Living with HIV, I can sense when the virus will be used as some moral consequence in Black Christian storytelling. It never fails to disappoint and it never moves forward the necessary discussions of Black sexual health or Black sexuality.
#Greenleaf

Prison rape as a plot device is lazy and homophobic. To attach HIV to that prison rape scenario perpetuates both HIV stigma and homophobia. #Greenleaf

Continuing last night’s thoughts on HIV storylines, there are ways to introduce a character’s HIV that empower that character and viewers, that complicate the story of how HIV is acquired and promote the understanding that it can happen to everyday people.

I’ll add that, in 2020, there’s really no excuse for sprinkling HIV into a script like seasoning or for pizazz. Do your research, consult with lived experience experts and medical experts, flesh out not only how HIV develops the character but how it contributes to discourse.

Black television and film getting HIV right, writing and portraying complex HIV stories that aren’t rooted in stigma, is so crucial to the Black community’s fight against the virus.