Gen Z knows more about the COVID-19 pandemic than they do about HIV. According to the GLAAD 2024 State of HIV Stigma Report, only 37% of Gen-Z adults reported that they feel informed about HIV. Dashawn Usher, Programming Lead at GLAAD, says one of the reasons for this is that there are fewer stories about HIV being told on the large and small screens. So, GLAAD has teamed up with ViiV Healthcare to discuss the power of these perspectives.
Their Story to Impact panel at last month’s American Black Film Festival (ABFF) featured P-Valley’s Nicco Annan, comedian Brandi Denise, writer Kharmony Fortune, and ViiV Healthcare’s Bithiah Lafontant, and was moderated by journalist Shar Jossell (photo above).
A Lack of Modern Representation
“I think that’s the disconnect, is seeing that most of these stories are period pieces. And we haven’t had any modern representation of HIV stories recently in the innovations that have happened for and within the community,” Usher explained.
Bithiah Lafontant, Head of Enterprise Communications at ViiV Healthcare, agreed. “We know that people are greatly moved and their behaviors are changed by what they see in the media. So, we talked a lot about how, when HIV first came out in the 80s, and through the 90s, it was very prevalent.
You saw it on TV shows; you saw it on Oprah. You heard conversations about it. And it was really relevant. I think the downside of it is that most of the stories that we heard at that time were all kinds of stories of trauma.”
Usher pointed out that Brandi Denise mentioned her first representation of seeing somebody living with HIV and passing away from AIDS-related complications was Pedro from The Real World in 1994.
“And when we think about having something as simple as having somebody appear on our television, it gives us insight into what the struggle was. and how the stigma still showed up. But it also showed us what care in the community and love could look like. I think that’s what goes missing when the storylines aren’t there,” he said.
Black Stories Also Aren’t Being Told
According to GLAAD’s 2025 Studio Responsibility Index, “The stories of LGBTQ characters of color bring in a wide audience with financial and cultural power, yet racial diversity is plummeting – LGBTQ characters of color hit the lowest percentage in five years.
In films, only 10% of LGBTQ characters were Black. That is a sharp decrease from 17% counted in a previous study. The percentage of characters of Latine/Hispanic descent also dropped from 8% to 7%.
GLAAD reported that of the 35% of people living with HIV in TV shows and/or movies, none of them were Black. And they also noted that, overall, many LGBTQ characters on television and streaming shows would not be returning because their shows were canceled.
These declines matter because when we see stories of people living with HIV, we are more comfortable interacting with them in various aspects of our lives.
“I think that’s where we’re challenged. Because we see that there’s this gap between people wanting to be educated about HIV and wanting to be educated on what’s current, what’s new,” Usher said.
Telling Stories for Gen-Z
Usher notes that the younger generation has much more access to information, but that can be both a gift and a curse. They are left to sort through what is true and what isn’t. “Where are the resources that we have that are age-appropriate, culturally appropriate?”
“I would love to see a television show or a series, when they’re in college, and looking for condoms. Or looking for PrEP, it’s our preventative measure, he said.
“Most of the time, when we are seeing people having sex, we’re not seeing them with condoms. But it would be good to know that they were on PrEP. Then the risk of HIV is eliminated. So, how do we open these conversations or showcase those stories?”
The Impact on Black Women
Storytelling should matter for Black women, too. We are disproportionately impacted by HIV, accounting for 50% of new HIV cases. And rates for women in Southern states are nearly twice as high.
Lafontant notes that when we aren’t represented in stories, we are less likely to consider how they impact us. “Black women were not represented in PrEP commercials. So, we were very intentional about making sure that Black women can see themselves in our marketing efforts,” she said.
“That’s essential because that’s a lot of ways people see the information. You see a commercial for a product, and if you don’t see anybody that looks like you, you assume that it is not for you.”
There Are Plenty of Stories to Tell
Usher notes that there is no shortage of stories and storytellers willing to highlight stories about living with HIV, but the challenge is securing funding for many of these projects.
“There are people out there who want to tell the stories and creatives who have ideas. Who gets to greenlight it, who gets to support it, to bring those stories to life?”
He said, “I think that ViiV Healthcare is in a unique position to work with GLAAD, and other partners and organizations to ensure that those resources are also advancing storytelling and visibility.”
Cover photo courtesy of GLAAD/ABFF
