Respecting Boundaries: Not Speaking for Queer and Trans Youth

Not everyone who’s queer or trans has HIV. By the same token, not everyone who has HIV is queer or trans. And if they do, it’s private information, which they may or may not decide to share with you, now or in the future.
Also, keep in mind that people living with HIV, including children and youth, still face a huge amount of stigma and discrimination, which is where some of the hiding of HIV status comes from — along with living in a culture where we don’t readily share medical information with each other.
HIV basics
1. HIV and AIDS (Nemours TeensHealth)
2. What Is HIV?
HIV stigma
1. 2022 State of HIV Stigma Report
2. How We Start Erasing the Stigma Around HIV
Teens and HIV
1. 1. AIDSVu has a fantastic map of the epidemic. Once there, you’ll see multiple filters along the top gray bar. The first is age, the first option of which is 13-24. After your filtered map loads, you’ll be able to see county-level data about the youth HIV epidemic in the US.
  2. CDC: HIV declines driven by teens, young adults
  3. HIV and Children and Adolescents
  4. How HIV Stigma Affects LGBTQ Teens
  5. New Study Finds That Supportive Adults Are Key To Reducing HIV Among Transgender Youth
  6. Teens and HIV: The Transition into Adulthood
  7. Understanding HIV and AIDS

When in doubt, if you have a choice between speaking and listening, always listen.