How to Tackle the Stigma of Living with HIV | Gareth Thomas | TED

Translator: Paola Costa Reviewer: Servizo de Normalización Lingüística

My life is reflected in my tattoos,

A miña vida reflíctese nas miñas tatuaxes,

and you're going to have to trust me when I say that I've got a lot of them.

e crédeme cando vos digo que teño moitas.

My body art tells a story.

A miña arte conta unha historia.

Now, my HIV tattoo is on one of my kneecaps,

Teño a tatuaxe do VIH sobre unha das rótulas,

which is the joint that,

a articulación que, tras unha vida xogando ao rugby profesional,

through a career of playing professional rugby,

was shot to pieces,

acabou esnaquizada

but somehow managed to get me through one of the world's toughest Ironmen.

pero que, dalgún xeito, fixo que superase un dos Ironman máis duros do mundo

And also, more recently,

e, alén diso, máis recentemente,

a half-marathon.

un medio maratón.

Now, I did these to show what living with HIV is like now,

Fixen isto para amosar como é vivir hoxe en día con VIH

and also to illustrate that HIV doesn't restrict what I'm capable of doing

e tamén para demostrar que o VIH non limita o que podo facer

physically or mentally.

física ou mentalmente.

The skull is dark, ghoulish, threatening.

O cranio é escuro, macabro, ameazante.

It represents the imminent death that I felt awaited me

Representa a morte inmediata que pensaba que me agardaba

when I first had my diagnosis.

cando recibín o primeiro diagnóstico.

The wings underneath the skull of my tattoo

As ás debaixo do cranio da tatuaxe

signify the freedom I felt when I finally found my voice.

representan a liberdade que sentín cando atopei por fin a miña voz,

It was almost like the dead man coming back to life.

algo así como o home morto que volve á vida.

The crown that adorns the skull's head

A coroa que adorna a cabeza do cranio

shows me as someone willing to lead from the front,

represéntame como alguén disposto a liderar dende a fronte

who wanted to take the campaign against discrimination and misinformation forward,

e que quere posicionarse en contra da discriminación e da desinformación,

who wanted to celebrate and highlight people's truth,

alguén que quere celebrar e resaltar a verdade da xente,

never asking people to do something I wouldn't.

sen pedirlle á xente que faga cousas que eu non faría.

Now, I haven't always been like this.

A verdade é que non sempre fun así.

In 2019, I was blackmailed

En 2019, chantaxeoume

by somebody who wanted money for their silence.

unha persoa que pedía cartos polo seu silencio.

Also, in that year, a journalist went to my parents' house,

Ademais, aquel ano, un xornalista foi á casa dos meus pais,

knocked on their door,

petou na porta

and asked my parents to make comment on my HIV status.

e pediulles que opinasen sobre o meu VIH.

Now at this point, I hadn't even told my parents myself.

Naquel momento, aínda non llo dixera aos meus pais.

That forced me into telling the world about my HIV diagnosis

Iso forzoume a contarlle ao mundo o do meu diagnóstico

way before I was ready.

moito antes de estar preparado.

I was still reeling from the stigma of the diagnosis.

Estaba recuperándome do que implicaba o estigma do diagnóstico.

Now stigma is when people are seen in a negative way

O estigma é a forma negativa en que se percibe a xente

due to a certain characteristic,

por unha característica concreta

such as race, disability, sexuality or health challenges.

como a raza, a discapacidade, a sexualidade ou problemas de saúde.

And it ends up with them making a moral judgment about people,

Finalmente, créanse prexuízos morais sobre as persoas,

and it affects the way they treat them.

que afectan a como as tratan.

Now, I have spent my entire adult life in the public eye.

Levo toda a miña vida adulta baixo o ollo público.

I'm an ex-professional Rugby Union player,

Fun xogador profesional de rugby union,

I played 100 times for my country, Wales,

xoguei 100 veces para o meu país, Gales,

captained the British and Irish Lions.

e capitaneei os Leóns británico-irlandeses.

I always felt like I had the crowds cheering me on from the grandstands.

Sempre sentín que o público me animaba dende a bancada.

Dende aquela, presentei e saín en moitos programas de televisión.

Since then, I've presented and appeared on many TV shows.

I've had an amazing life.

Tiven unha vida espléndida.

I felt loved by those around me and by my country.

Sentinme querido tanto polos meus achegados como polo meu país.

I was this strong, tough rugby player

Era un xogador de rugby forte e duro

who came from a simple working-class background

procedente dunha familia traballadora

to be one of the very best at this sport.

e cheguei a ser un dos mellores deste deporte.

I was married to a woman, but I was living a lie.

Estaba casado cunha muller, mais vivía nunha mentira.

So in 2009,

Por iso, o 2009,

when I became the first openly gay male professional Rugby Union player,

cando me convertín no primeiro xogador masculino abertamente gay da Rugby Union,

it was a defining moment for me,

foi un momento decisivo para min,

for sport and for society.

para o deporte e para a sociedade.

And even though it felt like a breakthrough moment,

E malia que se sentise coma un punto de inflexión,

sadly, very few followed my path since.

por desgraza, moi poucos seguiron o meu camiño.

I am now living with HIV.

Agora vivo con VIH.

It took me a long while to process it at first,

Ao principio, levoume un tempo procesalo

because I'd gone from a man who had won every trophy that he had ever dreamt of

porque pasara de ser un home que gañou todos os trofeos cos que soñara

to someone who, all of a sudden, was living a lie,

a alguén que vivía nunha mentira,

alguén avergoñado, violentado, marxinado,

who was ashamed, embarrassed, isolated,

afraid I was going to die,

alguén con medo á morte,

afraid to tell anyone,

con medo a dicirllo á xente,

afraid to tell my family,

con medo a dicirllo á familia,

afraid I was going to lose everything and everyone

con medo de perdelo todo e a todos

that I'd worked so hard for and I loved so much.

despois de tanto traballar e amar.

I was afraid that from now on, I would be defined by a virus.

Tiña medo de que dende aquel momento me definise un virus.

Now, I've felt the devastating impact of stigma and shame,

Sentín o impacto devastador do estigma e da vergoña

and that is why I am determined to change the way people perceive HIV

e por iso estou decidido a cambiar a percepción que ten a xente do VIH

and other stigmatized conditions.

e doutras doenzas estigmatizadas.

And here's why.

E velaquí o porqué:

The stigma and shame that I felt was medically unfounded.

o estigma e a vergoña que sentín non tiñan base médica.

Science and medicine has come such a long way in the last 20 years,

A ciencia e a medicina avanzou moito nos últimos 20 anos,

especially around HIV,

sobre todo no VIH,

that it should be celebrated way more than it is.

e deberíase celebrar máis do que se fai.

But people's attitudes lag way behind.

A mentalidade da xente quedou moi atrás.

The fact is, I take one tablet a day.

A realidade é que tomo unha pastilla ao día.

Modern medicine prevents my HIV progressing into AIDS.

A medicina moderna evita que o meu VIH se converta en sida.

It suppresses the virus in my body,

Reprime o virus no meu corpo,

which means it becomes undetectable,

o que implica que se volva indetectable

which means I cannot transmit it to my husband.

e que non llo poida transmitir ao meu marido.

And I live a normal, happy, healthy life.

E vivo unha vida normal, feliz e sa.

I really do. Trust me, I have never been happier.

De verdade. Crédeme, nunca fun tan feliz.

(Cheers and applause)

(Aclamacións e aplausos)

Now, in the 1980s,

Pois ben, nos 80,

HIV was positioned as a death sentence.

o VIH era unha sentenza de morte.

It was reported as "the gay plague."

Presentábano como a “praga gay”.

And those myths and misunderstandings still exist today.

Aínda hoxe, existen eses mitos e malentendidos.

And levels of awareness of what it is to live with HIV

O nivel de concienciación do que significa vivir con VIH

remain way too low.

segue a ser moi baixo.

Now I can tell you I still experience stigma today,

Podo dicirvos que aínda noto o estigma,

whether it's people moving away from me in a restaurant

ben pola xente que se aparta nun restaurante

or people not wanting to shake my hand.

ou pola que non me quere dar a man.

Now people act like that out of a sense of fear,

Hai xente que o fai por medo,

out of a sense of wanting to keep themselves safe.

por querer protexerse,

But what it does, it creates a sense of shame.

pero o que fai é crear un ambiente de vergoña.

And that shame means more people acquire the virus

E esa vergoña implica que hai máis xente que contrae o virus

and fewer people get early treatment,

e menos que se somete a un tratamento temperán

because most people think that HIV doesn't affect them,

porque a maioría pensa que o VIH non lles afecta,

that it only affects gay and bisexual men,

que é cousa de homes gays e bisexuais,

when globally, 54 percent of the people living with HIV are female.

cando a realidade é que o 54 % das pacientes globais de VIH son mulleres.

And in England, in 2020,

En Inglaterra, en 2020,

for the first time in a decade,

por primeira vez na década,

there was more new cases of HIV among heterosexual people

houbo máis casos novos de VIH entre xente heterosexual

than there were amongst gay and bisexual men.

que entre homes gays e bisexuais.

The truth is anyone can get the virus,

A realidade é que calquera pode contraer o virus

and the only way to know your status is to get tested,

e que a única forma de sabelo é facendo a proba,

but stigma acts as a barrier to testing, so new cases continue.

mais o estigma é unha barreira para a detección e así os casos crecen.

In the US,

Nos Estados Unidos,

eight out of 10 new cases come from people who are undiagnosed

8 de cada 10 casos novos proveñen de xente sen diagnosticar

or who are not on medication.

ou sen tratar.

Now UNAIDS has set a goal

ONUSIDA puxo como obxectivo

that by 2030, they will end this epidemic,

o 2030 para acabar con esta epidemia,

but it's going to be really hard to reach

pero vai ser moi difícil de conseguir

if stigma continues to act as a barrier against testing and seeking care.

se o estigma segue obstaculizando a detección e o tratamento.

Now, when I was pushed into a corner by the blackmailer and by the media,

Cando o meu chantaxista e os medios me puxeron contra as cordas,

I was going to come out fighting.

tiña pensado saír loitando.

I wanted to take control of my life.

Quería coller as rendas da miña vida.

I wanted to know what it was like to feel free.

Quería saber o que se sentía ao ser libre.

I wanted to know, and I had the right to be able to live again.

Queríao saber e tiña o dereito a poder vivir outra vez.

And I wanted anyone else who was in the same position as me

E quería que todo o mundo que estivese no meu mesmo lugar

to have that right as well.

tivese tamén ese dereito.

Now tackling stigma is an ongoing challenge.

Ora ben, combater o estigma é un reto continuo.

It's going to take a collective effort from policymakers,

Cómpre un esforzo colectivo do poder lexislativo,

health care officials, advocacy organizations

das autoridades sanitarias, das organizacións activistas

and, more importantly, all of us in the general public.

e, o máis importante, de toda a sociedade.

Education is key.

A educación é a clave.

The more people who know the facts, the more the truth spreads.

Canta máis xente coñeza os feitos, máis se espallará a verdade.

Even simple conversations between two people

Ata as conversas máis simples entre dous

can change minds.

poden cambiar mentes.

Now we need to normalize talking about HIV

Cómpre normalizarmos o tema do VIH

and other stigmatized conditions,

e doutras doenzas estigmatizadas,

and I encourage you all to challenge any stigma you encounter,

e anímovos a que fagades fronte a calquera estigma que atopedes,

whether that be mental health, race, disability, sexuality.

ben sexa de saúde mental, raza, discapacidade ou sexualidade.

We also need to address legal inequality and discrimination.

Tamén cómpre falarmos da desigualdade legal e da discriminación.

Now I feel relatively lucky,

Síntome relativamente afortunado

given the strides being made in this regard, living in the UK,

vivindo no Reino Unido polos avances conseguidos neste tema,

as I'm aware of people around the world, who are living with HIV,

pois ben sei que hai xente con VIH por todo o mundo

that, through discrimination,

que, por mor da discriminación,

have limitations placed on what they can and cannot do,

sofren limitacións do que poden e non poden facer

or even on where they can and cannot live.

ou ata onde poden ou non vivir.

Now, recently, in the UK, changes have finally been made

Por fin houbo cambios recentes no Reino Unido

that means that people living with HIV

que supoñen que a xente que padece VIH

can join the armed forces and be deployed,

poida alistarse nas forzas armadas

or can train as commercial airline pilots.

ou adestrar para ser pilotos comerciais.

Now these changes have only happened

Estes cambios foron posibles

thanks to the determination and advocacy of those involved --

grazas á resolución e activismo dos implicados,

people with a dogged determination

xente cunha resolución persistente

to create safe, stigma-free environments.

para crear ambientes seguros e libres de estigma.

Stigma also exists in unexpected places, like within health care.

O estigma tamén aparece en lugares inesperados, coma na sanidade.

You know, we’d all expect health care professionals to know the facts,

Todos esperamos que os profesionais da saúde estean informados,

but this isn't always the case,

mais non sempre é así,

sobre todo fóra dos especialistas do VIH,

especially outside of HIV specialists,

and this absolutely needs to change,

algo que ten que cambiar sen falta,

as this can have a devastating impact on people living with the virus,

pois pode ter un impacto devastador na xente que vive co virus

discouraging them from accessing care.

ao disuadila de acceder a un tratamento.

Now --

Agora,

I am very, very, very proud

éncheme de orgullo

to lead the Tackle HIV campaign.

dirixir a campaña Tackle HIV (Combatendo o VIH).

And we focus on that first point,

Centrámonos no primeiro punto,

education.

a educación.

And along with our charity partners,

Xunto coas nosas asociacións benéficas, a Terrence Higgins Trust

the Terrence Higgins Trust

and ViiV Healthcare,

e a ViiV Healthcare,

which is an organization fully focused on eradicating HIV and AIDS,

unha organización dedicada en exclusiva á erradicación do VIH e da sida,

we are using the power of science, advocacy and sport

empregamos o poder da ciencia, do activismo e do deporte

to change people's attitudes.

para cambiar a mentalidade da xente.

We draw on the ability of sport to effect change,

Aproveitamos a capacidade do deporte de producir cambios,

the love of celebrity

do amor polas celebridades

and the compelling stories of those living with HIV

e das historias conmovedoras dos que viven con VIH

can bring to change people's behavior and understanding,

que poden axudar a mudar o comportamento e a percepción da xente,

whether that be through media engagements,

ben a través de participacións nos medios,

a podcast with others who have experienced stigma,

como un podcast con persoas que sufriron o estigma,

or live, on-the-ground initiatives.

ou en directo en iniciativas in situ.

I am passionate,

Eu creo nisto,

passionate about demonstrating that HIV is not a barrier to anything,

creo en demostrar que o VIH non é unha barreira para nada

whether that be through me running an Ironman,

sexa amosando como corro un Ironman,

a half-marathon

un medio maratón

or just through my daily gym workouts.

ou cos meus adestramentos diarios.

Vecause when people can get beyond the fact

Porque cando a xente vai máis aló do feito

that HIV is no longer a death sentence,

de que o VIH xa non é unha sentenza de morte

and that on effective medication, it can become undetectable in your body,

e que, coa medicación pertinente, pode ser indetectable no corpo,

which means it's untransmissible through sexual contact,

é dicir, intransmisible por contacto sexual;

then people living with HIV

a xente que vive con VIH

can live without fear of rejection or alienation.

pode vivir sen medo a sentirse rexeitada ou alienada.

And so the fight continues,

Así que a loita continúa,

because in some countries around the world,

porque nalgúns países arredor do mundo

new cases of HIV are rising,

os casos de VIH aumentan

and in all of these countries, stigma continues to exist.

e, en todos estes países, o estigma segue a existir.

I guarantee you, one day, we'll reach our goal.

Garántovos que un día acadaremos o obxectivo.

So when anyone encounters stigma,

E cando alguén se enfronte ao estigma,

regardless of what the source of that stigma is,

sexa cal sexa a fonte dese estigma,

we can all play a part in combating it.

poderemos actuar xuntos para combatelo.

We all have a part to play.

Todos temos unha misión.

When you see or hear any cases of stigmatization,

Cando vexades ou saibades dalgún caso de estigmatización,

find the strength to challenge and correct it,

procurade as forzas para combatela e corrixila,

whether that be at home with your family,

sexa na casa coa familia,

out with your friends or even in the wider community.

cos amigos ou na sociedade en xeral.

Now, the wings underneath my tattoo ...

As ás baixo a miña tatuaxe

give me the strength to move beyond HIV stigma and HIV shame.

danme a forza para superar o estigma e a vergoña do VIH.

And trust me, all of you, please trust me --

E crédeme, todos vós, por favor, crédeme:

if I can do it, then anyone can do it.

se eu podo facelo, calquera pode.

And then, and only then,

Só entón

do we have a real chance of ending HIV forever.

teremos unha posibilidade real de acabar para sempre co VIH.

So please,

Así que, por favor,

please, please help me,

por favor, axudádeme,

because together, we can tackle stigma.

porque xuntos podemos combater o estigma.

Thank you so much.

Moitas grazas.

(Cheers and applause)

(Aclamacións e aplausos)