HIV stigma: recognising HIV discrimination and standing up for your rights

What is HIV stigma?

HIV stigma (called sérophobie in French) is the set of irrational fears, prejudices and discrimination aimed at people living with HIV. AIDES describes it as systemic discrimination: despite medical progress, HIV-positive people face it every day, including in healthcare.

The paradox: an HIV-positive person who is treated and undetectable does not transmit HIV (Sexosafe), yet common beliefs often date back to the 1980s and 1990s.

What does HIV stigma look like?

• In healthcare: appointments refused by a dentist or tattoo artist, care pushed “to the end of the day”, unjustified double gloves. AIDES documents these discriminatory refusals of care, which breach professional ethics.
• In everyday life: refused rentals, intrusive questions at work, breaches of confidentiality.
• In the gay community: “clean only” or “negative only” profiles on apps, insults, sudden rejection after disclosure. The word “clean” implies others are “dirty”: it hurts, and it’s wrong in terms of risk.

What the law says (France)

In France, refusing goods, a service, housing, a job or care because of someone’s health status is prohibited discrimination. Medical confidentiality also protects your status: neither your employer nor your landlord needs to know it.

How to respond and assert your rights

AIDES recommends several tools:

1. Keep records: messages, emails, names, dates, witnesses.
2. Contact the Défenseur des droits (the French rights ombudsman), free of charge, online or through a local delegate. It handles discrimination, including refusals of care.
3. Report a health professional to their professional body (doctors, dentists, nurses…).
4. Get support from AIDES or another charity: you don’t have to fight alone.
5. For insults or threats, file a police complaint.

How to talk about it with a partner?

You don’t owe anyone a justification, but many people find it useful to explain U=U: “I’m on treatment, undetectable for years, I can’t pass the virus on.” If the reaction is contemptuous, that’s not your problem, it’s the other person’s lack of information.

What if I’m the one with prejudices?

It’s common, and information fixes it: an undetectable HIV-positive partner carries no HIV risk. What keeps the virus circulating is undiagnosed infection. Testing regularly and, if needed, taking PrEP protects you far better than a “negative only” filter.

Where to find support?

• AIDES: legal and social support, peer groups;
• Sida Info Service (France): 0 800 840 800;
• for your mental wellbeing, see our mental health article.