Years & Years’ Olly Alexander Promotes HIV Awareness

Years & Years singer, Olly Alexander has promoted STI testing in light of National HIV Testing Week, which commenced February 1.

Alexander stars in British TV drama, It's a Sin, which follows a group of friends (all in their late teens and early twenties; with the exception of Gregory/Gloria) who move to London in 1981 and have their lives turned upside down by HIV/AIDS, spanning a decade until 1991.

Drawing on comparisons and differences between the ’80s setting of It’s A Sin and today, Alexander pointed out that major scientific advances have been made in preventing the spread of HIV and treating people who are HIV-positive.

“There has been amazing progress in the fight against this virus thanks to the early activists who fought for research, for funding, for humanity,” he said in an Instagram video.

“This means today we have PrEP, a pill that you can take to stop you contracting HIV. We have effective medication that stops you getting sick if you are HIV-positive, and stops you from passing it on to any partners.”

Alexander also promoted the Terrence Higgins Trust, a UK HIV and sexual health charity, and promoted the free HIV testing services available in England.

“Charities like Terrence Higgins Trust are there to support you with whatever you need, whatever your result. So, let’s celebrate this amazing progress by taking a test and knowing our status.”

As part of It's a Sin’s soundtrack, Alexander and Years & Years covered Pet Shop Boys’ track of the same name.