Despite advanced medical treatments nearly eliminating the risks of acquiring HIV and dying of AIDS, the epidemic continues — and disproportionately within the Black community.
According to the latest statistics, almost 40,000 new cases of HIV are diagnosed each year. Black Americans accounted for nearly 40% of those cases in 2023, despite consisting of just 12% of the U.S. population.
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Treatments such as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, can almost eliminate the risk of acquiring the virus. But many of those who would benefit most from taking traditional PrEP, a daily pill — or the newer, long-acting injectable PrEP administered only twice a year — aren’t taking it.
ViiV Healthcare’s GetPrEP Wisdom campaign helps raise awareness of the new medicines and to explain the differences between PrEP options. The goal is to empower individuals to talk with their healthcare professionals, loved ones and communities.
Celebrated actor and singer Jeremy Pope recently joined the campaign. Known for his stellar performances that have garnered him nominations for Emmy, Golden Globe, Grammy and Tony awards nominations, Pope has long viewed style — from the stage to the red carpet — as a powerful form of self-expression and visibility. He has brought that sensibility to the campaign by appearing in the campaign and styling the fashions that were photographed.
Pope spoke with Word In Black to discuss his work as an artist who “centers community and creating space for us all to feel seen,” and how this campaign lets him extend that advocacy to sexual health.
The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
Word In Black: This is a very important campaign. Why do you feel the need to be involved?
Jeremy Pope: Thank you for having this conversation. There can be a lot of shame and fear around sexual health, and knowing your options gives us agency. If I can offer someone an option that could save their life, I’m more than willing to be that advocate.
WIB: What do you mean when you say you want people to be PrEP Wise?
Pope: Sexual health is health. But I read that only about 25% of people who could be taking PrEP are taking it, so being “PrEP Wise” is about feeling confident in the choices you make for your body. It’s about raising one’s level of curiosity, asking your doctor, “What are my options?”
WIB: The idea that someone like you would infuse the fashion angle into the campaign is unique. How did you decide to craft the look for the ads?
Pope: I love storytelling in fashion. I come from my grandma, Ann Hardison. My grandmother’s influence showed me what it meant to put special clothes on and step out. Yes, going to church. When you put on your suit or your pearls, it means something. It reminds us that we’re not just one thing. We’re constantly evolving. This taught me self-care, self-love and self-respect, and showing up for yourself, which opened up a “world of play” and characters.
Fashion is a language for me, so every piece I wore paid homage to a queer liberator — Marsha P. Johnson, Willi Smith, Sylvester, Keith Haring. We lost so many of those icons to HIV, which made the message even more important.
WIB: We live in a country where certain people are not supposed to be seen. Do you feel that leaning into the fashion emphasizes the end of “hiding”?
Pope: What you put on your body is your armor, and mine reflected the people who fought and sacrificed. Our queer liberators weren’t hiding. You had to see them, respect them and love them.
WIB: Do you have your favorite designer, or even a favorite outfit, that you just knew you had to emulate?
Pope: At this year’s Met Gala, I wore an archival Vivienne Westwood jacket from fall 1996, corseted and beaded with pearls. The back had slashes, speaking to what Black and Brown people have endured. I see it as a juxtaposition of celebration and pain —what Black bodies have endured, and PrEP’s availability rests off of the backs of the people that we’ve lost. But good art should make you feel something, then do something. So, my hope is that this visibility prompts action, [getting] viewers to ask questions and not just notice a celebrity.
WIB: What do you want people to realize when they see this campaign?
Pope: I was given an opportunity to be an advocate, to be a vessel, to bring conversation around sexual health. And I think when we’re talking about sexual health specifically, there can be a lot of shame or silence or fear around just a conversation because it could evoke that fear. I want us to continue to have these conversations to remove that stigma and to realize that knowing your options allows us to have agency and not move in fear. That is so important. My heart goes out to people who don’t feel safe. HIV can affect anyone. Everyone is “HIV possible,” so talk to your provider or a friend and get informed.
WIB: What can we expect to see you doing in the near future?
Pope: I’m in Harlem, writing music, painting and spending time with family, so this campaign is, like, right in the right time. It’s like I have all of the space and time to talk about it and advocate in a way that feels truthful.
