Treatment GuideJust DiagnosedSex & DatingAfrican AmericanStigmaAsk the HIV DocPrEP En EspañolNewsVoicesPrint IssueVideoOut 100
CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Stage, TV, and big-screen veteran Scott Bakula, who stars as Capt. Jonathan Archer on the UPN Star Trek series Enterprise, says he could not be happier that his network's parent company'Viacom'and his program in particular are tackling HIV issues. 'It's easy to say stuff and to issue press releases, but it's an entirely different thing to put it into practice,' he says of the 'Know HIV/AIDS' initiative. 'We've put AIDS on the back burner for too many years. So it's important that a company like Viacom'and I hope more corporations and people with power'refocus on it.' Enterprise addressed AIDS in an episode that aired February 5 by dissecting the stigma and discrimination associated with a Vulcan immunodeficiency disease transmitted through telepathic connections called 'mind melds' that are considered 'unnatural' by the majority of the beings on the show. Bakula says the episode, appropriately titled 'Stigma,' very much mirrored how many Americans in the early stages of the pandemic viewed HIV-positive people as somehow being deserving of the disease because they became infected through taboo sex or drug use. 'How you're infected shouldn't matter,' Bakula says of the moral of the Enterprise story. 'That's the lesson we all had to learn in this country. Here, AIDS was originally a gay disease, and certainly in the middle of the country that's how it was widely perceived and sometimes still is perceived to be. But it's an issue that affects everybody.' He also thinks the 'Know HIV/AIDS' initiative has served as a needed wake-up call for people working in the entertainment industry who may have fallen under the misconception that the pandemic has been contained and that the threat of AIDS in America has diminished. 'We tend to lose sight of it here in this town [Los Angeles],' notes Bakula, who has participated in numerous AIDS fund-raisers, including a 1995 benefit concert at New York's Carnegie Hall to support Gay Men's Health Crisis and contributing a Christmas song to a CD benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. 'It's easy to look past it because we're in the community, we're aware of it, we've all been touched by it, and it's something that we feel is being handled. But it's not. The word still has to get out there, and that's the challenge that anyone who cares about this issue faces.'
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Before AIDS, gay artist Rex drew hot men on the prowl — then he disappeared
April 11 2024 3:15 PM
The science behind U=U has been liberating people with HIV for years
June 04 2024 3:31 PM
On Anal Sex Day, crack up with The Bottom's Digest
April 18 2024 10:22 AM
As Pride party season begins, the CDC urges mpox vaccinations
May 16 2024 6:52 PM
Todrick Hall has long supported the communities he comes from
April 17 2024 12:02 PM
The freedom of disclosure: David Anzuelo's journey through HIV, art, and advocacy
August 02 2024 12:21 PM
Exclusive: We kiki with Q from 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
June 24 2024 11:37 AM
Plus: Featured Video
Latest Stories
How fitness coach Tyriek Taylor reclaims his power from HIV with self-commitment
September 19 2024 12:00 PM
Out100 Honoree Tony Valenzuela thanks queer and trans communities for support in his HIV journey
September 18 2024 12:00 PM
Kentucky bans conversion therapy for youth as Gov. Andy Beshear signs 'monumental' order
September 18 2024 11:13 AM
Why activist Raif Derrazi thinks his HIV diagnosis is a gift
September 17 2024 12:00 PM
Creator and host Karl Schmid fights HIV stigma with knowledge
September 12 2024 12:03 PM
Study finds use of puberty blockers safe and reversible, countering anti-trans accusations
September 11 2024 1:11 PM
Latinx health tips / Consejos de salud para latinos (in English & en espanol)
September 10 2024 4:29 PM
The Trevor Project receives $5M grant to support LGBTQ+ youth mental health in rural Midwest (exclusive)
September 03 2024 9:30 AM
Introducing 'Health PLUS Wellness': The Latinx Issue!
August 30 2024 3:06 PM
La ciencia detrás de U=U ha estado liberando a las personas con VIH durante años
August 23 2024 2:48 PM
Tratamiento y prevención del VIH por inyección: Todo lo que necesita saber
August 23 2024 2:41 PM
Sr. Gay World quiere asegurarse de que estés bien
August 23 2024 2:30 PM
Eureka is taking a break from competing on 'Drag Race' following 'CVTW' elimination
August 20 2024 12:21 PM
With a new case in Sweden, what is the new mpox outbreak and should you be concerned?
August 15 2024 4:48 PM
From ‘The Real World’ to real life: How Danny Roberts thrives with HIV
July 31 2024 5:23 PM
The July/Aug 'Treatment Guide' issue of Plus is here!
June 26 2024 3:49 PM
Activist and philanthropist Bruce Bastian dies at 76
June 26 2024 1:28 PM