The IAS Annual Letter was launched on 14 February (Valentine’s Day). With the theme, Getting to the heart of stigma, the Annual Letter will serve as the start of a stigma-focused agenda that the IAS will prioritize throughout 2019 and build on for the future.
Together, we can all change the narratives that fuel HIV-related stigma by starting the difficult conversations, taking action when we bear witness to a stigmatizing incident, and holding ourselves to higher and more inclusive standards.
The #HeartofStigma campaign is aimed at shifting the narratives that drive HIV-related stigma. It starts with the IAS Annual Letter as the core statement, in addition to featuring personal stories and experiences by people in all shapes and sizes regardless of social or economic standing, gender or sexual preference, geographic background or skin colour. We can get to the #HeartofStigma by both calling out the discriminatory laws, policies and practices across a range of settings around the world that further encourage stigmatizing behaviour as a social norm, as well as where stigma is being successfully challenged.