Dee Borrego is a 30-year-old woman, who since being diagnosed with HIV at the age of 20 has been on the forefront national HIV/AIDS activism. For Visual AIDS, Borrego has written an essay in which she talks about the anger and frustration she had towards her ex upon learning about her status, and how she has come to learn that HIV Criminalization is wrong for everyone – especially people living with HIV. The essay is part of the Visual AIDS Play Smart program, an honest and straightforward approach to promote dialogue and action around harm reduction, HIV testing, PEP & PrEP, and other contemporary issues such as HIV Criminalization and No Condoms as Evidence. To learn more: Play Smart
Moving from potential complainant to anti-criminalisation advocate
News curated from other sources

Senegal: New bill further criminalises LGBT people as well as advocacy and funding with major implications for civil society
Government tightens repressive measures against ‘unnatural acts’: Advocacy now punishable by imprisonment
February 19, 2026

New Zealand: Government backs U=U, opening door to reform of HIV non-disclosure laws
Burnett Foundation Aotearoa welcomes the Government’s decision on U=U
February 16, 2026

Senegal: Following recent arrests, the National AIDS council calls for an approach based on science and human rights
The CNLS warns against judicial and social excesses
February 15, 2026

US: Ryan White’s mother calls for HIV law reform in Indiana
Decades after Ryan White, Indiana still criminalizes HIV
February 11, 2026

US: New Williams Institute analysis shows HIV criminalization disproportionately targets Black communities
Black Americans are disproportionately criminalized for living with HIV.
February 8, 2026
News by the HIV Justice Network

2025 in review: more reported cases, uneven reform
January 7, 2026



