As Eric mentioned, there is a stereotype in terms of who gets HIV, how they got HIV, and how they spread HIV. Those are, unfortunately, the historical accounts that have happened since the early epidemic, and they still maintain their way through. With the whole notion of criminalizing HIV as a virus, it continues to keep HIV as that dirty death sentence that is not going to change or that people aren't going to live active, healthy, long lives as people are now given the treatment and technologies that are available to individuals.
When you look at South Asian communities who test positive for HIV, for example, my staff take them to HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario or South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario after they get diagnosed and before they even go to medical care, simply because they need legal advice in terms of how they disclose, when they disclose and to whom they disclose, and so that they're supported in that process knowing that I don't want my brown folks to face that racism that exists as well as being layered with HIV on top of that.
We have a significant issue. Again, because of the whole notion of criminalization and, again, based on the few stories that are reported in the media, a lot of people are fearful of getting tested for what that means to them in their lives in Canada. Many of our folks have lost jobs, and many folks have lost families and friends, so there's more of a deterrent to go get tested, and we're open about having conversations about a manageable chronic illness, as the Public Health Agency of Canada has stated. We should act in a responsible way of not criminalizing to aggravated sexual assault and look at what the accountability framework gives for an individual who has committed a crime.
Again, if we could really speak to the stigma and the discrimination and understand why people are doing what they're doing, then we're able to get them tested sooner. We're able to get them to access treatment sooner, maintain an undetectable viral sooner and allow them to be less of a strain on the medical system as well as the legal system and the complete health care system.