{"id":28864,"date":"2015-12-01T12:00:14","date_gmt":"2015-12-01T17:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/hrc-marks-world-aids-day-with-effort-to-end-hiv-criminalization-laws-that-harm-lgbt-community\/"},"modified":"2015-12-01T12:00:14","modified_gmt":"2015-12-01T17:00:14","slug":"hrc-marks-world-aids-day-with-effort-to-end-hiv-criminalization-laws-that-harm-lgbt-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/hrc-marks-world-aids-day-with-effort-to-end-hiv-criminalization-laws-that-harm-lgbt-community\/","title":{"rendered":"HRC Marks World AIDS Day with Effort to End HIV Criminalization Laws That Harm LGBT Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

HRC Marks World AIDS Day with Effort to End HIV Criminalization Laws That Harm LGBT Community<\/b>
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Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian<\/a>, gay<\/a>, bisexual<\/a> and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, in partnership with the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and the Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP), launched a national public education campaign to sound the alarm on dangerous HIV criminalization laws and the disproportionate harm they cause LGBT people, particularly LGBT communities of color.<\/p>\n

To focus attention on this dire issue, HRC and its partners released a new video<\/a> detailing the harm of criminalization – including driving people away from potentially lifesaving testing and healthcare — and launched a website, EndBadHIVlaws.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“As work continues to end the HIV epidemic, we must also eradicate the stigma surrounding HIV – including modernizing laws that are rooted in fear, not science,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “These laws do not reduce HIV, and only serve to increase confusion and shame. When 51 percent of young gay<\/a> and bisexual<\/a> men<\/a> don’t even know they have HIV, laws that penalize people for getting tested to determine their status aren’t just outdated, they’re dangerous.”<\/p>\n

Griffin continued, “With condoms and the availability of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) regimens, individuals have more prevention options than ever.  We are pleased to be working with NCLR and CHLP on this project, which builds on our important HIV and AIDS educational efforts generously supported by the Elton John AIDS Foundation. We join our partners in the firm belief that an AIDS-free generation is within reach.”<\/p>\n

HRC will continue to work with NCLR, CHLP, and other partners at the local, state, and federal level to monitor the landscape of HIV criminalization laws and to combat efforts to further target people living with HIV. HRC stands together with the global community to fight stigmatization and end HIV and AIDS. This new video<\/a> helps to debunk myths about HIV, and to highlight the harm of criminalization, and its negative impact on the fight against HIV and AIDS.<\/p>\n

Catherine Hanssens, Founder and Executive Director of The Center for HIV Law and Policy, said, “It is a huge boost to this work to have an organization with the reach and sophistication of HRC join in this fight.  We are looking forward to great things and measurable progress.'”<\/p>\n

“Ensuring that no one is left behind means closing the gap between people who can get services and people who can’t, the people who are protected and the people who are punished,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “Stigma, discrimination and punitive approaches against people living with or at risk of HIV remain highly prevalent. They not only hurt those who suffer them, but they also threaten effective responses to the epidemic.”<\/p>\n

NCLR Policy Counsel Tyrone Hanley said: “This video<\/a> is a great collaborative first-step to raise public awareness of the harmful impact of HIV criminalization laws and ending HIV stigma. These laws hurt the most vulnerable members of society and we will continue to fight against these counterproductive laws.”<\/p>\n

Around the world, people living with HIV and AIDS continue to be targeted, harassed, and harmed by criminalization laws:<\/p>\n