Team Friendly Atlanta wants to start a community-wide conversation about HIV stigma in a way that's interesting — and fashionable.
The new organization that aims to dispel HIV bias is sponsoring a t-shirt design contest open to the public. Submissions for the contest begin are now through July 4. The board will select finalists and then open voting begins July 11 with the winner announded on Aug. 15.
“We wanted to bring up the topic of stigma and what causes it, why people are not disclosing their status, are not confiding in their friends, are not seeking services. This stigma has been going on as long as there has been HIV but we've not dealt with it like when it was first discovered,” said Randy Prophater, a founding member of Team Friendly Atlanta.