Undetectable Equals Untransmittable's Unsung Hero

Over the past year, hundreds have joined the growing list of health experts and organizations around the world to endorse the Undetectable Equals Untransmittable Consensus Statement. The U=U Consensus states that a person living with HIV who has an undetectable viral load through treatment cannot transmit the virus to a sexual partner.

We recently spoke to Bruce Richman, executive director of UequalsU.org and the Prevention Access Campaign at this year’s United States Conference on AIDS (USCA 2017). Richman, a longtime advocate for those living with HIV (himself included) collaborated with researchers on the Consensus Statement and even made a short film with the goal of getting the word out about U=U. Richman says the consensus and short were created as advocacy tools “to celebrate the news that having an undetectable viral load means that we are not capable of transmitting the virus to our partners.”

“However, virtually all major HIV communications in the U.S. overstate the risk with the exception of our U=U partner cities of NYC, Washington D.C. and Chicago," Richman says. “Exaggerating the 'danger' we are to our others is an act of violence against all of us living with HIV, and makes us vulnerable to a myriad of harms and injustices. We deserve and demand accurate and meaningful information that is not only critical to our social, sexual, and reproductive health, but it is essential to end the epidemic. 

Watch the video below to hear what else Richman had to say about the incredible gains made this year: