By Christina Rodriguez

A persuasive speech on HIV criminalization. Christina originally presented this speech on May 4, 2013.

by Catherine Hanssens
Executive Director, CHLP

The passage of this resolution constitutes a major marker on the road to reform and justice for many people and communities affected by HIV.

By Catherine Hanssens, Executive Director, CHLP

Now that antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea has made its way to North America, and treatment advocacy organizations are positing the question of whether microbicides can replace condoms for preventing HIV transmission, we thought it time to offer a brief primer on gonorrhea, courtesy of the CDC. 

Not long before he died, Spencer Cox reflected on what he learned from his decades as an AIDS treatment activist. "You make your life as meaningful as you can make it.  You live it and don't be afraid of who's going to like you…You worry about things like being kind...if it's not about that, what the hell is it about?"

By Catherine Hanssens
Executive Director, CHLP

HIVMA has joined the growing group of medical and public health organizations that have taken a public stand against the health and human rights disaster of HIV criminalization.  Will federal public health officials catch up?

by Gavin Myers
Legal Intern

What does it mean to be an HIV activist in 2012? Is grass-roots activism alive and well? 

The Washington Post featured an op ed by Sir Elton John this week supporting the ACLU's work for improved treatment of HIV+ prisoners. 

by Rashida Richardson and Catherine Hanssens

For many women forced to negotiate the parallel epidemics of HIV and domestic violence, ignorance about HIV can prove to be an additional excuse for physical violence against them.  

by Darcy Kues
Legal Intern

Though many young people spoke positively about their experiences at the recent XIX International AIDS Conference, others said their contributions were undervalued. What barriers stand in the way of youth fully participating in the HIV advocacy landscape? How can we guarantee that youth voices are heard and respected in the national HIV/AIDS conversation? 

Margo Kaplan, current professor and former CHLP staffer, reacts to recent Gawker post on how "Magic" Johnson became HIV-positive.

by Rashida Richardson 

The final report of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, representing 18 months of investigation, convenings, comment solicitation and review of the scientific literature, addresses the role of the law around the globe in both protecting and punishing people living with HIV.

The Center for HIV Law and Policy's updated mapping of HIV criminalization laws shows the far-reaching harms of government ignorance about HIV — and news outlets are paying attention.

by Adrian Guzman

Three minutes is not a lot of time. After a few rehearsals, I found that three minutes is roughly the amount of time it takes to read out loud a page of single-spaced text. I was hoping to stretch my three minutes to three and a half, even four. But the timekeeper was on his game, so it looked like three minutes was all I was going to get.

by Catherine Hanssens

For those who believe that the bad old days of HIV-related discrimination are over, Friday's Justice Department announcement of two settlements involving claims that health care providers refused to serve people with HIV in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) should serve as a reality check.

by Beirne Roose-Snyder and Catherine Hanssens

On the eve of this year's World AIDS Day, which had a theme of "Getting to Zero: Zero New HIV Infections. Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS Deaths," we were contacted about the latest sad story of what people with HIV still have to deal with.

by Lauren Tetenbaum, JD/LMSW, Teen SENSE Consultant

In August of this year, the New York City government announced a mandate in which schools are required to teach a semester of comprehensive ("abstinence-plus") sexual health education in 6th or 7th grade and again in 9th or 10th grade.
 

by Jodi Jacobson, Editor-in-Chief, RH Reality Check
Originally published at RH Reality Check

An article in yesterday's New York Times by Pam Belluck suggesting that injectable contraceptive use might double the risk of HIV transmission among women and their partners sent a wave of anxiety through the global public health community.

by Beirne Roose-Snyder, CHLP Staff Attorney

Last Friday, Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced H.R. 3053, the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act, which calls for review of all federal and state laws, policies, and regulations regarding the criminal prosecution of individuals for HIV-related offenses. Why is federal legislation an important piece of the decriminalization puzzle when most criminal law is made at the state level?

by René Bennett-Carlson, Managing Attorney

CHLP's René Bennett-Carlson discusses our exciting new partnership with the Hetrick Martin Institute (HMI).
 

By Hannah Slater, CHLP Intern and Heather Heldman, CHLP Program Associate

Recognizing that people are sexual, regardless of disability, is crucial to ensuring equal access to comprehensive sexual health care.