Would You Read a Magazine Printed With HIV Positive Blood?

An Austrian men’s magazine hopes to shatter stigma about HIV by printing their latest edition of the magazine with ink laced with HIV positive blood.

Julian Wiehl, the founder and editor-in-chief of Vangardist magazine said there is nothing dangerous about picking up his magazine and giving it a read and that is exactly the point.

“We wanted to make a statement against the stigma and the irrational fears [about] … HIV and HIV-positive people,” he said.

“If you hold this magazine in your hands it is like holding somebody who is HIV positive. Nothing can happen, nothing can harm you holding the magazine, and nothing can harm you holding an HIV-positive person.”

The HIV virus does not live well outside the body and quickly dies. To further make sure his magazine was not a risk, the team autoclaved the HIV-positive blood obtained, which they obtained from three volunteers, before mixing it in small quantities with red ink.

Even though it is not risky, Wiehl said he knows his magazine will raise questions.

“If you see the magazine . . . the first question that comes to your mind is, ‘Would I touch it? Would I take it in my hands?’ ” Wiehl said.

The special edition magazine will be German-English and sell for €50 each online. An additional 15,000 hard print editions of the magazine, sans blood, are also available.

All the proceeds from the run will go to charity.