Criminalise Hate, not HIV. Fear less, live more.

In 2009, the National Association of People Living With HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) criminalisation monograph posed the question:

‘Why does criminal law treat HIV differently from other diseases? What social or cultural “filtering” of the “meaning” of HIV infection informs the decisions of complainants to complain, police to investigate, prosecution offices to pursue, and judicial officers to hear these cases and not cases of other disease transmission?’ 

 ..................

Australia’s response to HIV depends on an enabling environment which aims to limit stigma and discrimination, uphold human rights, and provide effective treatment for people living with HIV: the same people who fought both to position themselves as whole people – not victims (rejecting the patronising misrepresentation of the ‘HIV sufferer’ tag), and against binary definitions of worth (the ‘innocent’/ undeserving being children and those with medically acquired HIV, and those ‘guilty’ /deserving’ being gay/sexually active/drug using).
Link

I've never much looked into this whole subject, or thought a hell of a lot about it. Disclosure is a huge issue and extremely complex. There are so many nuances and variables involved with all the different lives. The current laws dealing with HIV behaviour are therefore like an ignorant bull in a china shop. Overkill, misdirected, and just plain wrong.

I recently applied for income insurance through my Superannuation fund. I've had so many HIV related health issues last year that I can't say exactly why I was denied cover, but I was. Which is fair enough given my health last year. What I did however find very strange was a question asking me if I had HIV or not. There was no mention of any other disease, just HIV. Being as it's as treatable now as diabetes, why the fuck didn't they ask if I had diabetes as well? Why single out HIV?

I've always tried to be as open as I can about my status, but I did have rather a bad experience earlier on in 2009 (my year of self destruction). Me and a straight guy at a local pub ended up pissed as farts one time, and long story short ended up in bed. I honestly remember very little about it. The next morning I told him of my status as I couldn't remember telling him the night before, maybe I did who knows, and he didn't remember either? He totally freaked. Went and got tested 3 months later. Done the whole bit, claimed I'd not told him before (personally I reckon I would have even when plastered). I kept telling him there was nothing to worry about (I didn't have the heart to say that his dick was so small it barely touched the sides - that I do remember) but he still kept freaking until the test came back negative. I think I freaked out those 3 months at his freak out.

I may be a bit unique in that I don't care what people think, I just tell them if I need to. If they have a problem then that's their shortcoming, not mine. There's enough shit to deal with having HIV without concerning myself with their mental inadequacies. It has however become a subject of protest by the HIV communities around the world that the current laws around the world (including in Australia) actually drive HIV underground and increase infections. 

I would encourage everyone to watch this 10 minute thing. It's a real eye opener:

And this one, Fear less, live more:

Site:

http://www.fearlesslivemore.org.au/