EAGLE-EYED Prime Minister’s Questions viewers spotted that MPs were wearing heart-shaped badges in the Commons on Wednesday afternoon.
Labour leader Keir Starmer and members of his frontbench, as well as Tory ministers, were among those wearing the pins on their lapels.
The badges are symbols for the Terrence Higgins Trust – a charity which has provided support to people affected by HIV and other sexual health issues since 1982.
We've launched a Heart badge to mark our 40th anniversary 💙 The Heart has been with us from the start. It's a symbol of love and care towards people affected by HIV. Stars of #ItsASin, #DragRaceUK and #Heartstopper have already worn it — and you can too⬇️
— Terrence Higgins Trust (@THTorguk) June 28, 2022
The charity recently launched the badge to mark its 40th anniversary, and it has already been worn by stars of hit show It’s A Sin and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK.
“The Heart has been with us from the start. It's a symbol of love and care towards people affected by HIV,” the charity explained.
The charity is named after Higgins, who was one of the first people in the UK to die with AIDS. At the beginning of his PMQs section, Starmer paid tribute to the man who died aged just 37.
A photograph of a young Terrence Higgins
Marking the charity's 40th anniversary, which coincides with the 40th anniversary of Higgins's death, the charity's co-founder Martyn Butler OBE said: "We started the Trust almost by accident because no-one else was providing the information our community needed to protect themselves against this new virus which had killed Terry.
"I’m very proud of all that’s been achieved since in Terry’s name to empower, educate and ultimately save lives. I hope that this anniversary galvanises everyone to push through any complacency around HIV and do the work required to end new cases by 2030. What a legacy that would be for Terry."
Earlier this week, new polling data revealed that attitudes towards HIV are not progressing quickly.
Fewer than 40% of people in Britain know that those on effective treatment for HIV cannot pass the virus on to partners, the survey from YouGov suggests.
The polling of 2004 people also found that just 37% would be comfortable kissing someone with HIV.
The Terrence Higgins Trust said progress in HIV medication means people can live a long, healthy life with HIV and that 97% of those diagnosed and on treatment in the UK are virally suppressed and cannot pass on HIV.
Ian Green, the charity's chief executive, said: “This is an important moment to remember Terry and celebrate all that’s been achieved in the last four decades.
“But it’s horrifying to see the stigma that still remains all these years on.
“I’ve been living with HIV for over 25 years and there’s no risk in hugging or kissing me.
“I know that the treatment I take means I can’t pass on HIV and my husband knows that too.
“I just wish the general public was more up to date on how much HIV has changed since the 1980s.”
Supporters can get a free 40th anniversary Heart badge from Terrence Higgins Trust’s website here.
