FUNCTION and Maggie’s Toronto have launched Destigmatize: Voices, the next chapter of their HIV awareness platform Destigmatize.ca.
This year’s campaign–brought to life with the ongoing support of returning partner, design firm Yabu Pushelberg–aims to deepen public understanding of HIV stigma and the complexities of disclosure by using personal storytelling to show how empathy and informed action shape the experiences of people living with HIV.
Grounded in interviews with community members living with HIV, this hero film uses spoken-word narration to explore resilience, community care, and the emotional weight of stigma. Produced by Toronto-based hybrid production company Plot and directed by Eric Richards, the work shifts from last year’s educational focus into deeper emotional territory.
At the center of the piece is performer Justen Ross, a Black queer multihyphenate performing and teaching artist from Atlanta. Ross has garnered acclaim for poetry and comedy that celebrate Black queer spirituality and ingenuity–an artistic sensibility that anchors the tone and emotional register of the film.
The film opens with: “They say life goes on. Keep moving. Keep breathing. Keep quiet./So you did. So you do… Your survival into song.”
Later, the narration asks, “Do you know what it feels like to live, love and see others fully–even when the world decides to look away?”
Shot with lyrical restraint, the piece culminates in the affirmation: “You are not a diagnosis, you are a declaration.”
Maggie’s Toronto Sex Workers Action Project–supported in part by ViiV Healthacre–is Canada’s oldest sex worker justice initiative offering wrap-around services, and life-affirming care.
FUNCTION is a community-driven creative studio focused on HIV education.
