"AIDS comes from unhealthy relationships..." - BBC response

As you may recall, one of my earlier posts, concerned the media portrayal of HIV and AIDS.

In my previous post, I referenced a comment made on the BBC The Big Questions programme.

I was angry that the comments made went unchallenged.

Here is what the BBC had to say, in reply to my complaint:

"Thank you for contacting us regarding 'The Big Questions', broadcast on 17 March on BBC One.
We understand you were offended by a remark made by an audience member during the programme in relation to AIDS, which you felt went unchallenged by the presenter, Nicky Campbell.
Whilst we fully appreciate your concern, having reviewed the programme, we feel Nicky did challenge the audience member about his statement. I've transcribed the relevant part of the conversation below:
Audience Member: “When God laid down the Ten Commandments, 'thou shalt not', all the time he didn’t do it to try and oppress us, he did it for good reason, like AIDS, for things like that. Now it says in the Bible.....”
Nicky Campbell: "Like what?"
Audience Member: "Like getting AIDS, AIDS culture from unhealthy relationships and things."
Nicky Campbell: "Heterosexual people get AIDS too."
Audience Member: "Well yes..."
Nicky Campbell: "But what?"
Audience Member: "The thing about it, what I am trying to say, a man should be with a woman, okay? What I see there are gay people and lesbian people..."
Nicky Campbell: "But Syphilis and Gonorrhoea and all that...."
Therefore, as you have rightly pointed out, Nicky was making the same point to the audience member in question by clarifying that it isn't only gay or lesbian people who can get AIDS (i.e. HIV which can progress into AIDS).
However, we appreciate how strongly you feel on this matter and we're guided by our audience feedback, so we’d like to assure you that your complaint has been registered on our audience log. This is an internal report of audience feedback that we compile on a daily basis and it’s made available to 'The Big Questions', channel executives and senior management.
The audience logs are seen as important documents that can help shape decisions about future programming and content.
Thanks once again for taking the time to contact us."

It remains important that where there is a negative portrayal of HIV or AIDS in the media that this is challenged.

I do not agree that the BBC, on this occasion, made that challenge.

It looked as though the presenter of the programme wanted to encourage further comment from this particular audience member.

Unfortunately, the link to HIV and AIDS in relation to sexual orientation, be it straight, gay or bisexual, was never properly challenged.

HIV transmission

• HIV can be transmitted through body fluid - blood, semen and vaginal fluid

• It can also be transmitted through the shared use of intravenous needles or the use of contaminated needles

• It can also be transmitted through breast milk.

It is time to separate sexual orientation from HIV,

There are several ways of transmitting HIV; sexual orientation is not a source of transmission of HIV

Greater awareness is required

What is important, is that everyone is aware of how HIV infection can be transmitted and the steps that can be taken to prevent transmission.

If there was a greater understanding of how HIV can be transmitted, then the old stereotypical assumptions, equating sexual orientation to the spreading of disease, would begin to fade away.