This may be the defining HIV issue of our time, and it is a true test of our compassion and understanding of both HIV stigma and the law.
Around the country, and without leadership or guidelines from the federal government, individual states have taken it upon themselves to draft laws that “protect” people from those of us with HIV.
Whether using bio-terrorism statutes or simple “assault with a deadly weapon,” people with HIV who do not disclose their status to their sexual partners are risking arrest and prosecution.
You’re already having a visceral response to this scenario, aren’t you? You may have the vague feeling that anyone who doesn’t disclose their HIV-positive status to a partner probably deserves to be punished. Don’t worry: you’re not alone.