The HIV Podcast

In this episode of African Voices, Sarah and Jess travel to Botswana to explore the remarkable legacy of former President Festus Mogae, whose leadership helped shape the country's response to HIV and left a lasting impact far beyond its borders.

Sound credit: Audio excerpt from UNAIDS' tribute to former President Festus Mogae, published 11 May 2026.

Tribute to Former Botswana President Festus Mogae - YouTube

Sources

Botswana - Wikipedia

HIV | UNICEF Botswana

Botswana's shuttered dreams | New Internationalist

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final part of our three-parter, Sarah and Jess explore the role of the Catholic Church and the Irish government during the HIV epidemic in Ireland. At a time when fear, stigma and misinformation were rife, how did religious influence, political decisions and attitudes towards sex and sexuality shape Ireland’s response to HIV? Join us as we uncover what happens when politics, religion and public health collide.

Submit your questions for our sexpert! The HIV Podcast - Ask Us Anything: Sex, Dating & HIV

Sources

Information and Education Programme on AIDS: Motion. – Seanad Éireann (18th Seanad) – Thursday, 25 Feb 1988 – Houses of the Oireachtas

AIDS, Sexual Health, and the Catholic Church in 1980s Ireland: A Public Health Paradox? - PMC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second of our three-parter, Sarah and Jess are heading behind the walls of Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison to explore what happened when the HIV epidemic reached Ireland’s prison system. From fear and stigma to the challenges of preventing HIV in prison, we uncover a difficult chapter of Ireland’s HIV history and ask what happens when a public health crisis meets a prison system struggling to respond.

Submit your questions for our sexpert! The HIV Podcast - Ask Us Anything: Sex, Dating & HIV

Sources

The Second Sentence: AIDS in Dublin’s Mountjoy Prison – Nursing Clio

AIDS / HIV crisis in Mountjoy Prison in the 1980’s – Exploring the history of prisoner health

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first of this three-parter, Sarah and Jess are heading back to 1980s Ireland to explore the early days of HIV and the brilliant work of Gay Health Action (GHA).

At a time when fear, stigma and misinformation were everywhere, GHA stepped up, challenged attitudes and helped get vital information out to the people who needed it.

Join us as we uncover the stories, the activism and the people who weren't afraid to make a bit of noise when it really mattered!

Submit your questions for our sexpert! The HIV Podcast - Ask Us Anything: Sex, Dating & HIV

Sources

HSE launches new campaign to address HIV stigma in Ireland

Remembering Ireland's early AIDS history | Maynooth University

Information and Education Programme on AIDS: Motion. – Seanad Éireann (18th Seanad) – Thursday, 25 Feb 1988 – Houses of the Oireachtas

Remembering Ireland's early AIDS history

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s another African Voices episode and this month Sarah and Jess are heading to Zimbabwe, where we’re shining a spotlight on the brilliant work of Zvandiri. Meaning “As I am”, Zvandiri is all about young people living with HIV supporting other young people living with HIV. We look at where it all began, how peer support is changing lives, and hear some of the voices and music behind their work.

Zvandiri: Survive and Thrive- Zvandiri

Sources

Zimbabwe - Wikipedia

HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe - Wikipedia

Audio Credits

Audio extracts taken from “AIDS Free in Zimbabwe,” “This Is Me – Zvandiri,” “Survive and Thrive – Zvandiri” and “Together Super Power.”

Audio and music featured in this episode are taken from videos and materials published by Zvandiri and the Zvandiri YouTube channel.

AIDS Free in Zimbabwe

This Is Me - Zvandiri

Survive and Thrive- Zvandiri

Together Super Power

African Voices is a year-long series from The HIV Podcast, sharing perspectives from across the African continent.

How to get involved:

We’re inviting people living with or affected by HIV to share short voice notes about what’s happening in their country, what the world needs to understand, and what education they want to share. These voice notes may be played on the podcast as part of the series.

Episodes will be released monthly, on the last Friday of each month

Voice notes may be played on the podcast

Send a voice note (max 5 minutes, no minimum) to: 07727 666791

Each country has a submission deadline, see image for details

If you’re from one of the 12 countries featured, we’d love to hear from you.

How to take part

Please send us a voice note (maximum 5 minutes, no minimum) to:

07727 666791

In your recording, please include:

• Your name (or a preferred name if you would like to remain anonymous)

• Your connection to HIV (for example: person living with HIV, peer educator, counsellor, activist, doctor, community worker, volunteer)

• The country you are in

Then tell us:

What do you want the world to know about HIV in your country?

This could include access to care, stigma, funding cuts, community realities, or anything you feel the world should understand.

What education would you like to share?

A myth to bust, a message for others, or knowledge that could help support your community.

For more information, please contact:

[email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why did HIV become so closely associated with gay men? In this episode, we go back to the years before HIV appeared to explore attitudes towards sex, sexuality and gay men, and how stigma, morality and the media shaped the way the emerging epidemic was understood.

Ask our Sex Expert Anything! The HIV Podcast - Ask Us Anything: Sex, Dating & HIV

Donate: The HIV Podcast: Together, We're Changing the Conversation

Sources

Sexual network - Wikipedia

NICE rejects long-acting HIV prevention treatment for NHS use - The Pharmacist

Our response to NICE’s decision not to recommend lenacapavir as PrEP - National AIDS Trust

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why is HIV still so often linked to the gay community? In this episode Sarah and Jess explore sexual networks, the connections between people through sexual relationships and how they can help us understand patterns of HIV transmission.

Ask our Sex Expert Anything! The HIV Podcast - Ask Us Anything: Sex, Dating & HIV

Donate: The HIV Podcast: Together, We're Changing the Conversation

Sources

Sexual network - Wikipedia

Turkish authorities launch crackdown on LGBTQ+ and HIV support groups | The Independent

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Russell T Davies, this one’s for you. From Queer as Folk and It’s a Sin, all the way back to Children’s Ward in 1993, Russell T Davies has been telling stories about HIV, queer lives, stigma, sex, shame and joy for decades. So obviously, Sarah and Jess decided it was about time we dedicated an episode to him! Plus, with his new memoir The Queerest of Folk: A Life in Television on the way, the timing couldn’t be better. Expect nostalgia, iconic telly, HIV history, lots of Russell T Davies love and, because it’s us, probably an unnecessary tangent or two.

Ask our sex expert! The HIV Podcast - Ask Us Anything: Sex, Dating & HIV

Donate: https://www.zeffy.com/en-GB/donation-form/the-hiv-podcast-together-were-changing-the-conversation

Sources

Russell T Davies - Wikipedia

Audio Credits

Audio extracts featured in this episode are taken from:

Queer as Folk — Episode 1

Written by Russell T Davies. Red Production Company for Channel 4.

Tip Toe — Episode 1

Written by Russell T Davies. Channel 4.

It’s a Sin — Episodes 1 & 4

Created and written by Russell T Davies. Red Production Company for Channel 4.

Children’s Ward (1993)

Written by Russell T Davies. Produced by Granada Television for ITV.

Extract sourced from the YouTube upload Children’s Ward 1993 (2) Part 2.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of African Voices, Sarah and Jess head to Zambia! We explore the impact of US funding cuts on Zambia’s HIV response and the controversy around health aid being used as political leverage. But we also discover UkaniManje, an incredible Zambian organisation using music to educate, challenge HIV stigma and reach young people with accurate information. From global politics to grassroots creativity, this is a story about the challenges facing Zambia’s HIV response, and the brilliant people finding new ways to make sure the conversation continues.

Reading Pride Charity Single: We Can Do Anything - song and lyrics by Lolly, Reading Pride, Wilma, Bodacia | Spotify

UkaniManje: Wake Up Now | HIV Awareness in Zambia — UkaniManje

Audio Credits

“We Can Do Anything” – Lolly, Reading Pride, Wilma & Bodacia

Music featured in this episode.

UkaniManje

Audio extracts taken from videos published on the UkaniManje YouTube channel.

All audio clips are credited to their original creators and are featured for the purposes of discussion, education and commentary.

Sources

How We Work | HIV Education and Engagement — UkaniManje

No H.I.V. Aid Without More Access to Minerals: U.S. Ponders ‘Sticks’ Against Zambia - The New York Times

US accused of ‘shameless exploitation’ over proposed Zambian health aid deal | Global health | The Guardian

Zambia - Wikipedia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Part 2 of the wonderful Ita O’Brien returning to The HIV Podcast and we’re talking all things intimacy. Ita chats with Sarah and Jess about her brilliant book Intimacy, and what her years spent choreographing some of the most memorable intimate moments on screen have taught her about sex, desire, consent, connection and our relationships with our own bodies and we also get into what all of this means when HIV enters the chat. Expect sex, stigma, awkward bits, fascinating insights and probably far too much oversharing from us. You know the drill!

Content note: This episode contains discussions of sex and intimacy; listener discretion is advised.

You can purchase a copy of intimacy here:

UK: Intimacy: A field guide to finding connection and feeling your deep desires – with foreword from Gillian Anderson: Amazon.co.uk: O'Brien, Ita: 9781529954036: Books

USA: Intimacy by Ita O'Brien: 9780593596623 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

Let’s Talk the Joy of Later Life Sex © Relate. Campaign by Relate, Ogilvy UK and Rankin.

Let's talk the joy of later life sex | Relate

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.