The Way Someone Gets HIV Still Affects How They're Treated

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What struck me most while working on this study was how deeply moral beliefs and social norms continue to shape attitudes toward people living with HIV. Despite decades of public health campaigns and biomedical progress, stigma remains entangled with ideas of "deservingness" and "blame." As an academic teacher and researcher, I find this particularly concerning given that our participants were future teachers. Their judgments may not stay in the classroom, as they can shape how children perceive health, sexuality, and diversity. This highlights the urgent need to integrate comprehensive sexuality education and diversity training into university curricula for future teaching professionals, particularly those preparing to work in primary education. I hope this work helps shift not only individual attitudes but also institutional priorities, so that responsibility is no longer mistaken for morality and care is no longer treated as conditional.

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