Narratives of HIV disclosure and masculinity in a South African village

This paper describes men's experiences of disclosing their HIV status, arguing that disclosure restored their social respect, which was previously undermined by an illness from AIDS. Results are from a 14-month ethnographic study conducted in rural South African health facility, among a group of 25 men attending an AIDS support group. The men included in this study tested while they were critically ill and some were negatively labelled as 'already dead' because of their poor state of health. The majority voluntarily disclosed their HIV status to the public after recovering from the physical symptoms of AIDS. This elicited positive reaction from the community, who treated them with admiration for disclosing their HIV status. The paper emphasises the fact that the good response received by participants from the community was predicated mainly on having healthy physical looks that men gained from using antiretroviral medication. This paper then further analyses the ways in which a 'healthy appearance' facilitates disclosure of HIV status and also disrupts the stigma attached to HIV in the studied community.