Casey House eats away at HIV misconceptions

A former journalism student who struggled to keep secret her HIV-positive status is now hoping to fight the stigma one meal at a time.

To address the misconception that the illness can be spread through food preparation, Muluba Habanyama will be taking part in June’s HIV+ Eatery, a pop-up restaurant hosted by the Casey House and run by HIV-positive chefs on Nov.7 and Nov. 8 in Toronto.

According to a survey conducted by Léger Research Intelligence Group on behalf of Casey House, only half of Canadians would knowingly eat food prepared by someone who is HIV-positive.

Lisa McDonald, a spokesperson for the Casey House, Canada’s only stand-alone hospital for people living with HIV and AIDS, said while those numbers are shocking, they are not surprising.

“It is amazing how much misinformation and lack of knowledge there is out there about HIV transmission,” said McDonald. “You probably have eaten food prepared by an HIV-positive chef and they never would have been public about it because there is so much negative stigma.

“It’s disappointing but it’s also frustrating,” said Habanyama, now a freelancer. “Because you think, ‘How can we still be here?’ I’ve had HIV all my life so it’s been 24 years and were still at the same place.”

Both of Habanyama’s parents died from the illness. Her mother transmitted the virus to her at birth but she wasn’t diagnosed until the age of two. She said she’s lived under a cloud of confusion and uncertainty ever since.

“When my mom first explained it to me, is was ‘families have secrets, we don’t tell those secrets,’” she said. “I had a mentor in my life that new I was HIV-positive and made me eat off of paper plates and drink out or paper cups when I was 7 years old. It’s disheartening.”

For her part, McDonald said while they have received good feedback, the public’s reaction has not been completely welcoming.

Not all comments on the June’s HIV+ Eatery announcement made by Casey House Facebook page have been welcoming. (Casey House/Facebook)

“It’s interesting, but it’s what we wanted,” said McDonald. “It starts a conversation and

it reminds you that the stigma is still there and that is what people with HIV live with.”

Habanyama is used to dealing with negative feedback. Two years after her mom passed away from HIV, she decided to share her secret through a YouTube video.

“I had finished my first semester of journalism at Sheridan College and I was asking everyone to share their stories for class. It made me want to tell my own,” she said. “Every three days I will probably get about two comments on social media that are negative.”

Despite that, Habanyama said she is glad she revealed that she is HIV-positive.

“If you would have told me 10 years ago I would be where I am now, I wouldn’t have believed you,” she said. “Disclosing helped me understand that I was more than just a person with HIV.”

The negative comments don’t bother Habanyama anymore because she is learning to deal with them.

“I learned I can’t educate everyone, they need to want to educate themselves,” she said. “You can bring the horse to the water but you can’t force them to drink.”

At least two Ryerson students said they support think the pop-up restaurant.

“Yeah, I’d eat there,” said Brian Nguyen, who studies chemistry. “They’re just normal people with a disease, why does it even matter if someone has HIV and they make you food? It makes no difference to me.”

Biology student Morrigan Everatt has a similar opinion.

“I think it’s great. HIV-positive people aren’t any different. It’s great for the community.”

As for Habanyama, she said although she’s not much of a cook, she sees June’s HIV+ Eatery as a way to make a difference.

“They don’t need your judgment,” she said. “For every HIV-positive person you see you have to think, ‘That could be me.’”