News curated from other sources

Malawi rights bodies defy criminalising the transmission of HIV:  Bill deeply flawed Stakeholders have described the new HIV and AIDS Bill as ‘a bad law’ and a disaster to happen as it is discriminatory and will impede the fight against AIDS. The bill includes…

Introducing HIV Criminalization Beyond Non-Disclosure: Advocacy Toolkits on Intersections with Sex Work and Syringe Use  Webinar: Wednesday, November 15, 3:30-4:30 pm ET Join The Center for HIV Law and Policy, The National LGBTQ Taskforce, and Reframe Health and Justice Consulting for this webinar to learn about…

Endorse the CCRHC Consensus Statement: End Unjust Prosecutions for HIV Non-disclosure Posted on October 27, 2017 We find ourselves at a crucial moment in our efforts to reform discriminatory and unjust laws and practices that criminalize people living with HIV. The…

A network of organisations fights against HIV criminalisation law in Mexico Google translation (see below for original article in Spanish) Mexico, Oct 29 (EFE) .- Twenty NGOs have set up the Network against HIV Criminalization after several Mexican sates try to…

Ohio Supreme Court Rules to Uphold Outdated and Unscientific HIV Criminalization Policies COLUMBUS, OH—Today the Ohio Supreme Court ruled to continue the criminalization of individuals living with HIV. The ACLU of Ohio, The Center for HIV Law and Policy (“CHLP”),…

They will reform Penal Code to protect people with HIV Lawmakers and civil organizations agree to push for changes to article 113 Saturday, October 21, 2017 Considering that article 113 of the Criminal Code of Quintana Roo may violate the…

Stabbed, Spat At, Punched: Emergency Workers Tell HuffPost UK Why New Law Is Needed To Protect Them: Now PM backs Bill to protect 999 staff from assault A new law to protect emergency workers from assaults has won the personal…

Have an STI? What you’re legally obligated to disclose Jenelle Marie Pierce was 16 when she found out she had genital herpes. “I was made to sleep on the floor at slumber parties because people thought they were going to contract my…

Representatives of civil organizations rejected, during the forum “HIV is not a crime”, the approval of a law initiative in Veracruz and Quintana Roo that aims to punish and criminalize, by up to 25 years in prison, those who are…

Undetectable = Uninfectious. So why are people with HIV still being criminalised for having sex By now, most people in the HIV community know that having an undetectable viral load means being uninfectious. It’s just science! But this information isn’t reflected…

Governor Signs Bill Modernizing California HIV Laws October 6, 2017 CONTACT: Naina Khanna, naina.khanna.work@gmail.com, 510.681.1169 or Jennie Smith-Camejo, jsmithcamejo@pwn-usa.org, 347.553.5174 Sacramento, Calif.— Governor Jerry Brown today signed into law landmark legislation to reform outdated laws that unfairly criminalized and stigmatized people living with…

Alarming stories of physical violence, verbal abuse, forced medical examinations and detentions of LGBTI people have been emerging from Azerbaijan over the past two weeks. The signatories of this statement are appalled by the situation being described by LGBTI activists…

IT is very difficult to prove that someone infected another person knowingly with HIV and to then prosecute them, said Michaela Clayton, director of the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, last week. Clayton said this in an exclusive…

The September 2017 edition of the Positive Justice Project newsletter is available here.

Laws motivate many to avoid testing, treatment for HIV I agree with the sentiments expressed by St. Charles County Prosecuting Attorney Tim Lohmar when interviewed following the conviction this month of former Lindenwood University wrestler Michael Johnson. Missouri’s HIV-specific criminal…

HIV Criminalization Laws Are Rooted In Homophobia — An Interview with Trevor Hoppe Last week, the Missouri trial of Michael Johnson ended when Johnson pled guilty to HIV exposure to get 10 years in prison, rather than the maximum of 96 years…

CDC joins consensus on HIV that ‘Undetectable = Untransmittable’ The historic announcement has significant implications for HIV advocacy efforts. In a statement acknowledging National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) embraced a scientific consensus…

HIV Criminalization update: Some U.S. Nondisclosure Laws Advance, While Others Recede By Victoria Law From TheBody.com Table of Contents California Law Modernizing HIV Criminalization Awaits Governor’s Signature Idaho Statewide Coalition Created to Modernize HIV Criminalization Laws Massachusetts Bill Would Criminalize Nondisclosure…

Reforming HIV Laws in Texas Lone Star Justice A new coalition in Texas aims to reform HIV criminalization & find a united voice for people living with HIV by Chip Alfred It’s called the Lone Star State to commemorate a…

Gael Adrien Mbama: HIV laws must be modernized to prevent further stigmatization More than 119,589 people diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus live in California. That diagnosis alone has allowed these people to be stigmatized and receive unfair treatment under the law. Under…

Is one person to blame if another gets a sexually transmissible infection (STI)? In most Australian states, if you have certain STIs, you have a legal responsibility to notify your potential sexual partners. The NSW government last week passed an amendment to…

HIV Criminalization Beyond Non-Disclosure: Advocacy Toolkits on Intersections with Sex Work and Syringe Use, The Center for HIV Law and Policy and National LGBTQ Task Force (2017) The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP) and the National LGBTQ Task…

Moratorium requested on prosecutions for non-disclosure of HIV (Translation of article in French below) The Coalition des organismes communautaires québécois de lutte contre le sida (COCQ-SIDA) will ask the minister of Justice of Quebec on Tuesday to impose a moratorium…