- Conference
- 2024 National LGBT+ Conference
- Date
- 17 July 2024
- Decision
- Carried
Conference acknowledges the deeply tragic impact that Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immuno-Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has had since the early 1980s, claiming the lives of over 40 million people (World Health Organization, 2022), whilst also recognising that the treatment of HIV and AIDS has progressed significantly over the same time period; such that a HIV diagnosis is now considered a chronic but manageable condition, and people living with HIV can and do lead full and healthy lives.
It is now also medical reality that people living with HIV with a fully suppressed viral load cannot pass the virus on, referred to as Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U). A Terence Higgins Trust (THT) survey (December 2022) of people living with HIV showed that respondents indicated U=U messaging motivated them to stay on treatment (55%) and had a positive impact on their mental health (53%).
Despite this, stigma from receiving a positive HIV diagnosis remains a sad and shocking reality for many. The same THT survey mentioned previously about U=U messaging also showed that nearly three-quarters of those surveyed stated they had experienced stigma or discrimination due to their status, with over half experiencing it in dating and relationships (62%), sex (61%) and when accessing healthcare (59%). Equally concerning, 30% of respondents experienced discrimination in the workplace.
It is safe to say that public perception of HIV still falls significantly behind medical advancements, dominated by the spectre of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s. This directly impacts on attempts to reduce the spread of the virus; fear of stigma, discrimination and potential violence can stop people from disclosing their status to sexual partners, family and friends, increasing their sense of isolation and hindering their ability to access and adhere to treatment, or using preventative measures such as condoms, not sharing drug equipment or using Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP).
Conference notes that, with a new Labour government and a clear majority mandate to govern, we are at a pivotal moment in the fight against both HIV/AIDS and the associated stigma. Sir Keir Starmer stated at an event on World AIDS Day 2023 that ‘there can be no complacency in our endeavour to end this epidemic’ and committed that a government in his name would commission a new HIV Action Plan within 100 days of election. THT have stated that their current campaign to end all new cases of HIV transmission by 2030 is stalling, and will fail without renewed focus and commitment.
Conference therefore calls on the national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, plus (LGBT+) committee to work with other relevant sections of the union as appropriate to:
1)Work with Labour Link to lobby the Labour party to act upon its pre-election commitments to commission a new HIV Action Plan.
2)Continue to implement the actions of motion 12 “HIV has changed – but our employers don’t know this” from national LGBT+ conference 2023.
3)Ensure that U=U is a core component of all UNISON training and briefing materials around HIV/AIDS.