A Call to End Stigmatizing Language in HIV Research
From positivelyaware.com…
A coalition of HIV activists and about 50 organizations are sending a letter to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), calling on the agency to require the use of non-stigmatizing language in HIV research.
Addressed to NIAID director Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, who was named to the position last August by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the letter asks for changes in HIV-related language policy to be established across the organization, removing stigmatizing and dehumanizing terms such as HIV-infected, populations and subjects when referring to people living with HIV. As one of the 27 agencies within the NIH, NIAID conducts and provides federal funding for research on infectious diseases, including HIV. The proposal would apply to all NIAID-published documents, including grant applications, materials for clinical trials and NIAID-funded research papers.
“We are calling on you as the new NIAID Director to create a new era, fostering the use of appropriate and person-centered language for a new generation,” the letter said.
