When Todd Fuqua decided to start photographing people in central Indiana living with HIV, he wanted to shed light on the journey, to highlight the successes of what was once a death sentence. He also wanted to explore the history of HIV/AIDS in Central Indiana.
About 200 people turned out for the opening of the exhibit, #CelebrateUU, held at Central Library on World AIDS Day. The photos will be on display at the library through Dec. 29.
While there is still not a cure for HIV/AIDS, being undetectable is an accepted standard of measuring the health of an individual who has been diagnosed with HIV.
U=U (Undetectable=Untransmittable) is a campaign started in early 2016 by the Prevention Access Campaign as a way to define someone whose viral load is undetectable, therefore meaning HIV is also untransmittable via that person.
Fuqua, who was diagnosed with HIV in 2012, says he “came out” in 2019 about his diagnosis as part of an interview about the Damien Center. As a photographer, he wanted to share a range of stories, from Harold B., who was diagnosed in 1983, to DeOnyae-Dior V., who learned of their positive diagnosis this past July.
Fuqua sought out 25 individuals willing to have their photos taken at his studio. Most live in Marion County, which is considered a hotspot for HIV diagnoses and where there are 5,000 people living with HIV.
The subjects shared their personal statements of what U=U means to them. It wasn’t always easy to share – there is still a stigma around being diagnosed with HIV, even though treatment has come a long way in the last 40 years.
Individuals for the project were compensated for their time, thanks to a grant Fuqua obtained for the project.
One of Fuqua’s subjects, Jasmine Bell, was happy to share her story.
“I’m very open and vocal about my positive status and I want to inspire and encourage other people living with HIV that look like me that they don’t have to be ashamed, they can live a happy healthy life and not worry so much about what other people think,” Bell said.
Other subjects include Coby Palmer, the founder of the Bag Ladies who died in 2024 at age 80; Ivy Miller; Carrie Foote; and two sisters of perpetual indulgence, Sister Mira L’Amor and Sister Priya P’ss.
Fuqua wants to show these 25 photos at other events, and he hopes to find a more permanent home for the project when the new building for the Damien Center opens.
He has plans to take photos of people around Indiana as part of a second phase, and hopes to open the project to subjects around the United States.
He also encourages anyone who wants to celebrate their own U=U moments to use #CelebrateUU on their own social media posts, with the hopes of growing a movement.
“I hope that #CelebrateUU becomes a worldwide movement,” Bell said. “My hope is that people everywhere living with HIV celebrate themselves being undetectable for another year. It’s not always easy and sometimes there are barriers, but if you can maintain being undetectable that’s something to celebrate.”
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
