Understanding what you can do is essential, understanding what you can’t do is pretty important too. - Michelle Yeoh

There is a lot that consumers, for instance, can do through their purchasing power and their commitment to reuse and recycle, governments through more stringent regulations, and companies through innovative business models and a beyond-profit mentality. Everybody involved needs to work together.

Perhaps because I have lived my life in the public eye, I believe that one of the most powerful ways to combat stigma is to speak out publicly about AIDS. A lot of people don’t know the basic facts about prevention, testing, how the virus is transmitted, and why they shouldn’t be afraid of someone with HIV. If we bring the subject out into the open, I hope that people will eventually realize that HIV should not be a mark of shame.

Without leadership, it is difficult for a country to make real progress against the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. We need leadership to combat the discrimination that makes it hard for people to seek treatment if they become infected, hold a job, sustain relationships, and live active lives in their own communities.