Fw: Last chance to sign on! Fight the criminalization of people livingwith HIV

[Guest guest]

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&TFrom: "Coco Jervis, CHAMP" <champ@...>Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:30:51 -0400 (EDT)<nelsonvergel@...>Subject: Last chance to sign on! Fight the criminalization of people living with HIV Dear , I wanted to send a quick reminder that Tuesday, September 30 is the deadline to sign on to this community letter, which calls on the CDC to adopt a communications strategy to combat dangerously misleading information concerning the transmission and communicability of HIV. Click here to read and sign the letter. In solidarity, Coco Jervis Director of Policy Dear , Join us in calling on the CDC to adopt a communications strategy to combat dangerously misleading information concerning the transmission and communicability of HIV. Click here to read and sign the letter. This summer people living with HIV in the U.S. have faced a wave of criminal charges for activities with extremely limited or no risk of HIV transmission: May 2008: An HIV positive man in Texas is charged with using his "infection as a weapon" after biting a police officer during a scuffle with a security guard. May 2008: Another HIV positive man in Texas is charged with assault with a "deadly weapon" after spitting at a police officer and receives a 35-year sentence. July 2008: An HIV positive woman in Georgia is sentenced for 3 years in prison for spitting in another woman's face. August 2008: A New Hampshire man of unknown HIV status is forced to pay a fee for an HIV test of a police officer he is accused of spitting on. The media has picked up these stories, framing the accused as maliciously trying to spread the disease, even in cases where transmission is impossible. This spreads misinformation, threatening to undo decades of community education efforts. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have long said that saliva, tears, or sweat do not present an appreciable risk of HIV transmission, but severe sentences have been upheld for people living with HIV in the U.S. It's time for the CDC to support the work of advocates in this fight against the senseless criminalization of HIV positive people in the U.S. You can help! CHAMP is calling on the CDC to adopt a communications strategy to combat dangerously misleading information concerning the transmission and communicability of HIV to counter these criminal prosecutions of people living with HIV. Join the community sign-on letter to add your voice to the effort. Click here to read and sign the letter. The deadline for signatures is September 30th. For more information, please contact me at 212.937.7955 x 50 or coco@.... In solidarity, Coco Jervis Director of Policy Home | Subscribe | Donate | Unsubscribe 32 Broadway, Suite 1801, New York, NY 10004 Tel: 212.937.7955 • Fax: 401.633.7793 • E-mail: champ at champnetwork.org www.champnetwork.org