HIV Stigma: Prince Harry Breaking HIV Stigma With World's First Gay-Inclusive Rugby Club
Prince Harry truly loves his late mother Princess Diana, so much so that he kept her legacy alive by raising awareness to break HIV stigma.
Prince Harry announced that he will be working with infamous former rugby star Gareth Thomas, who bravely revealed his HIV status in a tweet.
The Duke of Sussex reportedly contacted the sportsman a few days after publicizing his HIV status online. Thomas first admitted that he was gay in 2009, making him the first U.K-based player to tell his story being an HIV patient.
Please watch. Not because it helps me, but might help you, or could help you help someone. ️ https://t.co/aX1ze4Od3d — Gareth Thomas (@gareththomas14) September 19, 2019
The two prominent individuals teamed up to raise awareness and break HIV stigma, starting with their meeting with the world's first gay-inclusive rugby club, King's Cross Steelers.
Prince Harry and Gareth Thomas counseled people to get tested for the virus and be brave about it.
"Going public with living with HIV has been very empowering and I want to help others to show them they don't need to live in fear and live in shame because you can still live with HIV and be healthy and live a normal life," Thomas shared.
The Royal Family, spearheaded by Prince Harry and the late Princess Diana of Wales, have devoted the long-living monarchy's mission to beat HIV and AIDS.
In return for Prince Harry's deeds in raising awareness and fighting the stigma, he received a shirt for his son Archie and gained the respect of the people who are battling with the virus.
Former Wales rugby captain @gareththomas14, who revealed in September that he is HIV positive, says Prince Harry has been "unbelievably supportive" of him. To read the full story, click here: https://t.co/WJ0bpJJmuc pic.twitter.com/GyeyhB5k1f — Sky News (@SkyNews) November 8, 2019
The Moving Act of the Duke
In September of this year, Prince Harry was seen hugging Tlotlo Moilwa, who lost her parents to the condition before finding out that she is tested positive, too.
The Duke of Sussex worked with the now-20-year old young woman for three years to raise awareness about the virus. Moilwa first revealed her HIV status in 2016 to motivate young people like her who are also suffering from the same disease.
After Princess Diana's death in 1997, Prince Harry felt that this kind of social works gave him a "sense of purpose" as part of the Royal Family. He also revealed that through the years, he became deeply connected with the people of Botswana and Africa, defining it also as a "sense of escapism".
With Prince Harry's initiatives, royal watchers are hoping for the best to finally break the stigma.
