After he expressed interest in running for student body president. an HIV-positive student at the University of Houston-Downtown was targeted with a vicious smear poster campaign that claims he’s spreading AIDS.
The Houston Press reports that Kristopher Sharp, a social work major at UHD, first learned of the flyers when he was called into the Dean of Student’s office late last month.
On one side of the flyer: “Want AIDS?” and “Don’t Support the Isaac and Kris Homosexual Agenda” flank a photo of Sharp with an X drawn through him.
On the opposite side of the flyer: Sharp’s personal medical records revealing his HIV status.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“I was initially really devastated that this could happen,” Sharp told the Press. “What was going through my head was, ‘How quickly can I transfer?'”
According to UHD spokeswoman Claire Caton, the university was “appalled” and immediately set about collecting all of the flyers and beginning an internal investigation.
“I believe it’s an anomaly,” Caton said. “We’re really known for diversity, for welcoming all students — this hits at core of one of the central aspects of who we are. … We’re just taking all appropriate steps, and I have full confidence in UHD police. They are doing everything possible to get to bottom of this.”
Sharp admits that UHD is “somewhat less accepting of LGBT youth” but that nothing of this magnitude has ever happened on campus. “I knew, going into the election, that I could possibly be targeted because of my sexuality,”he said. “But I had no idea that it would go to this level.”
Sharp isn’t officially a candidate in the election, but he is 95% sure who committed the vandalism. Once the investigation comes to a close, however, he doesn’t want the person outed and subjected to the same shame and humiliation he’s had to experience.
“I don’t think I’m serving anybody justice by ostracizing them,” Sharp said. “Since I’ve had time to reflect, I’ve actually decided, when they find out, that I don’t really want to press any criminal charges. I just want an apology. And I’m going to wait for that.”
(h/t: Pink News)
QJ201
Someone is facing a HUGE HIPPA violation fine and possible lawsuit
Dywane
I think that charges should be pressed this person needs to feel what its like to have something similar done to them or else they dont learn a lesson that its not right to do that to someone
CAxlRose
What’s even sadder is even if Kris was neg, they’d probably still print the exact same flyer, sans the medical records.
Andrew Shirvell all over again. What a disgrace.
Eric Auerbach
Wow.
Just wow.
grr_argh
@QJ201: HIPAA only applies to healthcare providers. It’s possible that other people in Sharp’s life knew of his HIV status and blabbed to others.
TVC 15
@grr_argh: OK, so let’s say that someone who knows Sharp’s HIV status may have said it in conversation. The question is, how did the individuals who made these flyers get a hold of Kris’s private medical records? Someone at the healthcare provider that treats Kris must have handed that over to these people. That’s where the HIPAA violation comes in.
Caleb in SC
Given that this occurred in Texas, I am sure it was some born again that felt that God’s law supplanted HIPAA. I appreciate Mr. Sharp’s “turn the other cheek” philosophy, which is much more Christ-like than the actions of the person responsible for this heinous personal violation. Nevertheless, I strongly believe that he has a responsibility to the LGBT community in general, and to people with HIV in particular, to make sure that the people responsible for this are prosecuted to the fullest of the law, both criminally and civilly.
Cam
“”Once the investigation comes to a close, however, he doesn’t want the person outed and subjected to the same shame and humiliation he’s had to experience.
“I don’t think I’m serving anybody justice by ostracizing them,” Sharp said.”
______________-
That is a very stupid and dangerous attitude. Personal Medical Records are one of the pillars of Privacy in the U.S. to not have somebody punished for disclosing something even more closely guarded than criminal or credit records due to bigotry sets a very very bad precedent.
kingkuy
i applaud Isaac’s character but whoever disclosed his medical records needs to be criminally charged
that’s just ridiculous
Ogre Magi
I am so sick of christians and all the crap they pull
Merv
I realize this is a minor point, but in order to be consistent with the twisted “Want AIDS?” question, shouldn’t the poster be advising support rather than non-support of the candidates?
QJ201
@grr_argh: and clearly a healthcare provider did not have adequate security for patient records or someone in the office passed along the file. Regardless, violation.
lab
his more christian then the christian’s attitude is admirable but the doormat part is not helping him or other gays.
why gay people even go to texas colleges is beyond me
alterego1980
Whether he wants to press charges or not is almost irrelevent now, which would be what? defamation? slander? It won’t matter. Someone should go down for stealing the medical record and making it public.
LubbockGayMale
Does Shrub attend UH? Seems like something his kin or buddies would do… come to think about it, maybe Cheney has folks there.
Teleny
FERPA violations bring Federal charges.
JRPActor
MAJOR STRESS turns HIV into AIDS. My previous boyfriend had an accident with my car and hit two cars after my insurance had lapsed. His health was good, but after the accident and the two insurance companies suing him CAUSED DEVISTATING STRESS. His health declined rapidly and died.
#1-I hope we don’t discover this young man did this to himself for publicity, or for sympathy.
#2-If this was a former boyfriend/roommate/classmate and they attend this school it should lead to IMMEDIATE EXPULSION!
#3-People today can live with HIV like others live with Diabetes or chronic pain or illness.
It is no longer a death sentence – AND IF ANYONE HAS UNPROTECTED SEX WITH ANYONE – THEY ARE EQUALLY AT FAULT FOR CONTRACTING THE DISEASE. A new medication has revealed that a PERSON WITH HIV on THIS MEDICATION cannot transmit the disease. There are currently worse STD’s out there that antibiotics can not even cure!
#4-We all carry BAGGAGE…anyone interested in running for an office or going for an Oscar should know and prepare for the day their baggage is revealed!
GOD BLESS ALL OUR YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN WITH HIV – THAT THEY LIVE A NORMAL, HAPPY LIFE FULL OF LOVE AND HAPPINESS!
MuscleModelBlog.com
From what I understand, HIPPA violations are a serious offense. It’s very interesting that he doesn’t want to press charges and just wants an apology…but you could also argue that pressing charges would show others that this sort of behavior is not acceptable. It’s a tough call…
MarvelUs
It sounds like that old song, “All My Exes Live in Texas” some forlorn losers bullying and guess what, because they are alone and miserable. What sort of lowlife puts on a show like these homophobes are doing. I say WIN! WIN! Kristopher Sharp: you can do it and all of us non-idiots are on your side, and we love you for what you are doing.
Charli Girl
lol.t.hats hilarious..HPD actually getting off their soap boxes to do something for a gay person…Really?
Born and raised here..that IS SOOOOOO not going to happen unless Anisse Parker knows and ORDERS them to do it!!!
grr_argh
The patient also receives a document indicating whether his test is positive. It is also entirely possible that those who made the fliers got their hands on that document kept by Sharp, which I’m sure he stores in a less secure location than the ones used by medical facilities.
ecllips
@Ogre Magi: WOW, and I am sick of people like you who blame a group of people who weren’t even mentioned in this and may be completely innocent and you have no evidence what so ever to back up your claim that it was Christians. For all we know it could be a former lover who may or may not have gotten HIV from him. With a statement like yours I wouldn’t be shocked if you were racist and sexist as well. I am sick of bigoted gay guys like you “And all the crap they pull” Giving other gay people a bad reputation.
Samantha
Just my 2 cents, but…not all “Christians” are evil. I consider myself a Christian and was born and raised in texas, and I think what happened to this young man is deplorable. (It may help that I’m not the Westboro/”southern baptist” type of Christian that LGBT is a “sin” or are damned. In fact, I believe the scripture cited to support anti LGBT rhetoric is out if context and/or misinterpreted by the feeble minded.)
Anyway…not all of us are hateful, spiteful, mean spirited people. The person that did this to this young man may or may not hide behind God and scripture, and may even label themselves as Christian, and that’s on them. I’m just saying some of us are good and loving people who don’t judge a person by whether they prefer “innies” or “outties”.
Personally, I hope the state presses charges despite whether this guy does.
queerty1958
I thought we had kind of moved on from things like this…especially at a place of higher learning. Maybe those people need to put the football down and go to class to fill their heads with actual knowledge!
Derek Williams
Religion, the scourge of the homosexual.
Samuel
people are bigoted and gays and hiv poz people are no exception.
I am a young(relatively) 30 yr old south asian who was elected to the board of the AIDs committee of the Major Canadian city and the moment the gays realized a south asian immigrant had been nominated to the board, they passed a no confidence motion along with the support of other coloureds (non south asian), after which I was forced to resign.
bigotry is bigotry, anyone can have it, hiv poz people, gay people, black people.
HirsuteOne
@grr_argh: Of course that’s possible, but the story says his personal medical records were copied on the back of the flyer. That implies a copy of a page from a medical file, not “Kris has HIV” written in crayon.
heydavis
There’s no doubt that at least one head should roll: the person who copied his medical record! Expulsion if a student, firing if an employee!
The poster itself is so trite.
“Homosexual Agenda”??? Some years back I called the infamous Westboro Baptist Church (unfortunately the evil ass Fred Phelps was not available) and asked them to send me a copy of the frequently-mentioned “homosexual agenda”, as I told her I’d like to read it and decide for myself whether or not to donate to their cause (as if!). This supposed paragon of righteousness secretary merely hemmed and hawed and couldn’t even make an attempt to explain this theoretical “agenda” to me, in fact had NOTHING to say or send. What a bunch of crackpots! The lowlife who made that poster should be asked the same question in court!