Lifting the Veil of Silence: Why Philanthropy is the Fiercest Weapon Against Health Stigma
Our Health Isn't Just Biology—It’s Biography
It’s a painful truth: our demographic details—who we are, where we live, and who we love—can often feel like a blueprint for our health outcomes. Our life story, essentially, links directly to our health story. And when certain health conditions become inextricably linked to identity, it can trigger a cycle of pain, shame, and silence.
I believe this emotional baggage is exactly what keeps us from addressing critical health crises head-on. Just look at women’s health. Before 1993, women were rarely included in clinical trials. Today, the medical field still doesn’t know how well many drugs and devices work for women.
It’s virtually impossible to have an honest, casual conversation about a universal health outcome like menopause; the stigma forces us to suffer in silence, and the lack of research speaks volumes about whose health is truly valued in science.
And this brings me to a crisis that shares that same devastating cloak of shame: HIV/AIDS. Like women’s health, AIDS is an issue too often pushed into the shadows, particularly for the LGBTQ+, Black, and other marginalized communities it disproportionately impacts.
The Power of the Elton John AIDS Foundation
This is why organizations like the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) aren't just important—they are revolutionary. For over 30 years, they’ve refused to let HIV remain a "misunderstood disease," choosing instead to use innovative philanthropy and fierce advocacy to shatter the stigma that acts as a physical barrier to care.
In the United States, roughly 1.2 million people are living with HIV, and a heartbreaking 150,000 of them don't even know it. But here’s where the systemic failure—the "biography"—comes into sharp focus: the burden of HIV doesn't fall equally. It persists disproportionately among communities who already face systemic barriers.
We're talking about Black women, men who have sex with men (MSM), drug users and people living in Southern states. These groups face discrimination and inequitable access to quality healthcare, meaning effective solutions available in the US health system remain criminally under-utilized.
PrEP Access: The Stigma Tax
When stigma exists, policy often fails. A perfect example of this systemic challenge is the under-utilization of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.
PrEP is a powerful prevention solution, yet despite an estimated 2.2 million people who could benefit from it (Kourtis, 2025), only somewhere between 400,000 to 600,000 are currently prescribed it (CDC, 2022; AIDSVu, 2024). Why the massive gap? Because systemic issues—cost, complex health navigation, and a U.S. policy ecosystem that often falls short—are all reinforced by the persistent stigma against the populations who need it most.
Stigma, or "othering," is the fuel that drives this unfair treatment based on race, sexuality, gender, or health status. When the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized groups are pushed to the edges of society, they are inevitably left out of healthcare, housing, and critical support systems.
The EJAF is fighting this "othering" by ensuring resources reach the places and people that need them most. Their work is a powerful reminder that true wellness requires us to look beyond the biology and directly address the systemic injustice and shame that affects our most vulnerable neighbors. Supporting them isn’t just good policy; it’s an act of deep humanity.