Human immunodeficiency virus is also referred to as HIV, which is a virus – as the name suggests – that attacks the human body’s immune system, weakening it to the point that even the smallest cold could result in death. If HIV is left untreated, it could worsen and lead to AIDS, which is called Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. HIV can be transmitted through sexual contact, sharing needles, and contact with infected blood.

Pixabay/Pexels | No one deserves to be discriminated against over their medical history

If a mother has HIV during pregnancy then this means the child will also have it and it is transmitted through breastfeeding as well. It’s a dangerous and alarming condition but with proper care, HIV patients can live a normal life just like Rebecca Tallon de Havilland.

The Trans Woman With AIDS

Rebecca Tallon de Havilland was in her late 20s when she decided to go for gender-confirming surgery. It was 1987 and there wasn’t so much discussion about AIDS as there is today. She was excited and ready for a new chapter in her life until she was given the shocking news that she was HIV positive. Tallon stated that she came from Dublin and hadn’t experimented with risky sexual endeavors. This was because back in the day, the main transmission of AIDS was considered to be through sexual intercourse.

Pixabay/Pexels | The lack of awareness of AIDS only made matters worse

When Havilland was told about her diagnosis, she felt as if her life had fallen apart–but that was more than 30 years ago! Since the 1980s, Havilland had been targeted and oppressed after she received the label of being trans with AIDS. Now, at the age of 63, she is living her best life, raising awareness about HIV that it’s not something only gay and bisexual men can contract; it can affect women as well.

Cut Off From The World

Rebecca went on to add that ever since she had been diagnosed with AIDS, it soon became apparent that many people, including even her friends and family, started treating her differently. She recalls how she would receive fewer hugs and her dinnerware was kept separate from the rest of the family. She wasn’t able to move to the USA since the laws back then didn’t allow HIV-positive people to travel into the U.S. Even now, several decades later, she continues to live in a rented home and has never been able to secure a mortgage. This is because banks refused to lend to people with AIDS as they did not believe that they could live long enough to pay it off.

Evg Kowalievska/Pexels | But Rebecca is proving them wrong and is going strong.

Awareness of AIDS has increased over the recent years. The world wasn’t very accepting in 1980 but now, things have changed.