News + Events

Our Stories Podcast — Listen Now!

30/09/2020

We are very excited to announce the launch of our brand new podcast, Our Stories: Ending HIV Stigma, a podcast about women, by women living with HIV in Australia, that challenges the myths and stereotypes that feed HIV stigma.

‘Their stories are real, unfiltered and always inspiring,’ says journalist and author, Heather Ellis, who is openly living with HIV and hosts each episode.

The series is a one-on-one conversation with women living with HIV, where amazing women share stories about their life goals, navigating sex and relationships, pregnancy and motherhood. They discuss what it means to be confident in this new era of U=U (Undetectable = Untransmittable), and what this means for them.

The stories of three dynamic women are available now to listen:

• Charlotte shares her story of how, when as a young woman on a trip to Bali, life suddenly spiralled out of control. Later diagnosed with HIV, Charlotte overcame addiction, and now has three beautiful children, all born free of HIV.
• Brittney contracted HIV during surgery as a child and is now a mum herself. She tells how HIV never held her back.
• Batsirai begins her story in Africa, and continues in Australia. This revealing story highlights the importance of public discussion of HIV to encourage awareness, testing, and challenge the myths that underpin stigma.

PWV’s, Chair, Georgina Whitchurch, says: ‘These are important stories not just for women living with HIV, but for our whole community. We encourage you to listen, and to share with others.’

Our Stories: Ending HIV Stigma is an initiative of Positive Women Victoria, Australia’s only community-based HIV organisation funded to provide peer support, information and advocacy specifically for women living with HIV. This project has been supported by an unrestricted grant from Gilead Sciences Pty Ltd. Further episodes of Our Stories will be available fortnightly.

How to listen?

Never listened to a podcast before? It’s easy! You can click on the link from our website and the podcast will automatically play for you. Choose the episode you want from the titles in the menu. Pop in your headphones for comfortable listening in your own home, and privacy if you are on the go. You can listen on your computer, your smart phone, or your iPad or tablet.

Listen online at Positive Women Victoria or at Spotify, Apple, Google or wherever you download your podcasts.