This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences.

Paige Zhang talks about HIV and stigma. Although HIV has only been around for 30 years, this stigma is heavily prominent and important to address and correct. Part of this process is to educate the public on the need to undergo routine HIV testing.

Paige has had experience working with the S.T.O.P. HIV/AIDS project and doing HIV outreach. Here, she has encountered a lot of misconceptions around HIV -- a lot of which is hurtful and disruptive to public health outreach. She hopes that her talk will not only explain origins and causes of stigma, but also inspire others to look past misconceptions as an important way of fighting the HIV epidemic.