RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.,
Oct. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- ViiV Healthcare announces its new
weekly podcast Being Seen, an in-depth exploration of the
role culture plays in resolving how we see ourselves and how we are
seen by others. Hosted and narrated by Darnell Moore, award-winning writer and
activist, the first season explores current cultural
representations of the queer and gay Black male experience and the
impact on their lives and society. Being Seen is
available October 6th
wherever you get your podcasts and at www.beingseenpodcast.com.
Through conversations with leading artists, writers, activists,
entertainers, and community leaders including; writer, director,
and producer Lee Daniels and
Ben Cory Jones; Samira Nasr, Editor-in-Chief at Harper's Bazaar,
and activist, writer, George M.
Johnson, ViiV Healthcare hopes Being Seen encourages
the creation of more accurate cultural portrayals of the queer and
gay Black male experience in order to reduce stigma and change
perception - impacting everything from HIV to institutional
inequality.
"There is nothing else like Being Seen in the podcast
universe for Black gay and queer men – it's a safe space and
platform for them to express themselves, share their experiences,
and bare their souls and identities freely and uncensored," said
Marc Meachem, head of US External
Affairs for ViiV Healthcare. "We think it will reduce stigma
and bring hope to Black gay and queer men who may find their story
in the stories being shared on the podcast and know they are not
alone, they are being seen – and we hope it encourages them to
write or tell their own story even if it's just for
themselves."
The project has been enriched and informed by creative
consultants and partners Emil
Wilbekin founder of Native Son; DaShawn Usher founder of MOBI; Emmy winning
producer Darius Brown; Photographers
Gioncarlo Valentine and Texas Isaiah – both of whom served as
curators for Being Seen photography. As well as the incredible
group of illustrators and photographers who either licensed work or
created original work to help bring the project to life visually
and through sound. Theme music for the podcast is Colouour by
Moses Sumney.
"Being Seen podcast is another medium through which the lives of
Black queer and trans men are uplifted and centered. Our
contributions to culture matter. The work that so many of us do on
behalf Black people matters" said Darnell
Moore. "And we have to share our stories, as different and
complex as they may be, to push back against the erasure of our
work and voices. I hope that audiences end every episode a bit more
committed to co-creating a world where the lives of all
Black people matter."
ViiV's evolving commitments to communities in the US most
disproportionately impacted by HIV, and the reality of current
times have motivated support of this new cultural
collaboration.
"Our sole focus on HIV and the HIV community for more than 10
years has given ViiV clear insights into the importance of
listening and hearing the community – and we are committed to
amplifying those voices through our work" said Lynn Baxter, Head of North America, ViiV Healthcare. "Being
Seen brings awareness to the impact of stigma on every aspect
of these individual's lives and spotlights the obligation everyone
has to end discrimination against marginalized communities,
including people living with HIV."
Being Seen expands on the insights and findings from
landmark ethnographic research conducted by ViiV Healthcare,
exploring the lives of Black gay men in Baltimore, Maryland, and Jackson,
Mississippi. This research uncovered that these men wanted
the freedom to create their own experiences and live without
labels. It also gave life to the ground-breaking experiential
theater piece As Much As I Can, created and produced by
Harley & Co and presented by ViiV Healthcare.
Being Seen is produced by Harley & Co. and
Darnell Moore and created in
partnership with ViiV Healthcare.
About Darnell Moore – Being
Seen host and producer
Darnell L. Moore is an
award-winning writer, activist, organizer, and author of No Ashes
in the Fire: Coming of Age Black and Free in America. He is
Director of Inclusion Strategy for Content & Marketing at
Netflix, editor-at-large at CASSIUS and co-managing editor at The
Feminist Wire. A prolific writer, Darnell has been published in
various media outlets including MSNBC, The Guardian, Huffington
Post, EBONY, The Root, The Advocate, OUT Magazine, VICE and others,
as well as numerous academic journals. He received the Humanitarian
Award from the American Conference on Diversity for his LGBTQ
advocacy and has been named among EBONY Magazine's Power 100, Time
Out New York's Eight LGBT Influencers, The Root 100, and Planned
Parenthood's Top 99 Dream Keepers.
About Harley & Co – Being Seen Producer
Harley & Co. is a New York
based creative studio that produces award-winning multi-platform
social justice and culture projects such as activist experiential
theater, "As Much As I Can." Their work has won numerous awards
including Cannes Lions, AD&D, Shorty for Social Good and most
recently, Fast Company's World Changing Ideas. Harley & Co. has
been featured in the NYTimes, Teen Vogue, NBC, ABC and Bloomberg,
among others, for their unique creative design and
approach.
About ViiV Healthcare
ViiV Healthcare is the only pharmaceutical company solely
focused on combating, preventing, and ultimately curing HIV and
AIDS. We exist to make sure no one living with HIV and AIDS
is left behind, and we are 100% dedicated to addressing the
challenges of the HIV epidemic. Our portfolio ambition is to make
HIV a smaller part of people lives. Beyond developing
innovative medicines, ViiV Healthcare works with communities to
address enduring disparities in HIV care and outcomes.
ViiV Healthcare is a global specialist HIV company established
in November 2009 by GlaxoSmithKline
(LSE: GSK) and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) dedicated to delivering advances
in treatment and care for people living with HIV and for people who
are at risk of becoming infected with HIV. Shionogi joined in
October 2012. The company's aim is to
take a deeper and broader interest in HIV/AIDS than any company has
done before and take a new approach to deliver effective and
innovative medicines for HIV treatment and prevention, as well as
support communities affected by HIV.
For more information on the company, its management, portfolio,
pipeline and commitment, please visit
https://viivhealthcare.com/en-gb/.
About GSK
GSK is a science-led global healthcare company with a special
purpose: to help people do more, feel better, live longer. For
further information please visit www.gsk.com.
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking
statements
GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or
projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement,
are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual
results to differ materially from those projected. Such factors
include, but are not limited to, those described under Item 3.D
"Risk Factors" in the company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2019
and as set out in GSK's Principal risks and uncertainties section
of the Q2 Results and any impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/viiv-healthcare-presents-a-new-podcast-about-the-power-of-being-seen-301143992.html
SOURCE ViiV Healthcare