There are many things a person who is HIV-positive can share with a partner, such as skills, knowledge and love.
This is the message that French advocacy group AIDES is trying to spread on World AIDS Day, with "Revelation" - a series of black and white photos depict an HIV-positive individual sharing their expertise with a partner.
It is a little-known fact that when on treatment with anti-retroviral drugs, HIV-positive people can reach a point where they may no longer transmit the virus, even with unprotected sex.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) is a condition that can cause AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). There is no vaccine or cure for HIV, however there is highly effective treatment. Scientific research has shown that people living with HIV who are on treatment, and who have had an undetectable viral level of HIV in their blood for six months cannot transmit HIV to a HIV negative person during sex.
"It is our responsibility to reveal this information to the most people possible," says Aurélien Beaucamp, president of AIDES, tells Ad Week.
"What weighs most on the quality of life of HIV-positive people today is not the virus. It's the daily discrimination they have to suffer."
The photos, which were taken by Mathieu César, show people sky-diving, dancing, playing the piano and scuba-diving while naked.
"Fearing rejection, many people refrain from having sentimental or sexual relations," Beaucamp says.
"They no longer dare talk about their pathology and avoid taking their medication in public. All these situations lock them up in a form of auto-exclusion, which is truly detrimental to their quality of life and capacity to take care of their health."
The ads feature the tagline, "HIV-positive people on treatment have a lot to pass on. But not HIV."
