Dr. Peter honoured as hero in fight against HIV/AIDS

published on May 2, 2012

He’s an international symbol in the fight against HIV/AIDS, but there was a time Dr. Peter Jepson-Young’s family feared his brave step into the public spotlight would come at great peril.

Fondly known to most as simply “Dr. Peter”, Jepson-Young hosted a weekly CBC Television segment on his fatal fight with the disease in 1990 – educating people about the disease, putting a human face on the struggle and breaking down barriers during a time when AIDS patients and gay men were stigmatized and considered taboo.

His mother, Shirley Young, said Jepson-Young never had a doubt about the series but that same couldn’t be said about his family and friends.

“In the beginning, we tried very had to discourage him,” said Young, who accepted a posthumous AccolAIDS Legacy Award from Positive Living Society of B.C. on behalf of her son on Sunday. “We felt it wouldn’t be well received and would open him up for gay bashing. Even his medical colleagues were concerned, because he was really laying himself bare.”

Our work serves clients and communities across British Columbia on lands and waters cared for and nurtured by the many distinct First Nations across the province. The BC-CfE humbly and gratefully acknowledge the stewards of these lands, particularly the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) on whose unceded, traditional and ancestral territories our offices are located.

© Copyright BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
St. Paul's Hospital 608–1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 1Y6
Tel: 604-806-8477 | Fax: 604-806-9044
General inquiries: info@bccfe.ca
Media inquiries: communications@bccfe.ca
(Please do not use any of these email addresses to send personal information or book an appointment. To book appointments or contact the H2H clinic, please call 604-416-1517 or fax: 604-564-4893. Do not send your or your client's personal information via email.)

© Copyright BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
St. Paul's Hospital 608–1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 1Y6
Tel: 604-806-8477 | Fax: 604-806-9044
General inquiries: info@bccfe.ca
Media inquiries: communications@bccfe.ca
(Please do not use any of these email addresses to send personal information or book an appointment. To book appointments or contact the H2H clinic, please call 604-416-1517 or fax: 604-564-4893. Do not send your or your client's personal information via email.)

Our work serves clients and communities across British Columbia on lands and waters cared for and nurtured by the many distinct First Nations across the province. The BC-CfE humbly and gratefully acknowledge the stewards of these lands, particularly the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) on whose unceded, traditional and ancestral territories our offices are located.