Ending HIV Stigma — Dave Watt

Dave Watt is an Outreach Manager at Southwest Center and Founder of Team Friendly, a campaign to help end the stigma of HIV. When he was giving condoms out in bars to strangers, he felt like it was a bit too judgemental. It was hard to create a conversation around HIV and HIV prevention. This is why Team Friendly was born. Dave shares some of the things his campaign has been doing to help people feel more accepted and give them the space they need to talk openly about HIV and stigma on this week's episode!

TAKEAWAYS:

[2:45] Dave shares why he is passionate about being an outreach manager and how he got into the field.

[4:25] What kind of work does Dave do at the Southwest Center?

[8:00] Offering condoms to strangers in bars is not the best way to start an HIV prevention conversation.

[14:15] What does the Team Friendly Campaign mean to the members of the community?

[16:25] You need to market to everybody, no matter what their status is.

[18:45] "No one wants to date a guy who is HIV+". That's the stigma Dave is talking about.

[22:50] We have made such incredible advances with HIV medications, yet the stigma is still there.

[24:00] Despite being in a pandemic, people still need PrEP!

[25:15] How is stigma in trans individuals being addressed in Dave's community?

[27:00] Dave offers tips on how to help people with their diagnosis, judgment-free.

RESOURCES:

Swcenter.org

Dave on LinkedIn

Mrfriendly.org

Teamfriendlydfw.org

QUOTES:

• "One thing I learned about stigma is that it's very varied."
• "Telling everybody to know their status and to 'make sure' they wear a condom tonight is so full of judgment."
• "Constantly analyze if your message is putting off anybody. Is my message putting a barrier between me and the people I want to help?"
• "The last thing someone living with HIV wants to do is pass it on to somebody else."