Aussie drag queen Courtney Act continues to use her public platform to educate the masses, turning her sights on the ongoing stigma surrounding HIV.
The Celebrity Big Brother winner and RuPaul's Drag Race finalist has fronted a new campaign for the New Zealand AIDS Foundation, spreading awareness of U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable).
"An ex-boyfriend of mine is living with HIV," she said in the campaign video.
She continued: "He has an undetectable viral load so I know first-hand how this can affect people in a serodiscordant couple - which is where one partner is HIV-negative and one is HIV-positive.”
“Scientific evidence shows he was unable to pass HIV on to me, even without condoms,” she explained.
“We live in a fear-based world where HIV stigma can prevail,” Act said. “For people living with HIV, the knowledge that undetectable equals untransmittable is huge news, not only as a means of preventing transmission, but in breaking down the stigma that many people still experience.”
In a series of tweets since the campaign launch, Act addressed concerns that she might've unwittingly outed her ex-partner as HIV+.
"My ex-BF is 'out' about his HIV status, wish I’d specified that in my initial statement," she wrote.
"He’s always been an inspiration to me for being so public in a world that still has so many hang ups about HIV."
You can watch the campaign video below:
