Here’s a strange paradox of modern medicine: People don’t seem to understand that scientific advances have turned what was once a death sentence into a chronic condition, and PrEP has made prevention accessible for more people. But according to the 2024 State of HIV Stigma Report from GLAAD and Gilead, knowledge about HIV is actually dropping — belief that people living with HIV can live long, healthy lives fell 5% between 2020 and 2024, and just 37% of Gen Z respondents said they feel knowledgeable about HIV at all. Stigma, meanwhile, is creeping back up.
For Gilead Sciences, that disconnect between what science can do and what culture actually believes, has become the animating challenge of its corporate responsibility work. None of that is a science problem. It’s a trust problem, an access problem, a stigma problem — and Gilead has increasingly bet that closing it requires cultural firepower, not just clinical infrastructure.
Grammy-winning artist Durand Bernarr is part of that effort. “As an artist with a platform, it’s important for me to shed light and awareness on things that directly affect my community, especially Black, queer, transgender individuals, considering they’re the most affected groups,” Bernarr said. “It’s important that those of us that are in the spotlight are educating people with our platforms.”
