Status: A New Campaign, HIV Equal, Seeks to Increase Testing and Move the Dialogue Beyond Positive & Negative Angela Leroux-Lindsey
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rediction: 2014 is going to be the year of magenta. Facebook and Twitter and Instagram feeds will be colored ecstatic pink, and everywhere, “status” will be reclaimed: Advocate. Congressman. Spiritual. Flawless. The words “positive” and “negative” are not on the list—and that’s the point, says HIV/AIDS activist Jack Mackenroth [A&U, November 2010], co-creator of the buzzworthy new anti-stigma campaign called HIV Equal. “It was important that this campaign be all-inclusive,” he said. “It’s not about labeling an HIV status. It’s about the fact that we’re all equally valuable humans.” Mackenroth, who has been HIV-pos-
EQUAL
itive since 1989, partnered with celebrity photographer and co-creator Thomas Evans to launch HIV Equal for the non-profit humanitarian organization World Health Clinicians, Inc. The concept behind the campaign is deceptively simple: Anyone who wants to participate is invited to pose for a glamorous photograph taken by Evans, and to choose an empowering personal characteristic that represents his or her “status.” (Mackenroth’s is “fearless”; mine might be “storyteller.”) The photos are set against a vivid magenta backdrop, and models wear the bright pink “HIV=” logo as body art. Evans’ shots brim with life and affirmative energy, and
the models exude self-love in their body language and in their individual statuses. The photo shoots, which take place all over the country, have a party vibe and by all accounts are an exciting couple of hours—and a wonderful way to support an important cause. Here’s the rub: Every participant must first take an on-site HIV test. It’s a brilliant twist in social campaigning, where the holy grail of outreach is to get the target audience to take action—outreach initiatives often ask supporters to sign an on-line petition, donate money, or share a link, activities that take place in a virtual void that lacks the kind of human contact that engages supporters on an emotional
Left to right: Greg Louganis, Todrick Hall, Jackie Beat, Amanda Fields
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A&U • FEBRUARY 2014