Dec 14, 20192 min read

U=U You've seen it, but what does it mean?

U=U. Maybe you’ve seen this posted on someone’s dating profile but weren’t sure what it meant. Well you’ve landed in the right spot because we’re excited to share what U=U means and hope you’ll share the good news with your friends! When someone says or writes U=U it means undetectable=untransmittable. Cool, now let’s break that down further with the science.

The science is clear. When a person living with HIV is effectively on treatment and has an undetectable viral load, there is zero risk of HIV being transmitted through sex. Times have changed. And this is great news! The Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance presents a cute and campy glimpse into how advances in treatments for HIV are changing how we have the sex we want.

This video portrays the message of U=U, or undetectable equals untransmittable, and how it is transforming the relationship gay and bisexual men have to HIV, and to each other. The message of U=U, developed by the Prevention Access Campaign, gives an opportunity for gay and bisexual men to embrace a new era in the HIV epidemic.

U=U provides the gay community with the opportunity to reflect upon, and celebrate the successes in, the fight to end HIV, and to focus on the tools we have available to end this epidemic. Key to ending the epidemic is ending HIV stigma. An important way to address stigma is to be informed about the current realities of HIV and HIV related science.

And the science is clear, when a person living with HIV is effectively on treatment and has an undetectable viral load, there is zero risk of HIV being transmitted through sex.