Decriminalizing HIV: 3 moves that helped ETAF secure progress in Louisiana
More than 30 U.S.states still criminalize HIV under laws written decades ago, when far less was understood about how the virus is transmitted. These outdated statutes can mean prosecution or imprisonment for people living with HIV, despite scientific advances that have transformed both treatment and transmission risk.
Louisiana just took a significant step toward changing that. On May 15, 2026, Governor Jeff Landry signed House Bill 808 into law, narrowing the state’s HIV exposure statute to conduct that poses a substantial likelihood of transmission and creating new protections for people living with HIV who disclose their status and maintain an undetectable viral load. HB808 passed both chambers unanimously, a first for an HIV criminalization reform measure in the South.
The new law, which goes into effect August 1, reflects nearly a decade of work by advocates, people living with HIV, and partners across Louisiana supported in part by FCAA member Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF). The organization recognizes that criminalizing HIV impacts people’s ability to live a free and just life, find employment or housing, and stay healthy and undetectable — particularly for women, LGBTQ+ people, and the Black community. Through its HIV Is Not a Crimecampaign, ETAF is working to overturn these laws to support the freedoms of people living with HIV across the U.S.
ETAF’s Jake Arman recently shared three strategies from their work that other funders can apply to their own efforts.
- Provide flexible, long-term funding.
ETAF has restructured its grantmaking to “empower states to plan strategically for the long term, beyond just the immediate year or shifting political climates,” Arman says. In an environment where meaningful change can take years or even decades, that long-range perspective is key. ETAF’s funding approach allows coalitions to wait for the right legislative moment and invest in proactive education in the meantime.
- Invest in bipartisan relationship-building.
The campaign’s wins “are rooted in sustained trust-building efforts and internal strategies, enabling the community to work across political aisles to garner the support needed to change HIV laws,” Arman says. Louisiana’s unanimous vote shows what that kind of relational groundwork can produce, even on issues where consensus seems unlikely.
- Celebrate incremental wins.
Big legislative wins are rare in this work. Yet even smaller legal successes can make a real difference for people living with HIV, which is why ETAF treats even smaller changes as cause for celebration. “Community input has helped us focus on deepening our impact, rather than chasing grand metrics,” Arman says. “The incremental law changes of HIV Is Not A Crime have been vital for sustaining morale and purpose, and attracting new supporters of HIV-related issues, especially at the local level.”
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE CAMPAIGN
With outdated criminalization laws still on the books in more than 30 states, ETAF’s work is far from over. As shifting political tides create new risks for people living with HIV, ETAF sees these efforts as more urgent than ever — working toward a day where no person is subjected to unjust HIV laws.
