Being in the design industry, I’ve tended to meet more people who are affected by HIV and AIDS.

The speaker links professional milieu to social exposure: working in design has brought him into closer contact with people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. The remark implies that industries with strong urban, creative, and LGBTQ+ networks historically intersected more visibly with the AIDS epidemic, especially in the late 20th century. It also gestures toward how personal awareness of a public-health crisis is often shaped by one’s community and workplace rather than by abstract statistics. As a result, the quote can be read as a modest claim of proximity and empathy—suggesting that familiarity through colleagues and friends can deepen concern and reduce stigma.