The stigma

In 1994, Greek director Alexis Bistikas was the first public figure to openly admit that he was suffering from AIDS. A year later, this charismatic man, who was already known for his brilliant work, passed away, aged 31. It was preceded by the death of the then known fashion designer Billy Bo (real name Vassilis Kourkoumelis) in 1987.

In Kathimerini, we followed Bistikas' difficult path toward his passing closely, as his mother, Eleni Bistika, was a journalist at the newspaper, and supported him every step of the way.

A retrospection and an assessment of those times occur effortlessly but also stiflingly. Apart from the emotional load, experiential or reflective, what steps have we taken as a society in these four decades since "the new scourge" became visible in Greece as well?

On the occasion of World AIDS Day on Friday, we read in Kathimerini what we know as...