The face of HIV - Abby's story

Abby is a white heterosexual female Australian in her 20's. She is also HIV+ after being infected by her ex boyfriend. She talks about the stigma involved in having it, and reactions that people give when she discloses. She's certainly not the usual candidate that people would expect to possibly have HIV, like gay guys having unsafe sex. But then HIV doesn't discriminate does it, only people do.

Earlier this year, Australia was exposed to its highest increase in HIV infections in over a decade. Of the 25,000 HIV positive people in this country, one in ten are women, compared to 60%+ in other parts of the world. While HIV is predominantly a gay man’s disease here, that doesn’t stop it affecting other people’s lives everyday — nor does it mean heterosexual women and men aren’t at risk. more