How have attitudes changed towards the LGBT+ community since the 1980s AIDS crisis?

Video and words by Natalia Jorquera

Before Covid-19 there was another virus which killed millions of people and stigmatised a whole group in society, some people wouldn't even shake those people's hands.The new Channel 4 drama It's a Sin has thrust the 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis into the spotlight.

Four decades on, a HIV diagnosis has gone from being a death sentence to a manageable condition, but while science may have come far, how far have attitudes come?Globally around 35 million people have died from Aids since the 1980s and although stigma may have lessened and numbers of cases have gone down - they're still not low - in 2019, 1.7 million became infected with the virus.

In the UK it is believed there are around 7,000 people who remain undiagnosed with HIV, which is why doctors say the most important way to fight HIV is to get tested.

This week is National HIV Testing Week, there are different services in different parts of the country, which can be found via the Terrence Higgins Trust location finder.Free at-home testing is also available in England to anyone over 16: https://freetesting.hiv/