HIV

• (In English)

(Pittsburgh, Wednesday, December 10, 2003) - In a decision made public today, a judge ordered Pennsylvania’s Medicaid program to approve a life-saving liver transplant for an HIV-positive man with advanced hepatitis.

(San Francisco, December 17, 2003) — After publicly admitting for months that it fired a top-notch gymnast solely because he has HIV, Cirque du Soleil told the San Francisco Human Rights Commission that some positions that don't involve bodily contact are suitable for people with HIV – such as dishwashers, food and beverage staff, office assistants, prep cooks, ushers and merchandise “hawkers.”

(Los Angeles, January 15, 2004) -Cirque du Soleil, which is set to open a month-long show in Orange County tomorrow night, is under increasing fire in Southern California for HIV discrimination, with several leading local groups joining an ongoing campaign against the company, a protest set for Jan. 22 outside the Cost Mesa show and the Los Angeles City Attorney speaking out directly to Cirque’s founder and CEO, Lambda Legal said today.

(New York, January 20, 2004) - Some of the nation’s most accomplished performers, artists and celebrities are joining a nationwide campaign against Cirque du Soleil for firing a gymnast because he has HIV, Lambda Legal announced today.

(Los Angeles, January 30, 2004) - The federal government’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which for months has been investigating Cirque du Soleil for firing performer Matthew Cusick because he has HIV, concluded that Cirque likely engaged in illegal discrimination. The EEOC’s Los Angeles District Office handled the investigation and issued the determination made public today, and will now attempt to resolve the matter before it reaches court, according to Lambda Legal, which represents Cusick.

(Los Angeles, April 22, 2004) - Lambda Legal announced today that Cirque du Soleil will pay a record $600,000 to end an HIV discrimination complaint filed by a performer who was fired last year because he has HIV. The settlement ends a nationwide campaign and a federal disability complaint filed by Lambda Legal on behalf of its client, Matthew Cusick.

(Washington, D.C, Tuesday, April 27, 2004) - Lambda Legal today urged the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to stop local VA hospitals from refusing to even evaluate patients with HIV for organ transplants, saying the current policy may cost an Iowa man his life as the VA refuses to consider him for a liver transplant because he has HIV.

(Washington, D.C, Wednesday, April 28, 2004) - Lambda Legal today said that an Iowa Veterans Affairs hospital’s decision to reverse course and consider a man with HIV for a liver transplant puts new pressure on the federal Dep’t of Veterans Affairs to require consistent transplant practices at VA hospitals nationwide.

(Washington, D.C, Thursday, April 29, 2004) - With the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs changing course and saying late last night that local VA hospitals nationwide should assess patients with HIV for organ transplants, Lambda Legal today pressed the federal agency to take immediate action and end its discriminatory policy so veterans with urgent health needs are not left in limbo.

(Atlanta, Georgia, May 20, 2004) - Armed with a favorable Equal Employment Opportunity Commission decision, Lambda Legal announced that it is filing a federal lawsuit today on behalf of a 45 year-old Georgia man after he was unlawfully fired from his job because he has HIV.