Home : HIV/AIDS

Over 25 years into the epidemic, Americans living with HIV/AIDS continue to face discrimination. Listen to AIDS Project Director Matt Coles talk about the ACLU's work defending people with HIV/AIDS. Podcast > > > Transportation Security Administration Refused To Hire Qualified Baggage Screener Because He Has HIV > ACLU Lawsuit Charges U.S. Department of State Discriminated Against Former Veteran Because He Has HIV > HIV & Your Civil Rights: Know Your Rights in the Workplace No one should be deprived of their basic constitutional protections of equality, privacy or free expression because they have HIV or AIDS. The AIDS Project fights to eliminate discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS in all aspects of society, including employment, housing and public accommodations. We also work to ensure that people can make informed decisions about HIV testing and treatment, and to challenge government responses to HIV that reflect prejudice rather than scientific principles.

Transportation Security Administration Refused To Hire Qualified Baggage Screener Because He Has HIV (6/11/2009)
MIAMI – The American Civil Liberties Union today filed a complaint with the Transportation Security Administration on behalf of an Air Force Veteran who was refused a job as a baggage screener with the Transportation Security Administration because he has HIV.

ACLU Lawsuit Charges US Department of State Discriminated Against Former Veteran Because He Has HIV (1/12/2009)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. State Department and its contractor Triple Canopy, Inc., of Herndon, Virginia, are denying responsibility for refusing a job to a decorated Special Forces veteran because he has HIV. The veteran, who is represented in a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union, was denied a security job with Triple Canopy under its contract to protect the U.S. Embassy in Haiti for the State Department. A motion filed by Triple Canopy late Friday confirms that the State Department contract required a negative HIV test for all employees. The ACLU charges that this requirement violates the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans for Disabilities Act.

Peace Corps Agrees To Stop Discriminating Against Volunteers With HIV (7/30/2008)
NEW YORK – After pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union, the Peace Corps has agreed that it will no longer terminate volunteers just because they have HIV. The ACLU demanded the policy change on behalf of a volunteer who was sent home from his post in the Ukraine and terminated after he tested positive for the disease.