AIDS 2018 CONFERENCE UPDATE REPORT FROM AMSTERDAM POSITIVELY AWARE SEPTEMBER+OCTOBER 2018 Eric, Robert, Toni-Michelle, and NINA areG AMON The advOCATES WORKING TO change THE laWS THAT criminalize PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV [DE]CRIMINALIZING HIV HEPATITIS C BEHIND BARS BREAK PRISON HEALTH THE IS PUBLIC HEALTH CHAINS POSITIVELY AWARE For pagination purposes, this page has been intentionally left blank. ➤ F RRONT coVE backstorY Advocates assemble in Atlanta BY RICK GUASCO No sooner had he gotten home to New York from the international AIDS conference in Amsterdam than Robert Suttle jetted down to Atlanta to be photographed with fellow HIV criminalization advocates Erik Paulk, Nina Martinez, andToni- Michelle Williams for the cover of P OSITIVELY AWARE. T he 39-year-old engaging in private consen- Shreveport native has been sual conduct, without regard living with HIV for 15 years; to whether or not measures for him, HIV criminalization is are taken to prevent HIV a personal issue. exposure and transmission; “My life was nearly without harming anyone, or destroyed by a grossly unjust intending to harm anyone, I HIV prosecution and convic- could face up to 10 years of tion,” he says. “I served six imprisonment. months in a Louisiana state “This has consequences,” For pagination purposes, this page prison under an HIV non- Martinez adds. “Women liv- disclosure charge.” ing with HIV like myself are has been intentionally left blank. As assistant director of at increased risk of violence, the Sero Project, Suttle coor- sexual coercion, and can be exacerbated the epidemic. “Criminalization of HIV has dinates a nationwide network trapped in unsafe circum- As such, current practice is made it harder for people ➤ of HIV criminalization survi- stances because of HIV non- bad law and worse policy.” [living with HIV] to seek help vors, and makes the case for disclosure laws that are rife when they are the victim of why criminalization affects for abuse.” While the focus has been to a crime, because they risk everyone living with HIV. “modernize” HIV criminaliza- being arrested. We must chal- “Every person living with Eric Paulk, 38, is an HIV policy tion laws—that is, replacing lenge the state and utilize its HIV is just one misunder- organizer for the LGBT advo- current statutes or reducing resources to take care of the standing or disgruntled cacy organization Georgia penalties from a felony to a people directly impacted.” ex-partner away from finding Equality. “Black communities less serious misdemeanor, him or herself in a courtroom,” and other marginalized com- Toni-Michelle Williams An HIV and civil rights activ- he says. “A minor infraction of munities are more vulnerable wants to see these laws ist himself, photographer the law or negative encounter to being victimized by the removed altogether. “When Johnnie Ray Kornegay III pro- with law enforcement while criminal justice system than we modernize laws we leave duced the shoot and photo- HIV-positive could lead to a other communities,” he says. loopholes for the folks who graphed the cover. Kornegay felony conviction, a lengthy Paulk points out that laws are most marginalized and is founder of Staticc Art & prison sentence, public sham- criminalizing HIV don’t take impacted by them,” she says. Life, an arts company. Special ing and/or registration as a into account the medical The Atlanta-born thanks to the Center for Civil sex offender.” science surrounding HIV, and 27-year-old is a leader- and Human Rights museum have been ineffective in con- ship development and in downtown Atlanta, which “Georgia is a state in which taining the virus. “The CDC accountability coach at the served as the location. 54,000 people living with acknowledges that there is Solutions Not Punishment HIV are my neighbors,” says ‘effectively no risk’ of sexually Collaborative (SNaP Co). Nina Martinez, 35, a steering transmitting HIV when on “Transgender women committee member of the treatment and undetectable,” suffer from profil- MORE INFORMATION T he Sero Project: seroproject.com Georgia HIV Justice Coalition. he points out. “These laws ing, exposing them to Georgia Equality: georgiaequality.org Martinez acquired HIV have failed to accomplish their sexual harassment and Georgia HIV Justice Coalition: through a blood transfusion intent of reducing the preva- undignified searches thegeorgiacoalition.wordpress.com when she was six weeks old. lence of HIV. In fact, there that could result in an Solutions Not Punishment Collaborative: snap4freedom.org “Our state’s HIV non-disclo- have been no significant pub- arrest if they are carry- Center for Civil and Human Rights: sure statute makes it a felony lic health benefits or reduc- ing condoms,” she says. civilandhumanrights.org crime for me not to disclose tion in the HIV epidemic—if Williams pointed out Staticc Art & Life: staticc.com my HIV positive status before anything, these laws have the need for change. PSO ITivelY AWARE SEPTEMBER+OCTOBER 2018 3 POSITIVELY AWARE JOURNALISM. INTEGRITY. HOPE. Jeff Berry E-NDITOR I -CHIEF @ PAeditor Enid Vázquez assoCiaTE EDITOR @enidvazquezpa Rick Guasco CVREATI E diRECTOR @rickguasco PRO O FREADER Jason Lancaster CN O TRIBUTing WRITERS David Durán, Jim Pickett, Michelle Simek, Andrew Reynolds, Warren Tong PGhoTO RAPHERS Johnnie Ray Kornegay III John Gress Chris Knight A dvERTISING MANAGER Lorraine Hayes [email protected] DR isT IBUTION MANAGER & SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES Denise Crouch [email protected] AD woRL PosiTIVELY AWARE OF HIV AND RELATED CONDITIONS. SINCE 1989. PUBLISHED BY 5537 N. BROADWAY CHICAGO, IL 60640-1405 (773) 989-9400 FAX: (773) 989-9494 [email protected] positivelyaware.com @PosAware TP AN was founded in 1987 in Chicago as Test Positive Aware Network, when 17 individuals gathered in a living room to share information and support in response to the HIV/AIDS ribbON-COVERED bridge epidemic. PosiTIVELY AWARE is IN AMSTERDAM DURING THE the expression of TPAN’s mission AIDS 2018 CONFERENCE. to share accurate, reliable, and timely treatment information with anyone affected by HIV. PHOTO: 4 SEPTEMBER+OCTOBER 2018 POSITivelY AWARE SEP+OCT 2018 VOLUME 28 NUMBER 6 positivelyaware.com @posaware ER VE Y ISSUE TIS H ISSUE 3 BREAK THE CHAINS 28 FRONT COVER BACKSTORY [DE]CR IMINALIZING HIV Prison health HIV decriminalization is public health advocates assemble in Atlanta. The case for testing and 16 treating hepatitis C in prisons. Ending criminalization REBY AND W REYNOLDS 6 of HIV THE CONVERSATION We are destined to win. ‘Deploy, or get out’ from an BY ROBERT SUTTLE 35 Army doctor’s perspective. Learning to stay 2GETHER 18 How to have a good 7 He said, she said— relationship as a male couple. E DITOR’S NOTE and what the law says ÁBY ENID V ZQUez HIV Is Not a Crime and me. A doctor who works with people with HIV who are incarcerated looks at two cases. 38 8 BY CHAD ZAWITZ, MD Howling out art BRIEFLY through eyes of love The first single-tablet regimen Artist Michael Payne’s work containing a protease 20 gets published at AIDS 2018. inhibitor—Symtuza—is A matter of culture BY ENID VÁZQUez approved by the FDA. PrEP and rights development guidance. CDC Two activists discuss struggles updates TB guidelines. Two in the U.S. and Mexico. CONFERENCE UPDATE: generic versions of Suboxone BY LEONARDO BASTida AIDS 2018 AMSTERDAM get FDA approval. New AND MarcO CASTRO- campaign aims to ‘Cut the BOJORQUez Stigma.’ 40 Musings from Amsterdam 23 A brief recap of my week Resources at AIDS 2018. You care about HIV BY JEFF BERRRY criminalization—you just don’t know it yet. 45 Report roundup 26 A look at some of Crossroads: the findings presented. HIV and social justice ÁBY ENID V ZQUez Q&A with The Sero Project’s Sean Strub BY JEFF BERRY 48 S till kicking O N THE COVER: Eric Paulk, Mosaic HIV vaccine shows HIV policy organizer at Georgia immune responses one year Equality; Robert Suttle, assistant after final vaccination. director of The Sero Project; BY Warren TONG Toni-Michelle Williams, leadership development and IAS - accountability coach at the JL I Solutions Not Punishment D Collaborative; and Nina Martinez, steering committee member of van N the Georgia HIV Justice Coalition Photographed by Johnnie Ray RTE Kornegay III at the Center for Civil M © A and Human Rights in Atlanta. PSO ITivelY AWARE SEPTEMBER+OCTOBER 2018 5 THE CONVERSATION JOIN US ‘D EPLOY, OR geT OUT’ that patients with blood-borne Legal, to respond regarding the —AN ARMY DOCTOR’S diseases are generally considered military’s policies: PERSPECTIVE non-deployable. Again, I enjoy your journal, but “That is but one of the justifications positivelyaware Fir ST OFF, I am an active duty just wanted to make sure that for this discriminatory policy—one Army Infectious Disease provider statement was clarified as in this that is easily knocked down. While and a large portion of my time day and age, it seems that it will it would be ideal if all soldiers could @posaware goes towards care of HIV-positive be easily construed that this was donate blood, there are various soldiers. I wanted to start by a Trump administration policy, reasons a soldier could not do so saying I generally enjoy your which is technically inaccurate. (including if they are a man who POsitiveLY AWARE journal but Thank you for your time and has had sex with another man in [email protected] wanted to clarify something in the hope you have a great day! Keep the past 12 months). The very small July + August issue. up the great work! percentage of deployed soldiers PSO ITIVELY AWARE On page 11, it states “Under — AARON FARMER who are HIV-positive will not have 5537 N. the ‘Deploy or Get Out’ policy insti- MAJOR, U.S.