Lambda Legal Launches “Know Your Rights” Hub for People Living With HIV

Today, Lambda Legal launched the newest section of its Know Your Rights information hub. Know Your Rights: HIV provides information for people living with HIV people on topics such as disclosure and discrimination in housing, healthcare and employment.

Scott Schoettes, Senior Attorney and HIV Project National Director, said:

Based on calls to our Legal Help Desk, people living with HIV still face, even in 2015, continued discrimination rooted in ignorance, unfounded fear, misconceptions and outdated science.

When denied access to health care or fired from a job because they have HIV, people living with HIV will be able to turn to the “Know Your Rights: HIV” hub to provide much-needed information to help access and navigate the resources and protections that are available. This resource helps to further educate the public and end the stigma and discrimination that people with HIV encounter. Such stigma and discrimination hinder efforts to combat the epidemic.

Launched the day after the 2015 National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the Know Your Rights: HIV hub provides a wide range of information about the rights of all people living with HIV, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. 

Kyle Palazzolo, HIV Project Staff Attorney, said:

Though Lambda Legal is primarily an LGBT organization, our mission with respect to HIV covers all people living with HIV, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. We believe everyone living with HIV will find this information useful, and we hope that even more people will call our Legal Help Desk when seeking guidance.

This hub will soon be mobile-friendly as well as translated into Spanish. It includes legal and advocacy guidance on an array of issues including:

• Housing
• HIV Testing
• PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis)
• Access to Health Care
• HIV Discrimination in the Workplace
• HIV Discrimination Outside Work
• Privacy and Confidentiality
• Disclosing Your HIV Status
• HIV Criminalization
• Adoption, Foster Care and Custody
• Immigration and Asylum  

This is the sixth Know Your Rights hub Lambda Legal has launched; the others are Know Your Rights: Teens and Young Adults; Know Your Rights: Transgender; Know Your Rights: LGBT Employees & Employees with HIV; Know Your Rights: In Court; Know Your Rights: Life & Financial Planning and Know Your Rights at Work. The organization is planning additional Know Your Rights hubs in the coming year.

Read the press release.