Nathaniel Hall on Battling HIV Stigma, and the Success of It's a Sin

By Dylan Mann-Hazell, Content Writer at myGwork.

For many who lived through the horror of the 1980s AIDS epidemic, the past four decades have been like holding their breath, never finding an outlet for all the pent-up trauma and shock they’ve been forced to repress. Since the release of the five-part Channel 4 series It’s a Sin, not only are the injustices of this epidemic finally being unearthed to younger generations, but it has also, crucially, sparked a conversation about providing proper support for those living with HIV now.

It's a Sin tells the story of a group of friends living through this period, grappling with the tumultuous effect the disease has on their lives. Setting aside the global critical acclaim and rave reviews, the impact of this show was beyond the expectations of even its creators. The Channel 4 streaming service ‘All 4’ announced that It’s a Sin broke records by becoming its most binged new series ever. Within weeks of the series finale, the sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust reported that 8200 HIV testing kits were ordered within one single day, completely surpassing the previous record of 2800. The show received numerous awards, and was nominated for 11 BAFTAs. It is evident how strongly this drama resonated with its viewers.

Nearly three years on from the ground-breaking drama, I talked with actor and activist Nathaniel Hall about the success of the show, and the continued stigma of HIV. In the show, Nathaniel played Donald Bassett, the boyfriend of protagonist Ritchie Tozer (Olly Alexander). Despite a busy schedule, with regular performances of his HIV-focused show First Time, Nathaniel was happy to discuss the ins and outs of working with prestigious scriptwriter Russell T Davies, the process of working on a show like this, and his experience of living with HIV in the 21st century. I started by asking Nathaniel about the pressure of portraying a story that had rarely been touched upon in UK television before. He insists that he felt no pressure as such, but instead felt honored to be offered the opportunity to take part in such a historic production.

Image Credit: Nathaniel Hall

 “I have lots of friends who lived through that period, so it felt very important to be able to tell those stories respectfully” he said. “I know that for lots of people, it was a really cathartic experience. We received thousands of messages just saying ‘thank you’. There was a sense that these stories had been forgotten and I think for a lot of people who were affected at that time, it felt very much like it was a validating experience to see it on mainstream TV and for it to receive the warmth that it received. Because in the past, our stories haven't received that warmth.”

He explains how even the writers and producers were shocked at the sheer level of positivity the show received. Despite having confidence that they were telling a good story, they did not anticipate that this famously unpopular topic of discussion would attract the worldwide attention it did. Those who lived through this era and remember the terrifying BBC advert of a gravestone with the grim narration “AIDS will be the death of you” will understand the extent of the stigma and fear attached to this disease. Nathaniel speaks fondly of producer Russell T Davies and his determination to remove that stigma, providing accurate, meaningful queer representation, and prioritizing realistic storytelling. Queer as Folk and Cucumber are among the shows he praises; “Russell tells them so well, and with such love, and warmth, and humor, and sexiness, and he doesn't shy away from reality.”

The influence It’s a Sin had on the discussion of HIV, and opening up conversations about testing, PrEp medication and understanding how to stay safe, was also a matter of extreme importance to Nathaniel. He opened up about the experience of living with HIV for eighteen years and the ongoing battle to reduce the stigma surrounding it. Upon hearing the media still talking about the show many weeks after the final episode aired, he felt proud to be a part of a project that has had such a long-lasting impact, but also wants to ensure younger viewers are aware of how much medicine and treatment has evolved since the 1980s. “You have to remember that It's a Sin shows a history. It shows some of the old things. It's important to remind people how HIV has changed.”

During the promotion for It’s a Sin, Russell T Davies put forward his view that he will only cast LGBTQ+ actors for his LGBTQ+ parts. This caused an uproar in the media, with many people believing that the sexuality of the actor should have no impact on the roles that they are hired for. However, many rallied behind him, Nathaniel among them, arguing that sexuality already plays a part in how queer actors are treated in the industry, and this approach would just level the playing field.

  “I've said this for very many years: LGBTQ actors for LGBTQ roles!” he remarked. “To say that a straight person can play that better than I can is a fallacy. People often think it’s being accepting of gay people. Actually, as a gay man, I often feel very ostracized. I go to auditions to play a straight person, and people say, ‘Well, you can't play a straight person because you're gay, and you're too effeminate’ and those roles are given to straight people. But then when a gay role comes along, that's given to a straight man as well. And I just wonder if I'm welcome in this industry?”

 The actor goes further, asserting that queer stories are better in general if they are performed and created by queer people. “Take It’s a Sin, you can see straight away all LGBTQ characters are played by LGBTQ people, and they’re great performances because we understand inherently what it feels like to live as a sexual or gender minority. We understand those hardships, they just come through naturally without having to be forced.”

The reaction to It’s a Sin tells us a lot about how the world is changing, but Nathaniel highlights that the fight to destigmatize HIV is still on-going. Before being taken in by Channel 4, both the BBC and ITV refused to produce the show, despite Russell T Davies’ reputation as a successful writer. Davies revealed to Pink News in 2021 that ITV told him that they “weren’t that kind of channel yet.”, suggesting that the attitude towards HIV and AIDS is still one of fear and ignorance. Nathaniel discusses how discovering his status changed his life, and how to overcome the continued shame perpetuated towards people living with HIV.

 “It's very hard for people understand that a virus doesn't have morality in the way that humans do. We place that morality on it. Even within the HIV community, there's this idea that somebody who has had lots of partners is deserving of getting HIV, whereas somebody like myself, who got it from my first time, is just an innocent victim in that exchange, which is not how I see at all.” He compares the disease to COVID-19, in that it is just an infection that will find any way it can to grow and spread, and the circumstances through which a person receives it are of no consequence to the virus, and therefore irrelevant in the fight against it.

Image Credit: Nathaniel Hall

Nathaniel believes the stigma surrounding HIV in the UK is also linked to attitudes towards sex, and most particularly, attitudes towards gay sex. Though laws and social etiquette have changed since the days of It’s a Sin, the same toxic bias towards queer people and their sex lives remains prevalent to this day. “I spent 15 years in silence. I internalised the external voices, saying that ‘You have gay sex, therefore, you deserve it,’, and all those messages that we absorb by osmosis. I carried this cloak of shame over me all the time, and it impacted my life in such negative ways. Someone once said to me, ‘Shame is an absolutely pointless emotion. Regret is important. If you regret something you've learned from it, you think in future, I'll do it differently. You learn and you grow. Shame just hangs over you and impacts you negatively.’ So, one of the ways we can move away from that is to openly say: ‘This is who I am. This is my life.’”

What with the overwhelmingly positive reaction to It’s a Sin and an increasing number of famous figures feeling comfortable sharing their status and becoming vocal activists, Nathaniel has an optimistic vision for the future, and how younger generations will come to perceive HIV.

 “When you can see somebody else like you living authentically and happily, then that's when the magic happens. Being visible is so important. That's why I went on this journey to do this, and there are so many other people who do it amazingly. We've got Billy Porter, Gareth Thomas, Jonathan Van Ness, loads of people doing this kind of work. I'm just one small piece of that puzzle.”

Join myGwork for our World AIDS Day panel on December 1 at 16:00 GMT, where we will talk with people living with HIV about their experience in the workplace, the progress of HIV testing/treatment, and the work that still needs to be achieved.

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