Snap out stigma photovoice project in the U.S. South

BACKGROUND: The purpose of SNAP Out Stigma (SOS) was to design and implement a community-based intervention to reduce HIV-related stigma for people living with HIV (PLWH) in the Deep South. This region is a subset of 9 states including Memphis, Tennessee (project site) driving the epidemic in the United States. The purpose of this paper is to explain how PLWH in the U.S. South used Photovoice to communicate stigmatizing lived experiences and contextualize their intersection with multi-level sources of support. METHODS: PLWH attended one-on-one and/or group sessions with other PLWH. In Session 1, PLWH received a project overview, met other participants, received a camera and camera training, completed a standardized internalized stigma scale, discussed experiences of internalized stigma, and were instructed to take 3–10 pictures that captured stigma. In Session 2, PLWH discussed the pictures and their meaning. In Session 3, PLWH expanded on what they shared in previous sessions in a one-on-one interview. Thematic analysis captured key patterns of how PLWH experienced stigma. RESULTS: Forty-seven PLWH attended Session 1 and were issued a camera. Of those, 35 completed sessions 2 and 3. Participants self-identified as cis man who has sex with men (n = 18), ciswoman (n = 5), transwoman (n = 10), and non-binary (n = 2). Four emergent themes intersecting with internalizations of stigma were identified including: medical, social support, church, and self. CONCLUSIONS: The SOS intervention created a safe space for PLWH to share lived experiences of stigmatization. Photovoice facilitated discussion topics ranging from healing and recovery to overcoming factors of social determinants of HIV. We identified trauma-informed growth as an area of future programs for PLWH. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-08147-3.