Empire star Jussie Smollett sat down with HuffPost Live and discussed AIDS prevention. He explained the danger of viewing the problem as an issue from “yesteryear” and reiterated the importance of safe sex.
Smollett: “That’s the problem with our generation as a whole that I want to really help change, is the idea that something is [from] yesteryear. We get attached to these hashtags and it becomes this social media fad. But it’s almost as if HIV/AIDS stopped being the thing to talk about before social media came around. We’ve gotta bring that back because we’re not done.”
The actor stressed the importance of knowing one’s HIV status and encouraged those who have been infected to seek proper treatment.
Smollett: “People are still being infected at huge rates. We have to remember that it’s not a death sentence. You can live with it and you can live a beautiful, wonderful life with it, but it’s also something that we can prevent. So for that, getting tested, knowing your status, being responsible for yourself and other people is so important — being honest with yourself, number one, so you can be honest with everyone else.”
Watch the full HuffPost Live conversation with Jussie Smollett here.
