Only 37% of people would feel comfortable kissing someone with HIV
Terrence Higgins Trust – a charity set up in Terry’s memory by friends and his partner to promote awareness and prevent the spread of the virus – suggests huge stigma still surrounds the public’s perception of HIV.Data from YouGov polling of more than 2,000 Brits found only 30% of people would be comfortable dating someone living with HIV, while just 37% of people would feel fine kissing someone who has the virus.Alex Sparrowhawk, from Manchester, was diagnosed with HIV in 2009 and fears people still carry outdated views from the 1980s when it comes to the illness.‘I’m a happy, confident person living with HIV and very open about my status,’ he told Metro.co.uk.‘But it’s not always easy when there’s still so much stigma in the world and to keep being resilient in the face of that.‘There’s no reason not to kiss or date me, other than because I have a boyfriend.