A massive divide has opened between medical breakthroughs and what the public actually knows about HIV. GLAAD and Gilead Sciences released their sixth annual State of HIV Stigma report, and the numbers show that despite decades of progress, fear and misinformation are gaining ground.
Around 1.2 million people in the U.S. live with HIV, and 13% do not know they have it. Testing remains critical, yet public understanding is slipping backward.
The Reality of the Data
The report surveys 2,500 U.S. adults alongside focus groups run by Ipsos. It tracks how people consume information in a fragmented media landscape, or fail to see it at all.
Despite 2026 marking ten years since the scientific consensus on Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U) was established, 44% of Americans still disagree with the fact that a person with an undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV sexually.
Gen Z shows a striking lack of knowledge. Only 31% of Gen Z adults feel informed about HIV, compared to 60% of Gen X. Comfort levels are also dropping: 61% of respondents feel comfortable around family members living with the virus, down from 66% in 2024. Only 45% feel comfortable with a medical professional who has HIV.
Stigma acts as a direct barrier to healthcare access:
- 79% of respondents agree that people living with HIV face discrimination.
- 77% say stigma keeps people from getting tested.
- 73% recognize that stigma stops people from seeking treatment.
Vanishing Representation
Media visibility has dropped significantly, creating an invisibility paradox where lack of exposure allows myths to persist.
- Real Life: 72% of Americans have not seen stories about real people living with HIV in the past year.
- Television: 70% saw no depictions on TV or film. GLAAD’s data tracked only one LGBTQ character with HIV during the 2024–2025 TV season, and that character will not return.
- Film: Out of 225 major studio films reviewed, only one featured a character with HIV, and the plot was set during the early years of the epidemic rather than present day.
- Digital Platforms: Only 0.09% of analyzed podcast episodes mentioned the virus. Just 15% saw a social media story on the topic, despite most adults using social platforms for news.
Policy Shifts and Funding Cuts
Legal frameworks and budget cuts worsen these cultural gaps. Today, 32 states enforce criminalization laws that discourage individuals from getting tested.
At the same time, public health infrastructure took a heavy blow following the termination of roughly $600 million in CDC prevention grants. Coupled with unstable Medicaid and ADAP funding, patients face real barriers to affording medication like PrEP or maintaining viral suppression.
Leaders Speak Out
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis emphasized the urgency of the moment:
“Americans need accurate information, authentic stories, and policies that reflect today’s realities about living with HIV and the huge advancements in prevention and treatment. This report should be a call to action for media, public health leaders, policymakers, and advocates to ensure that the way we talk about HIV catches up with what science has already made possible.”
Community leaders highlighted how these barriers impact daily operations:
“Stigma did not disappear. It evolved,” said Terrance Hunter, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at 26Health. “If we are serious about ending the HIV epidemic, we must be just as intentional about dismantling stigma as we have been about advancing treatment.”
Daniel J. Downer, a Racial Equity Consultant at Blue Ridge Pride, pointed to structural risks in vulnerable areas:
“When Medicaid coverage is unstable, when prevention funding plateaus, when public health departments are understaffed, there isn’t a backup system waiting in the wings. One funding gap can mean the difference between someone staying virally suppressed or falling out of care.”
Tami Haught and Kamaria Laffrey, Co-Executive Directors of The Sero Project, framed the issue as a collective obligation:
“Media must continue to evolve toward accurate, accountable storytelling. Policymakers must end harmful laws and invest in equitable public health systems. Funders must resource community-led solutions.”
Science has solved HIV transmission; public awareness just needs to catch up. Ending the epidemic means replacing silence with real stories and fear with facts.
