front of a room filled with journalists and cameras, immunologist Fernando Aiuti leaned toward Rosaria Iardino, a 25-year-old woman living with HIV, and kissed her on the mouth.
Today, the moment may seem simple. But in 1991, it was anything but.
Fear and misinformation surrounding HIV and AIDS were widespread, and people living with the virus often faced cruel stigma and rejection. At the time, there were still questions in the public mind about whether HIV could somehow be transmitted through saliva.
Aiuti and Iardino deliberately chose to make their point in the most visible way possible. Rather than simply explaining that casual contact was not a route of transmission, they decided to demonstrate it themselves — in front of the cameras.
The photograph quickly traveled far beyond Italy, appearing on front pages in countries including Japan and Russia. The kiss became a striking symbol of the fight against fear, misinformation and discrimination toward people living with HIV.
Aiuti died in 2019 at the age of 83.
After his death, Iardino remembered the man who had shared that unforgettable moment with her, writing a farewell on Twitter and calling him “my kissing man.”
Decades later, the photograph remains a powerful reminder of how much courage it sometimes took to challenge the fear surrounding HIV.
In 1991, a doctor kissed…
