Aired Feb 23, 2023
The Second Annual HIV Criminalization Awareness Day
Repealing laws that criminalize HIV and AIDS would help to lessen the stigma of living with HIV, encourage vulnerable populations to get tested, and end the epidemic sooner. It is also an issue that impacts the fight for gender equity, racial justice, and LGBTQ+ equality as women, BIPOC communities, and LGBTQ+ people are often unfairly targeted by these decades old laws.
We hosted a conversation about this article as a part of PFLAG Connects and Something to Talk About Live on Thursday, February 23. Did you miss it? You can still watch it here!
Article: Watch the “HIV is Not a Crime” Commercial
Source: Poz
Author: Trent Straube
Questions for Discussion:
- Were you aware that having HIV was criminalized, and could result in prison sentences, in 30 states in the US? What do you think about the fact that these laws remain in effect in 2023?
- What, if anything, do you remember about the start of the HIV and AIDS epidemic in the US and across the globe? If that was before your time, where would you go to find reliable information about that period in history?
- What can we as allies and advocates do to lessen the stigma of living with HIV? What can we do to encourage people to get tested and access treatment?
Bonus Resources: Check out “‘I lost my retirement, my career, my home’: the Americans imprisoned for being HIV-positive” from The Guardian by Amelia Abraham and these resources from The Sero Project and The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
About Our Guests:
Carl Baker, Contracts & Program Monitor, DAP Health
Something to Talk About Live is a series designed by PFLAG National’s Straight for Equality program to create conversation about LGBTQ+ issues. Each week we offer an article on LGBTQ+ topics and suggest a few questions you can use to lead a discussion with your ERG, community group, or PFLAG chapter.