Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Efforts Need Support To Help Fight Stigma, Editorial Says

The first annual National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day -- which was Thursday -- and other initiatives launched by the San Francisco-based Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center deserve public support to help fight HIV/AIDS discrimination and stigma in these communities, a San Francisco Chronicle editorial says. Although it has been nearly 30 years since the AIDS epidemic first emerged, "stigma and shame" remain in Asian and Pacific Islander communities in the United States, according to the editorial. "As a result, many in the community are too ashamed to learn about the disease, ask for help or get tested, leaving them more vulnerable to HIV risk factors," the Chronicle says, adding that the public can sign the wellness center's online petition against HIV/AIDS discrimination at banyantreeproject.org. "With the growing rate of HIV and AIDS cases in these communities, no one can afford to stay silent," the editorial concludes (San Francisco Chronicle, 5/20).