“HIV Made Me Fabulous:” Utilizing film for knowledge dissemination and stigma reduction

People who have an undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV during condomless sex. However, women living with HIV continue to face HIV-related stigma. “HIV Made Me Fabulous” is a short film (https://youtu.be/QamnyGc0gtY) grounded in current HIV science that invites audiences to understand the physically and emotionally charged experience of living and loving with HIV from a woman’s perspective. This project aims to disseminate the film to advance public understandings of sexuality and HIV, to reduce HIV-related stigma and improve the health of women living with HIV. 

Our team will:

1. Host four virtual film screenings and facilitated discussions, and assess impacts among priority target audiences (i.e. women with HIV, providers/policymakers, the general public).
2. Use findings from the screenings to develop a film discussion guide to support others (e.g. HIV support groups, care providers, gender equity leaders) to screen the film and facilitate safe, informed, and evidence-based discussions.
3. Widely disseminate the film and discussion guide via YouTube, social media, and community/academic forums. Mixed methods will be used to evaluate the reach and impact of this innovative, arts-based, technology-driven KT project.