Charlie Sheen's "HIV outing" - an invasion of his medical privacy

The Huffington Post brings to light the very poor treatment of Sheen by the media tabloids. 

 If it was any other disease, nobody would care. But because HIV is sensationalised in the media along with all the connotations of stigma, the tabloids chose to "out" Sheen over his HIV status. 

Anyone who is HIV+ will know that disclosure is a very big topic. It's also very personal. You and only you are the one who's supposed to disclose to anyone. In a work environment for example, if you trusted someone (ie a manger for example) with the knowledge that you have HIV, and the person went and told the whole place you were positive, in Australia at least that is grounds to sue.

Perhaps this may be an avenue open to Sheen now with the tabloids? They had no business investigating his confidential health issues.

Disclosure can be a minefield. At the very least you have to tread delicately. You just never know how the person is going to react. Some you expect to go off the deep end but their only concern is for you and how they can help. Others you think will handle it fine but go off the deep end. Thing is, once it's out there you can't un-tell someone. These are all issues you have to consider with disclosure, but the main thing is that disclosure is your choice and nobody else's.

He came forward one day after the National Enquirer announced that a “dogged 18-month investigation,” dropping Nov. 18, revealed he "hid" his HIV status for four years. That Sheen made his disclosure to get ahead of a tabloid magazine's report and threats of extortion encapsulates everything that is wrong with the attitude in the U.S. toward people living with the virus. 

Experts on HIV stigma and advocates for people with HIV were shocked at the notion that a publication would dedicate resources to outing someone’s HIV status. 

"Engaging in that kind of witch hunt, and suggesting that having HIV is relevant to someone’s character or personality, is like insisting the moon is made of green cheese,” said Catherine Hanssens, founder of the Center for HIV Law and Policy, an organization that defends the rights of people with HIV. "It has no bearing on current reality." 

Cecilia Chung, senior strategist at the Transgender Law Center, said that rather than casting light on a serious disease, the National Enquirer’s "exposé" on Sheen only serves to stigmatize people who test positive for the virus. 

"Unfortunately, the sensationalism and the misinformation that has been circulating has only perpetuated unnecessary stigma, preventing many people from seeking care and getting tested," Chung said. 

This is worth keeping in mind as media outlets pick apart Sheen's sexual choices, his list of previous partners or his past actions. Huffington Post