Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus that weakens the body’s immune system by attacking CD4, which are proteins on specific white blood cells called helper T cells. HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDs), which develops when the immune system is severely damaged. This is the final and most severe stage of HIV infection and can be fatal if left untreated. Public awareness and conversation about HIV/AIDS began nearly 40 years ago in the early 1980s when the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) reported 5 young gay men from Los Angeles who had been diagnosed with pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP)​¹​. This moment was the beginning of the HIV/AIDS crisis epidemic, an event that would change the course of the world’s history. These first cases were misidentified as primarily affecting gay men, which has led to widespread societal stigma and discrimination. The initial lack of government response to the epidemic, combined with religious and political figures exploiting the epidemic to reinforce destructive stereotypes about the LGBTQ+ community, further aggravated the situation​^2–4​.  

HIV/AIDS in Memory, Culture and Society, edited by Alicia Castillo Villanueva and Angelos Bollas, is a timely and riveting book that explores how HIV/AIDS has been remembered and represented. It gives details on the ongoing impact across different societies culturally, from media, literature, to gendered experiences and public discourse. It focuses on the lived experiences of those most impacted, which are the queer communities, women living with HIV, and sex workers. This blog will examine the themes and their contributions to our understanding of HIV/AIDS and reflect on why this work holds particular importance during Pride Month. 

The book’s key themes are cultural memory, media and representation, gender and identity, reflection and mnemonic transmission. It connects deeply with Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) – Good Health and Well-being. Particularly targets​⁵​: 

3.3 Ending epidemics of AIDS and other communicable diseases 

3.7 Universal access to sexual and reproductive health care 

3.d Strengthening the capacity for early warning and risk reduction.  

By revisiting the narratives of the 1980-90’s HIV/AIDS pandemic, the volume not only honours the past but also informs future strategies for health equity, especially for marginalised communities. 

‘Viral Echoes: Revisiting the Cultural Memory of HIV/AIDS’ – The editors talk about the relationship between HIV/AIDS and cultural memory with multidisciplinary lens, using perspective from art, media, activism and queer studies. Even though there are advances in healthcare, stigma and unequal access to treatment still remain a challenge. They discuss how remembering the past of the epidemic is important for how we shape today and the future.  

‘Beyond the Spectacle: Rethinking Media Representations of HIV/AIDS and Social Suffering’ – This chapter critiques the media's tendencies to embellish or overlook the realities of people living with HIV/AIDS and calls for more authentic, nuanced, and empathetic representations that reflect the diversity of those affected. It highlights how the media has the potential to reshape public engagement with social issues and promote global solidarity to spread awareness and address suffering in a respectful manner. 

‘#BeMoreJill and the Limited Visibility of Female Carers in It’s a Sin’ – Focusing on the popular coming of age British drama TV series It’s a Sin by Russell T Davies, it explores the portrayal of caregiving during the first decade of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Britain. The chapter argues that the character Jill Baxter, inspired by activist Jill Nalder, underrepresents women and female caregivers during the crisis.  

As we mark and celebrate another Pride Month, this is an important time to reflect on LGBTQ+ rights, health justice, and cultural visibility. This book serves as a powerful reminder of how history shapes our understanding of HIV/AIDS now. These memories and storytelling are important tools for advocacy, healing, and transformative change for a more inclusive and equitable future. By reconsidering cultural memory and representations of the epidemic, it shows how remembering the past can inform future narratives and public discourse. History teaches us the importance of preserving the voices of those affected, fostering empathy, accountability and shared memory that connects generations, which will help us guide how we can respond to present and future health crises. Health is not just biological, but also cultural, political, and deeply personal, which still affects many people today in different communities and societies. This book contributes to SDG33 by: 

• Challenging the stigma that still surrounds HIV/AIDS, particularly in media, literature and public discourse representation. 

• Advancing inclusive narratives that reflect the diversity of those affected 

• Promoting critical reflection on how we remember and respond to health crises by encountering policy and societal change. 

We greatly encourage reading this book as it honours the resilience of LGBTQ+ communities, remembers those lost, and reinforces the ongoing fight for health equality and dignity for all. In tribute to those affected by HIV/AIDS in the past, the present, and the future, with this book, we advocate and promote solidarity in continued action to end the HIV epidemic, address inequalities and ensure universal access to healthcare.   

References: 

​​1. Current Trends First 100,000 Cases of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome -- United States. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001442.htm. 

​2. Handlovsky, I., Sidhu, J., Amato, A. T., Ferlatte, O. & Kia, H. The collective trauma of HIV/AIDS and contemporary constructions of health: Older gay men’s perspectives. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health 6, 100477 (2024). 

​3. LGBTQ History Month: A Look Back at the HIV/AIDS Epidemic | Crew Health. https://crewhealth.org/news-and-events/lgbtq-history-month-a-look-back-at-the-hiv-aids-epidemic/. 

​4. Reports of Rare Diseases Mark Beginning of AIDS Epidemic | EBSCO Research Starters. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/social-sciences-and-humanities/reports-rare-diseases-mark-beginning-aids-epidemic. 

​5. Targets of Sustainable Development Goal 3. https://www.who.int/europe/about-us/our-work/sustainable-development-goals/targets-of-sustainable-development-goal-3. 

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