#weareALLclean Campaign Fights HIV Stigma

A Twitter campaign launched by former Project Runway contestant, Jack Mackenroth has begun and it’s pretty sexy. Making use of the often-heard phrase “clean” in the gay community, Mackenroth wanted to show that HIV positive does not equate “dirty.”

#wereALLclean is gaining celebrity momentum as well — #weareALLclean is gaining celebrity momentum as well

Jack gave a quick statement behind his inspiration for the campaign on the fundraising website saying, “I was inspired by the use of the word ‘clean’, especially common in gay culture, to describe oneself as STI/STD free. Indirectly this implies that HIV-positive people are somehow ‘dirty.’ I thought a PG or PG-13 shower selfie or Vine video would be a fun way that everyone could easily show their support on social media for finding a cure by using the hashtag #weareALLclean when they post their photo with the link. They then nominate 3 other people to participate and hopefully donate to the project as well.”

HIV is back on the rise in Asia and Europe, with the World Health Organization warning that the rate of transmission has increased 80 percent in 2013 compared to a decade ago. The purpose of the campaign is to educate people on HIV, and to fundraise for the goal of a HIV cure by 2020.

If you’d like to join in on the campaign, Mackenroth listed out some general instructions:

Take a selfie or Vine video of yourself in the shower.** NO EXPLICIT NUDITY**
Post your photo on Moovz and all social media platforms with the caption “Take HIV Shower Selfie Challenge raise $$ for AIDS cure bit.ly/CUREAIDS #weareALLclean”
Challenge 3 or more other people to participate!
(Optional) DONATE!! Please consider a small donation if you are able. Every penny counts! bit.ly/CUREAIDS
On World AIDS Day: Monday, December 1st, please change all your social media profile pix to your shower selfie photo and spread the word!