Unionising Against HIV Stigma

Over 100,000 people in the UK are living with HIV. With less than five years remaining until 2030, the goal of achieving zero new HIV cases is within reach, but this will only be achieved if we confront the stigma and inequality that continue to prevent people from accessing testing, treatment and support.

Medical advances have transformed HIV outcomes in recent years. In England, 98% of people accessing HIV care now have an undetectable viral load due to effective antiretroviral treatment. This means they cannot pass the virus on through sex, the basis of the U=U message (Undetectable = Untransmittable).

But these medical advances are not being experienced equally, and stigma remains deeply entrenched.

A report from the Women and Equalities Committee recently warned of ‘alarming’ increases in new HIV diagnoses among women. The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency shows major disparities in testing uptake. In specialist sexual health services, 96% of gay and bisexual men accepted an HIV test when offered, compared to 85% of heterosexual men and only 64% of heterosexual women.

Women are also more likely to receive a late diagnosis. This has serious consequences. People diagnosed late with HIV in 2023 were ten times more likely to die within a year than those diagnosed promptly.

The same inequalities appear in access to preventative medication. HIV PreExposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a vital tool in reducing new HIV cases to zero. Taken either as a daily pill or a long-acting injection, it prevents HIV infection by stopping the virus from replicating in the body if exposure occurs.

While numerically more gay and bisexual men struggle to access PrEP, the data consistently shows proportionally greater unmet need among heterosexual men and women.

The pattern is clear: women continue to face barriers to accessing testing, prevention, and timely treatment. These inequalities are not simply medical, but rooted in wider social and economic conditions.

This issue is also deeply intersectional. For migrant women, Black women, and women experiencing poverty or insecure housing, the barriers can be even greater.

Widespread cuts to the NHS and public health services have only deepened the problem, and stigma remains one of the biggest obstacles to ending HIV transmission.

Misinformation about HIV is still widespread despite major medical advances, and many workers and employers are still unaware that people living with HIV are protected under the Equality Act 2010 through the disability protected characteristic.

Trade unions therefore have an important role to play.

Unions should recognise HIV stigma as a feminist issue and a workplace issue. Women living with HIV can face discrimination at work, barriers to healthcare access and isolation. Challenging this must form part of the broader struggle for women’s liberation and workers’ rights.

We should organise within our unions to:
• Encourage branches to adopt the National AIDS Trust’s HIV Confident Charter.
• Campaign for workplace HIV policies, such as the model policy developed by UNISON Greater London Region.
• Oppose cuts to NHS and public services that threaten HIV testing, prevention, and treatment provision.
• Expand education and anti-stigma campaigning, particularly in rural and under-resourced areas where isolation can make support harder to access.

The fight to end HIV transmission by 2030 is achievable, but medical advances alone will not get us there. We need collective organisation, public investment, workplace solidarity and a determined campaign against stigma.

Trade unions can and should be at the centre of that fight.