the daily news paper that was commented by Desmond about how this powerful traditional doctor help him get cured of the disease (HIV-AIDS) ” my fellow beloved” i firstly taught having a help from a spiritual traditional healer was a wrong idea, but i think of these, will i continue to stress on these disease all day when i have someone to help me save my life?” so i gather all my faiths and put in all interest to contact him through his Email address at hivcurecenter@gmail.com , so after i have mailed him of helping get my disease cured, he respond to me fast as possible that i should not be afraid, that he is a truthful and powerful doctor which i firstly claimed him to be. So after all set has been done, he promise me that i will be healed but on a condition that i provide him some items and obeyed all his oracle said. I did all by accepting his oracles fact and only to see that after some weeks of taking his herbal medicine i notice some changes in my body system and i went for check up the day he ask me to go for check up to confirm if the sickness was still there,to my greatest surprise i could not find any sickness in my body i was first shocked and later arise to be the happiest woman on earth after i have concluded my final test on the hospital by my doctor that i am now HIV- Negative. My papers for check are with me and now i am happy and glad for his miraculous help and power. With these i must tell everyone who might seek for any help, either for HIV cure or much more to contact him now at these following email now,Email: hivcurecenter@gmail.com ” sir thank you so much for your immediate cure of my disease, i must say a big thanks for curing my disease, i owe you in return. Thanks and be blessed sir.
- http://goodguyswag.com/10-ways-to-win-a-girls-heart joan
  
  I want to thank Dr Okoko for the herbal HIV medicine he gave to me and my daughter, i was suffering from HIV when i gave birth to my daughter and that was how my daughter got the sickness indirect from me, but to God be the glory that i am heal with the herbal medicine that DR Okoko gave to me when i contacted him. i want to use this medium to tell everyone that the solution to our sickness has come, so i will like you to contact this great healer on his email address: okokoherbalhivcure@gmail.com with him all your pains will be gone, i am really happy today that i and my daughter are cured of HIV, we are now negative after the use of his medicine,my doctor confirm it. once more i say a big thank to you Dr Okoko for healing hands upon my life and my daughter, i say may God continue to bless you abundantly and give you more power to keep helping those that want your help in their lives. email him now he is waiting to receive you. :okokoherbalhivcure@gmail.com Or contact his number:+2347053728736.
bernille

Healing from HIV-AIDS, i never taught dr.camala who could ever get my HIV-AIDS cured with his healing spell, i have tried almost everything but i could’nt find any solution on my disease, despite all these happening to me, i always spend alot to buy a HIV drugs from hospital and taking some several medications but no relieve, until one day i was just browsing on the internet when i come across a great post of !Michelle! who truly said that she was been diagnose with HIV and was healed that very week through the help of these great powerful healing spell doctor, sometime i really wonder why people called him Papa camala, i never knew it was alll because of the great and perfect work that he has been doing that is causing all this. so i quickly contacted him, and he ask me some few questions and he said a thing i will never forget that anyone who contacted him is ! always getting his or her healing in just 6 hours after doing all he ask you, so i was amazed all the time i heard that from him, so i did all things only to see that at the very day which he said i will be healed, all the strength that has left me before rush back and i becomes very strong and healthy, this disease almost kills my life all because of me, so i will to hospital to give the final test to the disease and the doctor said i am HIV negative, i am very amazed and happy about the healing dr.camala gave to me from the ancient part of Africa, you can email him now for your own healing too at: dr.camalahivadscure@yahoo.com
thank you sir for healing me from HIV, i am Doris Carter.

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