DAMNED IF YOU DO

Knowingly Infecting Others With HIV Is A Crime. How About Doing It Unknowingly?

John Conway Hart and his North Carolina lover barebacked for two months before said partner learned of Hart’s HIV status. Now Hart could now serve four months in jail and face medical quarantine if convicted of violating a state health code against knowingly infecting another person with HIV. This may be a bad thing.

While LGBT blogger Rod McCullom points out that blacks and gays of color get prosecuted the most for such HIV laws, we wonder if such laws inadvertently discourage people from knowing their status—after all, Hart might not have been arrested if he unknowingly infected his sex partner. Another reason to repeal HIV criminalization laws?

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