Poz Vibe Tribe and the Health Service Executive (HSE) are urging people to be ready to talk about and listen to stories of HIV/AIDS. The call comes in coincidence with Irish AIDS Day on June 15, a time to remember those who have passed and shed light on experiences often unheard due to stigma and shame.

The ‘Ready to Talk and Ready to Listen’ message builds on the You, Me & HIV campaign launched last year, which has seen a notable decline in discriminatory attitudes towards people living with HIV. According to the HSE, rates dropped from 54% in November 2024 to 49% at the end of 2025. Additionally, more people reported feeling comfortable with family, friends, neighbours and colleagues living with HIV.

“We want those of us living with HIV to be able to continue to accept our status and move forward and thrive without shame or stigma,” Poz Vibe Tribe Co-Founder and drag star Veda Lady said. “It is important to try and dismantle the shame of the past by freeing these stories today.”

Reflecting on their personal experiences, Veda shared, “My cousin died of AIDS related illness at the age of 18 in 1985, but I wasn’t told that until three years ago at a beloved family member’s funeral. I myself struggled to share my HIV diagnosis with my family and friends for 10 years.

“I regret that; it was a mistake. The stigma silenced me when I would have benefited from a hug and sometimes, a shoulder to cry on the most.”

They added that this Irish AIDS Day, they are encouraging people to “get Ready to Talk about the stories they’ve hidden and packed away”, and for society to be “Ready to Listen with empathy and understanding”.

“There is nothing to be ashamed of in living with HIV or in dying of AIDS,” they stated.

 

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Fellow Poz Vibe Tribe Co-Founder Robbie Lawlor added, “On Irish AIDS Day we think about those who have died and mourn their loss. We also look to the future and how we can honour their memory by trying to achieve our 2030 goals of zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and ultimately zero stigma and discrimination. We can only do that by facing up to our history, talking to each other and being ready to listen to stories from the past and present that may surprise us, and inspire us to look at things in a different way.”

Professor Diona Lyons, National Clinical Lead of the HSE’s Sexual Health Programme, stated, “On Irish AIDS Day, we pause to remember those we have lost and the stories that may have gone untold. Today, with advancements in medicine, people living with HIV can live long and happy lives. However, this wasn’t always the case.

“Working together, we can help break the stigma surrounding what was once a much-feared diagnosis. We are asking people to be Ready to Talk and Ready to Listen to those living with HIV.”

Robbie notes that “up until the early 90’s, everyone who acquired HIV developed AIDS and died”, with the latter being labelled the “killer disease”. However, things are much different now.

People on effective treatment can go on to live a long and healthy life, and cannot pass on HIV to sexual partners. There is now medication that lowers a person’s viral load to an undetectable and untransmittable level, which is the driving force behind the landmark U=U initiative.

For more resources on HIV, click here, or to hear stories as part of the You, Me & HIV campaign, click here.

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