DaBaby vs People Living With HIV/AIDS

On August 2, rapper DaBaby apologized for some disparaging comments he made during his performance at the Rolling Loud music festival on July 25. “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two or three weeks, put your cellphone light in the air,” he announced in the middle of his set. He then made additional derogatory remarks of the LGBTQ+ community one being "Even my gay fans ain't got AIDS." A comment I beg to differ. Earlier this week I was a fan of DaBaby, but after his comments about people living with HIV/AIDS his lack of education the topic has changed my view of him and with him recently deleting his so-called heartfelt apology, I have officially canceled him. So before this issue and DaBaby is gone with the wind, I must add my two cents.

I was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in October 2014. At the time I had been living with the virus for two years and I was not in treatment because I lived in fear of the virus and what other people would think if I had disclosed my status. So, needless to say, the virus took over my body. By the time I started treatment the virus had progressed to AIDS and I was deathly ill. I was told that treatment could help prolong my life but it was not likely being that I was showing signs of liver and kidney failure. After careful consideration, I decided to start treatment which was probably the best decision that I had ever made in my life. Within three months my T-Cell count bloomed and within a year I was undetectable. Needless to say, the treatment saved my life but there was still something out there that was killing me and countless others living with HIV/AIDS today. That thing is STIGMA.

The stigma of HIV/AIDS and people living with HIV/AIDS is birth out of inaccuracies and misinformation about the virus itself. DaBaby and his comments set a whole generation back 40 years when the images of HIV/AIDS were depicted by death and sledgehammered into the conscious minds of the community, creating panic, fear, and judgment of those living with HIV/AIDS, especially gay men. Being gay already separates us from “normal” society but HIV segregated us within our community, especially if you are a gay man of color. So by spreading misinformation it creates a never-ending cycle of stigma which is a killer.

Stigma can lead to problems such as depression, substance abuse, and in extreme cases suicide. It can also affect the health and well-being of people living with HIV by discouraging some individuals from learning their HIV status, accessing treatment, or staying in care. It also discourages those at risk from seeking HIV prevention tools like getting tested and talking openly with their sex partners about safer sex options like PrEP a once-daily pill that can keep you from contracting the virus.

For populations disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, like the African American population, are also affected by stigma. So, we do not need another black man who has influence spreading inaccuracies and misinformation to a generation of other black gay and straight men who already do not know that HIV is treatable and livable; and to be quite frank with the type of things he raps about, I’m sure he has been tested before and if not, he should be.

What he shouldn't be doing is spreading propaganda, instead, he should be encouraging the kids and adults who listen to his music to practice safe sex. Better yet he should rap about PrEP, a once-daily pill that can keep you from contracting the virus, or talk about how people who are living with HIV and who are undetectable and how they cannot transmit the virus because undetectable equals untransmittable. Oh wait, I forgot he is ignorant to the topic, which in my opinion is unbelievable because I see at least 10 to 15 HIV treatment and PrEP commercials a day and not to mention the abundance of ads on social media.

Nevertheless in his apology, he said his comments were “misinformed” and that he had needed education and guidance on these topics. So, as Houston’s Ambassador for people living with HIV/AIDS let me educate him and you on the facts. In the U.S. every day 1 out 5 people are diagnosed with HIV. Even though there has been a decline in new HIV diagnoses, 1.6 million people are living with the virus in the U.S. today, 1 out of 7 or 13 percent is not aware of their status. With treatment a person living with HIV and can live a long, healthy, and productive life. We can date, we can get married, we can have children of our own who will be born HIV negative, and we can grow old. We are not different than anyone else living with chronic illness. We have our concerns but dying in two or three is not one of them and has not been in the last 20 years thanks science and medicine that just keeps getting better.

This is 2021, no one has the excuse to not be educated about a topic that is worldwide. We have information at the touch of our fingertips so instead of looking for DaBaby lyrics in the search engine look up HIV/AIDS and the nearest testing facility. If you are sexually active and engage in risky sex practices, like not using protection, then you should go get tested, talk to your doctor about PrEP and what you can do to remain safe. Just remember that you have nothing to fear but ignorance. So get the facts and get tested.

If you want to know more about HIV/AIDS visit www.houstoniamlife.com or hiv.gov

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