Watch What Happens When an HIV-Positive Man Asks Strangers to Touch Him

In February, a Muslim man stood in Toronto and asked for a hug – and the video left most people teary-eyed.

Well, now a Finnish man named Janne stood in a public square with a sign that let people know he is HIV-positive.

The sign also read, ‘touch me!’

What happens next is beautiful.

Working in collaboration with Kioski, an experimental cross-media news product that is produced by YLE, The Finnish Broadcasting Company, Janne said that he wanted to do this to “show what it is like to live with HIV-related stigma and at the same time raise awareness of HIV.”

Just in time for Pride, this video should remind us all of the negative stigmas we too often adhere to on a daily basis, and how the simplest touch can break down barriers we’ve had for years.

[ad_bb1]