Charlie Sheen reveals he’s HIV positive… here’s why it matters

Charlie Sheen has disclosed that he is HIV positive.

“I am here to admit that I am in fact HIV positive and I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks, of sub-truths – very harmful … stories that are threatening the health of so many others,” the actor told NBC’s Today show on Tuesday.

He said he had learned about the diagnosis “roughly four years ago”.

“It’s a hard three letters to absorb,” he said.

Sheen also claims that he has been extorted by people who knew of his status and who demanded money to keep things quite. The actor said one incident of extortion took place when a prostitute took a picture of his antiretroviral medication and threatened to sell it.

Sheen also admitted to suffering from depression.

Now, considering an estimated 39 million suffer with HIV around the world, you might think: so what?

Well, there are a few reasons why it matters.

The lead-up to Sheen’s announcement was grotesque, filled with tabloid speculation around something that shouldn’t be any of our damn business.  It was vile and a stark reminder that this there is still a long way to go in fighting the stigma. People who suffer from HIV aren’t some ticking biological weapons.

Great advances have been made in treating the illness.  A spokesman for Britain’s Terrence Higgins Trust told the Daily Mail that anyone diagnosed is “given treatment that reduces the amount of HIV virus to an ‘undetectable’ amount, meaning HIV cannot be passed on.

These slipped out of the US Tabloid headlines, but it does not make Sheen’s announcement any less important and Sheen’s profile means he could play a major role in education about treatment for the illness.

He could also help fight stigma.  Elton John once said HIV will only be overcome “by eradicating its most deadly symptom: stigma”. And that’s exactly where Sheen could make a huge difference.

A “high profile” person having an illness that ignorant people associate with “third world problems” goes a long way to “normalising” the disease, helping people understand that it is common and nobody is immune. It’s not just a third world problem, it’s everyone’s problem.

Yes, we should be careful of lumbering somebody with being “the face” of HIV, but as the most high-profile person in the world, along with Magic Johnson, who we know to have the disease, he could help others.

“I have a responsiblity now to help a lot of other people,” Sheen said.

Sheen added that he hopes publicly admitting that he has the disease will help others shed their fear of the stigma and reach out and get help.

Sheen’s revelation matters because, sadly, “celebrities” give clout to fund raising efforts. Those funds can be distributed to countries where people are in dire need of care where the luxury of specialised treatment simply isn’t available. People are far more likely to make donations to organisations that raise funds for things they are familiar with.