About Positive Living
Published by the National Association of People With HIV Australia, Positive Living has been a trusted source of information for people living with HIV for over 30 years. It has taken many forms, a newsletter, a print magazine, and now a digital hub for news and long form journalism for and by people living with HIV
In 1989, PLWA Victoria created a newsletter and called it Positive Living. The magazine began small—four A4 pages to be precise—but the articles included in the first fledgling issues were consumed with relish by the organisation’s small but growing membership.
In the early nineties, Positive Living became a broadsheet and—in a flash of brilliance—started appearing in the Melbourne Star Observer. The move put HIV out in the community and into the forefront of people’s minds. It was part of a plan both to make distribution more cost effective and to emphasise that HIV issues were important to the whole LGBTI community, not just those living with HIV.
Editorial responsibility moved to NAPWHA in the early 2000s and the magazine became national. The subscription list grew, editors came and went, but inserting Positive Living into gay community newspapers remained the magazine’s outreach mainstay until a shifting financial landscape saw the magazine move to an online digital format.
Positive Living has always shifted with the times and had to reshape its voice and format to reflect the current landscape. What hasn’t changed is the commitment to dynamic PLHIV focused journalism and the ability to turn a trustworthy and critical eye to the issues that we face.
As we move forward, Positive Living has evolved once again, with a new look and a focus on long form informative articles written by and for people living with HIV.
