The BG News

Issue date: 2/21/07 Section: Campus

Media Credit: Rachel Shirk

Red isn't just the color of passion, today it also represents HIV/AIDS.

The Red Campaign, which seeks to educate and raise money for HIV/AIDS research, is marketing red iPods, red T-shirts and even red credit cards.

"I love the color red; it's my favorite color and to know that I can get red stuff to benefit AIDS patients is great," said Amber Daniels, president of the American Red Cross Club.

Although the red campaign and other programs seek to educate people about HIV/AIDS, there is still a strong stigma attached to those who have contracted HIV/AIDS.

Daniels said people still think HIV/AIDS is a homosexual male disease.

"People think that AIDS is really easy to get, like through a slight open cut," she said. "People don't even want to touch them."

Another misperception of those who have HIV/AIDS is that they are completely disease ridden and that it is the disease of those who live a horrible lifestyle, she said.

Ashley Widziszewski, freshman, agreed there is still a stigma attached to AIDS.

"If you have AIDS, people think that you're subhuman. They think that they don't deserve respect," she said.

She also thought this stigma is something society needs to overcome.

"AIDS is just a disease and it's not something that determines the quality of the human being," she said.

A reason the stigma attached to AIDS has existed for so long is the part the media plays.

In films and television shows, the media often has stereotypical representations of those with AIDS, said Mallory Clevenger, senior.

Movies such as "Angels in America" portray those with AIDS inaccurately, she said. This only perpetuates the stigma "because people still aren't educated about AIDS," Clevenger said. "People are still scared of stuff like that."

The stigma that goes along with AIDS could be erased if everyone started to educate themselves on the topic, Daniels said.

"They need to talk to someone who has AIDS. There are people all around us who have it, but they won't tell us because they're scared. If we put a face with AIDS, there will be less of a stigmatization," Daniels said.

HIV/AIDS affects many of those in the US, said Jennifer Ruth, health communication specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"We see that HIV is a threat to Americans' well-being; there are a quarter of Americans who live with AIDS but don't know it," she said.

Ruth also though that everyone between the ages of 13-64 should be screened for HIV. "By making HIV a standard part of medical care, the stigma will be taken away," she said.

As for prevention of the disease, there is no cure, but the CDC is continuing to educate people on the topic.

"We are committed to a strong prevention of the epidemic but we know that this can't be changed overnight or by the government alone," Ruth said. "We are going to concentrate on community based programs and community leaders to help fight this epidemic."

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