In this special World AIDS Day episode of HIV unmuted, the IAS podcast, poet, advocate and researcher Bakita Kasadha joins host Juan Michael Porter II in a conversation that challenges preconceived notions and redefines how we discuss and address HIV stigma. Produced in collaboration with the IAS Heart of Stigma programme of IAS – the International AIDS Society – this episode dives into the transformative power of language, art and science in reshaping the global HIV narrative.

Bakita shares her unique journey from poetry to advocacy and from being skeptical about research to becoming a groundbreaking researcher herself.

Through candid dialogue, the episode explores the nuances of internalized stigma, the limitations of rigid language norms, and the necessity of inclusive and participatory approaches in HIV discourse. Bakita and Juan Michael discuss the role of grace, nuance, and allyship in dismantling stigma and how the arts can amplify voices and stories that have long been marginalized.

This episode will leave you inspired to rethink stigma, reclaim narratives, and prioritize people in every aspect of the conversation. To find out how you can get involved this World AIDS Day (1 December), visit our World AIDS Day page.

Meet our guest:

Bakita Kasadha

Bakita Kasadha is a multi-award-winning health researcher at the University of Oxford, and poet and activist. In 2024, she was awarded the IAS biennial Prudence Mabele Prize. She was the main researcher on the award-winning HIV and infant-feeding NOURISH-UK study and co-edited the collection, HIV and Women’s Health: Where Are We Now? Her poetry, commissioned by organizations like the Elton John AIDS Foundation, has inspired initiatives such as a multimillion-pound Fast-Track Cities (London) fund to prevent HIV. She has written for TheBodyPro, NAM aidsmap, Black Ballad, Glamour and the British Journal of Healthcare Management. Her work focuses on addressing health inequities through research and the arts.

Meet our host:

Juan Michael Porter II

Juan Michael Porter II is a health journalist, HIV advocate, culture critic, educator and the host of HIV unmuted, the IAS podcast. He is the Senior Editor of TheBody.com and TheBodyPro – and the first person openly living with HIV to hold the position. Juan Michael’s reporting combines data dives, personal narratives and policy analyses to address the real-world consequences of ever-shifting legislation on people’s health outcomes. He has written for the Public Broadcasting Service, SF Chronicle, Philadelphia Inquirer, Christian Science Monitor, NY Observer, TDF Stages, Playbill, American Theatre, Time Out NY, Queerty, Anti-Racism Daily, Positively Aware, Documentary Magazine, SYFY Wire, Scholastic and Dance Magazine.

World AIDS Day special: Getting to the heart of stigma