PLUS drops HIV. Really a Minus?

HIV HEADLINES flavored by Josh Robbins

Here Media, Inc. announced via email to imstilljosh.com that their HIV Plus Magazine is being rebranded with the next issue as the totally unmistakeable and bold identity: PLUS.

“By eliminating the stigmatizing language from its title, Plus lets its readers know that it understands its readers are more than just their status. Plus tells its readers, “You are you, plus a little something more.”

HUH? Say, what?   

“We’re never going to stop covering HIV and the people impacted by it, but by losing those three little letters in our magazine’s title, we both open ourselves up for people to feel free to read us anywhere without worrying about how it might look and issue an invitation to readers to broaden the conversation around wider health issues, especially among marginalized groups like gay and bi men, transgender individuals, and people of color. In my mind, we’re taking America’s number 1 magazine for people with HIV and supercharging it for 2015. We’re us, plus a little something more,” said Diane Anderson-Minshall, editor in chief of Plus.

In essence, if you want to stop the stigma of HIV, just stop using the 3 letters???… cute and I’m just giving them a hard time. As you know I previously donated tons of videos to them for publication on their website.  Diane is pretty cool, too.

Let’s just hope this move doesn’t end up to be a MINUS. 

But honestly, I’m not buying it. Sorry.  You don’t decrease stigma by removing three letters. That’s hiding. Am I wrong? Do you like the name?