Windy City Times Journalist Carrie Maxell covers Pride Action Tank and AIDS Foundation Chicago’s July 2026 summit on eliminating HIV stigma, Shifting the Narrative: Empowering Voices, Inspiring Hope and Transforming Lives:

An intergenerational panel discussion was moderated by Pride Action Tank Executive Director and AFC Special Projects Innovation Vice President Kim Hunt.

“The HIV/AIDS epidemic has and continues to impact the lives, fears and triumphs of multiple generations,” Hunt said. Long-term survivors, she added, carry a history that no one can forget and that younger generations bring a “fresh lens, new energy and a focus on intersectionality” that challenges prejudices and has “shifted the narrative away from fear.”

Stigma remains, however. Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago Public Health Practice Program Director Bryan Gooding noted that HIV is still often associated with sex, drugs and behavior changes. He further discussed his internalized shame when he was first diagnosed over 30 years ago, despite the fact that his family had always been supportive. He added that the stigma around HIV still persists but was dissipating until this current administration which has undermined that progress.

Read the full article, HIV advocates dispel myths and discuss ongoing challenges at Chicago summit, by Carrie Maxwell, published by Windy City Times on July 22, 2026.