Poz World's Hierarchy
To set our fictional “Poz World”, we chose Bumfuck—a fake town straight out of satire, located somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
This name is a perfect fit for us, directly mocking stereotypes about intimacy between men and discrimination associated with HIV.
Only in a town like this could an upside-down world take shape—a place where living with HIV is the default condition, and those who are negative face ostracism and social isolation.
Like all communities, “Poz World” has its own hierarchy. A king? Politicians? No, in this fantasy world we drew inspiration from human categories described by Aldous Huxley in his classic Brave New World.
Levels of the Hierarchy
No one in this fantasy community can advance to a higher level upon request. One must earn it and deserve it, because once you reach the top, there is no stepping down.
- Gifters (Highest Rank): Everyone's ambition, privilege of a few. They transmit the virus and take care of newly positive individuals; Huxley would call them “Alphas”—the elite leaders and architects of society.
- Positives (poz): They carry HIV but are psychologically dependent on the Gifter who gave it to them. They take no responsibility toward the community, even though they are capable of doing good. “Betas”, according to Huxley's scale.
- Undetectables: They carry the virus but “chain” it with medications, blocking transmission. They are treated like people who brag about wearing designer clothes, only to wear obvious knockoffs. Huxley would call them “Gammas”..Kids who think they are grown-ups, monkeys mimicking adults' moves.
- Bug Chasers (or simply Chasers): Negatives who crave the virus to be included into poz community; however, some are overly pushy and get marginalized even further. In Huxley's framework, a persistent chaser would be a “Delta”: conditioned solely for routine tasks and compliance, without prospects except submission.
- Negatives: They're sure not to carry the virus in their bloodstream, this condition marginalizes them totally. Destined to remain there, should they have an aggressive temperament or commit acts of violence. Huxley's structured caste system has no direct place for them.
- Unscreened: they assume to be HIV-negative despite never being tested, they despise and insult HIV-positive individuals, considering them as inferior beings — yet they unknowingly infect the whole town with viral strains from who-knows-where, risking community's virus's purity. Comparing them to Huxley's hierarchy, “unscreened” and “Epsilons” are identical: mindless, unthinking folks.
Real-World Metaphor
We created these characters and symbols to condemn, in our own way, increasingly persistent criminalization of people living with HIV.
According to public prejudice, HIV-positive people are expected to be solely responsible for others's health — whereas sex involves two (or more) individuals, so responsibility rests on all parties involved.
In most cases, people who are aware of living with the virus NEVER spread it around because treatments prevent HIV from being transmitted sexually. Viral load is suppressed and this condition is known as “U=U”, Undetectable=Untransmittable.
The real problem lies with Epsilons, or better unscreened, who consider themselves “healthy” without ever having been tested, engaging in risky behavior while relying on trust as their sole prevention method.
These are the exact same individuals who then preach against sexual freedom and homosexuality, upholding the so-called “traditional family” as the only socially accepted model.
Chaser? Gifter? These are terms related to an urban myth and subculture allegedly present inside homosexual male scene—people seeking to intentionally share HIV. But while websites discussing this subject do exist, whether it is a widespread reality remains entirely unproven.
It rather appears to be a media weapon deployed to harm and stigmatize LGBTQ+ individuals.