HIV

Today, Lambda Legal and Ropes & Gray filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of 16 nonprofit organizations that advocate for people living with HIV. The brief argues in support of 19 states and DC, led by California, and the U.S. House of Representatives who are collectively defending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and appealing a ruling from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that invalidates a key provision of the ACA and threatens the law in its entirety.

Today, Lambda Legal and Immigration Equality, along with co-counsel Vinson & Elkins, submitted a letter to ICE demanding the release of two asylum seekers living with HIV who are currently detained at the IAH Secure Detention Facility in eastern Texas. The men were severely persecuted in Cuba because of their political activism and sexual orientation. They have been detained in the U.S. since October 2019.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced new guidelines for blood donations that change the current one-year deferral for donations from men who have sex with men (MSM) to a three-month deferral. While a step in the right direction, the new guidance falls short of what many recognize as the optimal policy for enhancing the safety of the blood supply while ensuring it does not discriminate against gay, bisexual and transgender people—a policy based on the conduct of the potential donor rather than the donor’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Court said that "any understanding of HIV that could justify this ban is outmoded and at odds with current science."