Glossary
Clean
"Clean" is a stigmatizing way of saying HIV-negative or STI-free that health advocates discourage in favor of neutral terms.
"Clean" has been used in sexual health settings, especially among gay and bisexual men, to describe someone who is HIV-negative or free of sexually transmitted infections. The word is now widely discouraged because it frames people living with HIV or an STI as "dirty," which fuels stigma and can discourage testing and honest conversation. Sexual health educators and LGBTQ+ organizations recommend plain, accurate language instead, such as "HIV-negative," "STI-negative," or "most recently tested on [date]." It is also worth remembering that a person living with HIV who is on treatment and has an undetectable viral load cannot transmit HIV sexually, a fact summarized as Undetectable equals Untransmittable (U=U).
Sources
Learn more: endinghiv.org.au/blog/whats-the-t-hiv-stigma
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