Special Episode: GLAAD's 2026 HIV Stigma Report Inspires Intergenerational Conversation Down South

Welcome back to the show! This is a special episode brought to us by our Queer News contributor Darian Aaron, Senior Director of Local News: U.S. South for GLAAD. This episode digs into GLAAD's newly released 2026 HIV Stigma Report with a powerful intergenerational conversation taking root down South.

While Gen Z is the most out generation in history, GLAAD's latest report reveals a startling knowledge gap: only 31% of Gen Z feel knowledgeable about HIV, compared to 60% of Gen X. To bridge this divide, four generations of Black Southerners, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z, gathered at the ArtsXchange in East Point, Georgia, to put real faces, history, and radical honesty behind the data.

Darian was joined by Jerrell Hardnett, Associate Director of Education & Advocacy at GLAAD and author of the report, alongside Black Southern advocates to unpack what it takes to break historic silos. They discuss the systemic failures of sexual health education, the promise of modern prevention like PrEP, and why sharing stories of thriving, joyful lives today is the ultimate antidote to lingering epidemic-era shame.

As GLAAD CEO Sarah Kate Ellis notes in the report: "Ending HIV stigma is possible. But it will require all of us to choose truth over misinformation, visibility over silence, and empathy over fear."

Follow GLAAD @glaad and learn more at glaad.org/hiv.

We want to thank Darian for bringing these stories to Queer News.

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About Queer News

An intersectional approach to a weekly news podcast where race & sexuality meet politics, entertainment and culture. Tune-in to reporting which centers & celebrates all of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & comrade communities. Hosted by Anna DeShawn. New pod drops every Monday by 9am CT.

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