Recurring Themes – Stigma

Dealing with any illness can be difficult, but the stigma associated with certain diseases can add additional hardship in the form of judgment and social exclusion. Some illnesses are more heavily stigmatized than others; HIV/AIDS has been particularly stigmatized since the beginning of the epidemic.

We made tremendous progress, but we still have a ways to go, and since we’re dealing with such bedrock values and issues around sexuality, sexual activity, drug use, it’s going to be slow to change some of the remaining amounts of the value issues that lead to stigma. —Ronald Johnson, age 58. [...]

Standing up to Stigma

In honor of World AIDS Day (12/1/10), the website for the AARP Bulletin highlighted the story of Dr. Robert Franke and his family. The multimedia piece (created by Graying of AIDS Project Director Katja Heinemann) and accompanying article explore the challenges the family faced after Dr. Franke decided he was … Read More…

International Transgender Day of Remembrance: Care Providers Have a Role to Play

Being transgendered is such a singular experience, how can you adequately explain it to someone who isn’t transgendered?  There is no common frame of reference.  I can go on and on talking about the years of wandering alone in the darkness, searching, lost and confused and the blissful sense of … Read More…

Featurette: Institutional Discrimination and the Case of Dr. Franke

“What if there are many other older people, and this is the first wave of them, who are not used to speaking out about anything, and they’ll just quietly pack up their blankets and leave? And I thought, damn, that’s not right.”  —Dr. Robert Franke, Little Rock, AR

When the … Read More…