15 Best HIV Videos of 2012
HIV is perhaps the most frightening diagnosis a person can receive. HIV/AIDS is still a substantial health problem in the U.S. and throughout the world. Treatments are improving, however, and dedicated organizations are helping the world make great strides in prevention.
Check out the best of the best videos on HIV right here. These documentaries, short skits, and homemade films are chock full of information, insight, and inspiration. You are guaranteed to learn a little something!
“HIV/AIDS Test” by It Gets Betterish
Although humor is a rare occurrence in the discussion of HIV/AIDS, these fabulous comedians made an artful and creative presentation of the matter. Drama, despair, confusion, and camaraderie all make an appearance in this clever skit about getting tested.
If you haven’t been tested yet, watch this video to have a little chuckle before you head to the clinic. The two brains behind It Gets Betterish can make anything funny, it would seem!
Living with HIV: Andre’s Journey
Better than a night at a poetry slam, this video offers raw, personal poetic self-expression. Listen to poet Andre bear his soul about his diagnosis, his reaction, his adjustment, and his new life.
Andre’s embrace of a real, reinvigorated life after diagnosis is inspiring by itself, but his declaration to the world is even better. Find out what he has to say—and whether you can relate—by checking out this wonderful clip.
HIV is Not a Crime
Sean Strub's insightful film on the criminalization of HIV strikes a chord with thousands of viewers. Individuals with HIV+ status lament the disproportionate punishments for HIV-related offenses and explain the legal discrimination they face in almost every state.
From inappropriately labeling HIV+ individuals as sex offenders to effectively discouraging others from even seeking testing, these laws deserve a thoughtful and sensible review. Learn (and share) the truth about HIV criminalization through this incisive video.
I’m Not a Bad Person for Getting HIV, Just Unlucky
Listen to Regan Hoffman’s fascinating story. In this short but intriguing video, the Editor in Chief of POZ Magazine shares the details of her own diagnosis, as well as her private thoughts on dating post-diagnosis.
Find out how Regan dealt with the news and how she’s working to make life everything she wants it to be. After all, HIV is no longer a death sentence, and allies like Regan make the club of HIV-positive individuals a much less intimidating group in which to hold membership.
Real People Share Their Stories about Living with HIV
No matter your background or your personal story, there is someone like you living with HIV. At TreatHIVNow, you can watch short videos of people from all sorts of situations, some of which might just resemble your own.
From heartfelt stories of fear and pain to uplifting tales of treatment and hope, these videos run the gamut of HIV realities. Find the one that means the most to you. Then pass them along to your friends and family.
AntiHIVirus: Are You Qualified?
Back to humor for a moment, this creative video teaches some of the facts while keeping things interesting. Clever animation, workplace humor, and pizazz find a happy home in a whole series of short episodes about HIV.
Do you know how the virus replicates? How it makes even the common cold a dangerous disease? Find the answers by checking out these unique clips—some are even appropriate for school-age education. After an episode or two, you too can have your AntiHIVirus protection.
It’s Never Just HIV
This controversial NYC Health Department HIV prevention commercial certainly caused a stir. Find out what the buzz is about by checking it out. Beyond the classic “protect yourself” public health message, this commercial makes a number of suggestions about who gets HIV and who needs to hear the prevention message.
Find out whether you agree or disagree with NYC’s shock-and-awe take on the anti-HIV commercial. Most prevention ads are not quite so graphic, but discover for yourself whether you think the message will be effective.
Let’s Stop HIV Together
Much different than the shocking NYC commercial, the CDC’s brief HIV prevention ad takes a much more compassionate stance. Human, accessible, and encouraging, this campaign commercial for the Act Against AIDS campaign greets viewers at a personal and emotional level.
Get inspired and ditch the stigma. After watching, you’ll want to forward this clip to others to promote the “Get the Facts. Get Tested” message. Who ever said public health campaigns couldn’t be effective?
Topsy Public Service Announcement
This startling and breathtaking overview of a dramatic recovery from AIDS took the world by storm when Topsy released it in 2010. Topsy’s ARV treatment program filmed the daily progress of an African AIDS patient to demonstrate the drastic changes in health individuals in third world countries could experience with proper AIDS treatment.
Watch in wonder as the treatment clock works backward from Day 90 to Day 1, and thank your lucky stars if you live in a country where effective treatment for HIV/AIDS is available to you.
Ireland HIV Awareness Commercial with Andrea Corr
Ireland is taking a major stride toward Stamping Out Stigma with this excellent and brief public service announcement. Find out what Andrea Corr has to say about HIV, dating, and stigma by watching the short clip.
Stigma is a monumental hurdle for those in the fight against HIV, and positive steps toward a society that embraces testing and supports those who have been diagnosed is a real possibility for the world’s future. Listen to their message and get motivated to stamp out stigma.
Getting Out of the Closet
Dr. Marjorie Hill, CEO of Gay Men’s Health Crisis, offers her experienced opinion on the stigma and shame associated with a diagnosis of HIV. She discusses how such important health information would not be withheld from family members if it were any other disease, like breast cancer or leukemia.
This devoted psychologist works with HIV/AIDS patients on a regular basis, and is working hard to spread the word that a diagnosis should not be the feared, stigmatized sentence that it remains in today’s society. Listen to her talented assessment of the issues and find yourself inspired to act.
Hidden Faces of AIDS
The global fight against HIV/AIDS takes center stage in this brief documentary. The Acting on AIDS World Vision video shows viewers the tragic story of some of the most vulnerable victims of AIDS.
Better than any television infomercial, this touching mini-documentary teaches as much as it inspires, and offers the public a great excuse for getting involved in the battle against this deadly virus. Find your inspiration right here.
I Know HIV: Ariel’s Story
Some individuals don’t contract HIV as teens or adults—they are born with it. Ariel is one such person, and she has a touching personal tale about what this diagnosis has meant for her life.
Growing up is hard enough without dealing with HIV prescriptions, schoolmate stigma, overwhelmed guardians, and intimidating conversations with first dates. Ariel hasn’t had an easy time with life; check out her story and see what life would be like from another angle.
Legacy of Care
Telling the tale of Ryan White and the beginnings of HIV/AIDS, the Health Resources and Services Administration describes the U.S. Legacy of Care experienced by HIV/AIDS patients and their loved ones.
Learn about the story from those who lived it; commit the messages and the meaning to memory. The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program has long been working to make a difference in the lives of diagnosed individuals. Find out why and how. This could just be the most informative and influential quarter of an hour you ever spend watching a government documentary.
Does HIV Treatment Make People Non-Infectious?
A surprising thought, Dr. Paul Bellman discusses the possibility that HIV can be rendered non-infectious under proper treatment. What could be fabulous news for thousands of couples and individuals with HIV, this story has stayed under wraps for years because of concerns for public health.
Find out how antiviral treatment can impact the infectiousness of HIV, and whether you or your HIV loved one should look further into the science behind this news. Don’t stop safe sex practices just yet, though—this idea needs more scientific support before it is fully understood.
15 Best HIV Videos of 2012 Closing
HIV is no joke. It affects millions of people around the world, and yet is still stigmatized and swept under the rug. Help raise HIV/AIDS awareness by passing along these fantastic videos.
Get educated and help your friends, family, co-workers, and fellow citizens do the same. Find your inspiration, and take comfort in the fact that many others have found it before you. Then get active, and help make a difference in the lives of HIV-positive individuals across the globe.
