'People are still afraid of those three letters': Fighting the stigma of HIV

Retired rugby star Gareth Thomas, who is HIV positive, came to Rio de Janeiro's famed Ipanema Beach to participate in a campaign called "Tackle HIV." Ian Cheibub for NPR hide caption

RIO DE JANEIRO -- "People are still afraid of those three letters," says Gareth Thomas, a former Welsh rugby star.

He's talking about HIV. Thomas became a global champion for people living with HIV when he announced that he was HIV positive in 2019.

Since then, he has been a strong advocate for sharing knowledge about the virus –- and what it's like to live with it.

This summer, he came to Rio de Janeiro to participate in the International AIDS Conference and to spread his message as part of the Tackle HIV campaign .

That message resonates with another advocate: Welton Gabriel, a 36-year-old event organizer from Sao Paolo.

Sitting in a bar overlooking the world-famous Ipanema beach, Welton Gabriel recalled the night 12 years earlier when he learned he had tested positive for HIV.

When Welton Gabriel told close friends that he was HIV positive, many cut contact. "They did not want to talk with me," recalls Gabriel, who is now an activist combating the stigma of HIV. He was photographed during the AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this summer. Ian Cheibub for NPR hide caption