Piętno (nie)zawinione – historia dziecięcej stygmatyzacji
The Unearned Mark: The History of the Child Stigma

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to shed light on cases of stigma among the youngest victims ofthe AIDS epidemic, a topic that Polish readers may not be familiar with. Since the verybeginning of the AIDS epidemic, hemophiliacs have been classified as belonging to theso-called highest risk group, next to homosexuals, drug addicts, and prostitutes. In the ageof hysterical anxiety centered around HIV, young hemophiliacs quickly became the subjectof social repression and persecution.An extremely valuable material that shows the strength of the social stigma, as seen andexperienced from the perspective of a young patient, is Ryan White’s diary documenting hisillness. Ryan’s autobiography illustrates perfectly the development of a negative mythologyconcerning the disease and reveals its destructive potential. The portrayal of the young hemophiliacis a compendium of knowledge about the social mechanisms of stigmatisation,and in particular of strategies aimed to control fear.

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