Why is this work relevant for PR?

Being HIV-positive in Taiwan has been a sentence of shame. With almost half the population believing HIV is a terminal disease deserving of discrimination, those living with the condition feel not only unsafe but a danger to others. Article 21 of the HIV Law states that HIV-positives who fail to disclose their status to partners could face 12-years of imprisonment. People live in fear of being reported - even if they are not infectious and the relationship was consensual. We decriminalize HIV with a unified message, while still appealing to our key stakeholders.

Background

Article 21 of the HIV Infection Control and Patient Rights Protection Act states that HIV-positive people who fail to disclose their status to partners could face 12-years imprisonment. However, modern medication enables HIV-positives to reduce their viral load to undetectable levels, rendering them incapable of sexually transmitting the virus. In other words: Undetectable equals Untransmittable (U=U) which makes Article 21 obsolete. U=U has a solid foundation of scientific evidence recognized by WHO, yet there was minimal public knowledge of it, nor recognition from Taiwan’s CDC. A launched by a public petition to amend Article 21, which needed to be signed by 5,000 members of the public within two months for government consideration. Our goal was to convince the CDC to formally recognize U=U and end this discrimination by raising awareness about U=U.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

‘Life is not a crime’ U=U may be the proof, but we needed a platform to change attitudes and regulations. We knew that those with HIV should not be treated as criminals but as regular members of society. After all, they were simply living their lives - and that is not a crime! To make real and lasting change, we honed in on conveying this unapologetically, communicating ‘Life Is Not A Crime’ through the lenses of ‘Legacy, Life and Legislation’ in order to change the lives, laws, and ultimately social fabric of Taiwan’s human rights. We needed to decriminalize HIV with a unified message, while still appealing to our key stakeholders.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

Assessing our opportunity – and the implications of what failure meant – we set in motion the legislative procedures to not only addresses public opinion but fundamentally change Article 21 to release HIV/AIDS sufferers from the shackles of this discriminatory law. 1. Team up with NGOs: Collaborate with 10 NGOs focused on HIV/AIDS in Taiwan with different points of view on how to adjust the law, by unifying opinions and attitudes to maximize the volume. 2. Educate the public: Update the understanding of HIV/AIDS to avoid opposition through ignorance, and garner increased support from the public on U=U. 3. Through power from people and press: Rally public support (and gain 5,000 signatures) for the petition. Meanwhile, localize the U=U information from WHO and create a scenario whereupon media would be actively waiting for U=U to be officially recognized.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

1. Creating a new ‘Legacy’ with NGOs a. Meeting with HIV-awareness-focused NGOs, we garnered consensus about Article 21 and marched in the annual Taipei Pride Parade together as the “HIV Parade Alliance” - advocating U=U and amendment of Article 21. b.In partnership with NGOs, we lobbied the CDC to commit to amending the Criteria of Unsafe Sexual Behavior under Article 21. c.We instigated an educational lecture to share experiences in dealing with lawsuits against HIV-positives due to Article 21. 2. Public education that U=U means ‘Life’ like any other a. We challenged five popular YouTubers on their sex knowledge, educating on updated U=U. b. We landed media pitches to educate the public on U=U and to encourage the CDC to amend Article 21. 3. Lobbying ‘Legislation’ change via the CDC a. We showcased what U=U could affect at our press conference, officiated by the Deputy Director of the CDC.

List the results (30% of vote)

1. Changing the legacy, lives and legislation of Taiwan, people with HIV were liberated from the threat of unfair legal action. We changed the law: on 2nd July 2021, the CDC formally recognized U=U and amended the Criteria of Unsafe Sexual Behavior under Article 21. The CDC was inspired to change their communications, launching dedicated U=U public awareness collateral. 2. We decriminalized real humans and shared their stories: The Persons with HIV/AIDS Rights Advocacy Association (PRAA) shared how an HIV-positive man had been living in anguish for three years as his former partner was threatening to report him for unprotected sex, despite his viral load is undetectable and that his partner was not infected with HIV. The amendment we championed changed his life - just one of many. 3. We changed the perception of what PR can do: Our campaign ensured that 5,000 signatures were required for government consideration, prioritizing it high on the policy agenda, despite focusing on COVID-19. Three hundred earned articles were generated, with 75% of them educating the public on “U=U” or calling for the stigma around HIV/AIDS to be lifted – with social conversations around “U=U” increasing eight-fold following our press conference and an eighth of Taiwanese society being exposed to the educational video content we produced in collaboration with influencers.