On 18
November this rumour was confirmed, with Sheen announcing that he had been
living with HIV since 2011, had an undetectable viral load, and had been
blackmailed to the tune of millions of dollars by people to whom he’d
disclosed.
Social and online media exploded, and concern about the potentially stigmatising impact on people with
HIV was uppermost in the minds of HIV advocates around the
world. Organisations such as AFAO and our members rapidly put out media
statements or circulated information to encourage the media to report
sensitively.
On the positive side, the media circus provided an
opportunity to raise awareness about HIV and publicise accurate information to
counter the decades-old myths that still circulate.
This blog post links to Australian community media and HIV
sector responses to Charlie Sheen’s disclosure.
If you have links to other useful Australian stories
commenting on Charlie Sheen, please post them in the comments.
