Update HIV laws to reflect new hope
Tennessee has HIV-specific laws, those laws are not in line with modern and correct science. These laws were enacted in the late 1980s and early 1990s when much of the population was frightened about the transmission of HIV.
Both the CDC and NIH have come out in support of the U=U campaign. U=U is Undetectable equals Untransmittable. If one is on medicine and has an undetectable viral load, one is unable to sexually transmit the HIV virus. Spreading the message of U=U will help diminish stigma surrounding HIV.
By reducing this stigma, hopefully, one will get tested, know one’s status, get care and work toward an undetectable viral load.
Initially, when one is informed one is HIV+, one is scared and emotionally at a loss. Life is over; hope is lost. But I have been HIV+ for 33 years; my life’s not over. I was a high school teacher in Florida and Syria. Now, I try to use my experience, strength and hope to educate and comfort newly diagnosed individuals.