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Nearly half a century has passed since the first recognized case of AIDS in the U.K. in December 1981. During that time, perceptions of HIV and people living with HIV have been transformed by medical advances and changing cultural attitudes. Yet the stigma created during the early years of the epidemic has proved much harder to leave behind.

The first years of the U.K. epidemic were characterized by fear and uncertainty. There was no effective treatment, and people diagnosed with AIDS often became seriously ill and died. HIV also became associated with communities that already experienced prejudice, particularly gay and bisexual men and people who inject drugs.

As part of my Ph.D. research, I interviewed LGBTQ+ people living with HIV about their experiences and how the condition affected their daily lives. One difference became particularly apparent. People who had lived through the earlier years of the epidemic often spoke about HIV differently from those diagnosed after effective treatments became available.

That divide is understandable because the medical reality of HIV has changed dramatically.

K. Antiretroviral therapy , usually shortened to ART, uses medicines to stop HIV from making copies of itself in the body. This allows the immune system to recover and means that people who are diagnosed and treated can now usually live long and healthy lives .

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