mrsdoctorburgerkinginouterspace:

queer people with AIDS having zero visibility in any given queer scene in any given metropolitan area is not representative to a decline in AIDS related illnesses and deaths nor HIV infections per member of that very irritatingly defined population. there is still a very regular and real shunning of queer people with HIV and AIDS on an individual basis in the queer community perhaps deflating the real trend that HIV infection has been relatively stable since the 1990s (U.S.). this does not mean ERADICATED and this does not mean some irrevocable cure of the disease. this means AIDS is not an immediate death sentence.

however, despite those plateaued infection rates, the number of people in the U.S. living with HIV has increased every year since the 1980s. there are populations still untreated within American society. in South Africa, the rate of infection has remained alarmingly high even since the peak in infections. even in populations traditionally assumed to be at a lower risk for HIV/AIDS transmission in the U.S. (pregnant women) the numbers have grown at a frightening pace and have been sustained at high levels since the early 2000s. part of this is increased detection, yes, but even using that argument you have to admit that any numbers are probably deflated. this is the suspicion of many South African researchers and healthcare workers when considering the hatred and discrimination HIV/AIDS patients have faced when seeking treatment in South Africa and around the world.