{"id":362058,"date":"2021-11-03T20:35:22","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T17:35:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/bringing-an-end-to-hiv-related-stigma-in-canada\/"},"modified":"2021-11-03T20:35:22","modified_gmt":"2021-11-03T17:35:22","slug":"bringing-an-end-to-hiv-related-stigma-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/bringing-an-end-to-hiv-related-stigma-in-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"#Bringing an end to HIV-related stigma in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a39d545e07d8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a39d545e07d8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/bringing-an-end-to-hiv-related-stigma-in-canada\/#%E2%80%9CI_felt_out_of_this_world_like_an_alien%E2%80%9D\" >\u201cI felt out of this world, like an alien\u201d<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/bringing-an-end-to-hiv-related-stigma-in-canada\/#%E2%80%9CHow_could_I_trust_a_15-year-old_boy_knowing_my_status%E2%80%9D\" >\u201cHow could I trust a 15-year-old boy knowing my status?\u201d<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/bringing-an-end-to-hiv-related-stigma-in-canada\/#%E2%80%9CHIV_is_something_I_have_but_it_doesnt_define_me%E2%80%9D\" >\u201cHIV is something I have, but it doesn\u2019t define me\u201d<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Bringing an end to HIV-related stigma in Canada<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bringing an end to HIV-related stigma in Canada\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6nUwyYRh_Kw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re female. You\u2019re Black. And you\u2019re HIV-positive. This world was not built for you.\u201d These are the brutally honest words that Muluba Habanyama, struggling to find her place in her Oakville high school, was offered by her mother. Today, Muluba is 28 years old and already an experienced activist.<\/p>\n<p>Muluba was born in Middlesex, England, to Zambian parents. It took two years and a serious bout with illness for her family to find out that she was HIV-positive, and the outlook for a toddler with HIV in the \u201990s was grim. But, as Muluba grew, the treatment landscape for HIV grew with her, and the condition slowly but surely transformed from a death sentence into a manageable chronic illness.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1230212\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1230212 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMC-INLINE-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Young Muluba with her late mother (submitted).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cBy the time I was a teenager, doctors were telling me that I was going to be able to live a long, healthy, fulfilling life,\u201d says Muluba. \u201cI remember clearly, when I was 15 or 16, my pediatric HIV specialist told me: \u2018Keep taking the medications and one day I\u2019ll be meeting your babies.\u2019 I hadn\u2019t realized how much I needed to hear that. It was the first time anyone had ever talked to me about my future in a way that included a family of my own.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For many health conditions, that would have been the end of it\u2014a triumph of medical innovation, and Muluba getting to live a long and h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y life. But for people living with HIV, navigating the medical side of the disease is only half the battle. \u201cWhile medical improvements have been fantastic, I think there still needs to be <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> improvement in the way that people living with HIV are treated,\u201d says Sean Hosein of CATIE, Canada\u2019s source for HIV and hepatitis C information. \u201cWe need to get rid of the stigma and discrimination that they face.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1230213\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1230213 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMC-INLINE-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sean Hosein, photographed in Liberty Village, Toronto.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CI_felt_out_of_this_world_like_an_alien%E2%80%9D\"><\/span><strong>\u201cI felt out of this world, like an alien\u201d<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For Muluba, growing up in Ontario as an immigrant woman of colour, the social landscape was already a war zone. \u201cFrom the day I arrived in Canada, I was bullied,\u201d she recalls. \u201cKids would make fun of my accent. They would make fun of the rice and beans my mom packed me for lunch. In elementary school, I was the only Black kid in my grade for three years. Then, in my fourth year, there was one Black boy in the other class.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now add HIV, a lifelong secret that Muluba knew could make things much worse if it ever got out. \u201cThere was nobody that I could tell because then they would tell their parents and they would tell everybody else,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was this deep dark secret. I would go to sleepovers and be scared to take my medication in case one of the parents recognized the pill. And then, when I got to high school, I was being asked out on dates and I didn\u2019t know what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CHow_could_I_trust_a_15-year-old_boy_knowing_my_status%E2%80%9D\"><\/span><strong>\u201cHow could I trust a 15-year-old boy knowing my status?\u201d<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Even as an adult, the social arena, and especially the romantic arena, is fraught for Muluba. She never knows how that moment of disclosure is going to go, and even in the best-case scenario it can be exhausting. \u201cYou\u2019re not only opening yourself up to this person and being vulnerable, but you also feel like you have to be a teacher and an educator in that moment,\u201d says Muluba. \u201cI\u2019ve had people whose faces have dropped almost immediately. But I\u2019ve also met men who have just not known much about HIV, have been very confused, and have been willing to learn more, which is good. I don\u2019t want to give you a full lesson plan on HIV. I would like you to be a grown man and do the research yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, when people are willing to do that research, there\u2019s a lot of good <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> to be found. Not only will they learn how manageable the disease now is, they\u2019ll also encounter the concept of U=U. It\u2019s a well-established scientific reality that a viral load rendered undetectable (U) by treatment becomes untransmittable (U) to sexual partners. \u201cPut simply,\u201d says Hosein, \u201can HIV-positive person who\u2019s on effective treatment won\u2019t pass on the virus sexually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps most importantly, many studies have shown that people with HIV who are promptly diagnosed and effectively treated can expect to live as long as their HIV-negative peers. But this information isn\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> knowledge. A lot has changed for those living with HIV in the last decade and as an activist, Muluba educates others through her blog, podcast and a full-time job in communications. Her mother warned her that the world wasn\u2019t made for her, but she also said something else: \u201cYou\u2019re going to make this your world.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1230214\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1230214 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMC-INLINE-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Muluba, photographed at Liberty Village Park in Toronto.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CHIV_is_something_I_have_but_it_doesnt_define_me%E2%80%9D\"><\/span><strong>\u201cHIV is something I have, but it doesn\u2019t define me\u201d<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>A wholesale shift in the societal understanding of HIV is a big undertaking, to put it mildly, and it\u2019s not the only thing Muluba has on her plate. She has a close group of supportive friends. She is working on an autobiography. She wants to write a children\u2019s book, and has <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> plans that she\u2019ll someday get to realize, when borders open again. She also has nieces and nephews she needs to dote on. It\u2019s not right or reasonable to ask her and others living with HIV to conquer the misconceptions and stigma on their own.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI talk to people, especially my fellow activists, and they\u2019re like: \u2018Let\u2019s do this. Let\u2019s break the stigma,\u2019\u201d says Muluba. \u201cBut at the same time, that\u2019s not our job. There was a point a few years ago where I was rundown, overworked, and in a bad, toxic relationship, and it felt like everybody was calling me a strong Black woman. At a certain point, that doesn\u2019t sound like a compliment anymore. It\u2019s like people are saying: \u2018You\u2019re strong, so you can handle all of this. We\u2019re just going to put more on you.\u2019 Sometimes I need a moment to not be strong, to not be brave. We all do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By collectively educating ourselves and eradicating outdated misconceptions about HIV, we can all help give Muluba, and the tens of thousands of other Canadians living with HIV, that much-deserved moment.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1230215\" style=\"width: 1290px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1230215 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMC-INLINE-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"853\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Muluba with her friends Ryan (L) and Selam (R).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=695043&amp;s=695036\"><strong>CATIE<\/strong><\/a><strong> is Canada\u2019s source for HIV and hepatitis C information, and has articles, videos, pamphlets and online courses to help you to learn more about HIV prevention and treatment. If you are concerned about how HIV might affect you, find a healthcare or social service provider at<\/strong> <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sr.studiostack.com\/c\/link?l=695045&amp;s=695036\"><strong>www.HIV411.ca<\/strong><\/a><strong>. And if you are HIV-positive and would like to learn more about U=U and effective treatment options, please consult with your doctor.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>You can keep up with Muluba on Instagram\/Twitter at @itsmuluba.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>Sponsored by a member of Innovative Medicines Canada.<\/em><br \/>\n<span class=\"ctx-article-root\"><!-- --><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/sponsored\/ending-hiv-related-stigma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Bringing an end to HIV-related stigma in Canada&#8221; \u201cYou\u2019re female. You\u2019re Black. And you\u2019re HIV-positive. This world was not built for you.\u201d These are the brutally honest words that Muluba Habanyama, struggling to find her place in her Oakville high school, was offered by her mother. Today, Muluba is 28 years old and already an&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":362059,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/IMC-INLINE-4-766x431.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-362058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=362058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/362058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/362059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=362058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=362058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=362058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}