The New York City Council held a hearing on June 18, 2013, on Resolution No. 710-A, calling on the New York State Legislature to prohibit condom possession from being used as evidence of wrongdoing.

By Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal

Legal Director, The Center for HIV Law and Policy

As immigration reform comes to the forefront in Congress, public health advocates should realize that they have serious interests in this issue. Basic legal protections for immigrants would allow those who would benefit from HIV diagnosis, treatment, and other health care to safely come out of the shadows.

At the beginning of this month, we lost John Falkenberg, a uniquely brilliant, generous and funny human being.  Several of his friends wrote remembrances, and they all sound a strikingly similar theme.  We reprint them here to honor, in a very small way, a very big life.

By Catherine Hanssens, Executive Director, CHLP 

As visionary and organizer Bayard Rustin observed, the proof that one truly believes is in action. John Falkenberg was a true believer. 

By Susan Rodriguez, Founding Executive Director, SMART, Inc. 

He was truly a giant among us, a genius and a brilliant human being who was as humble as he was smart.

By Joseph Sonnabend, MD

Those of us who knew him have lost the very best of friends. 

By Oscar Mairena, Manager, Policy & Legislative Affairs and Viral Hepatitis, NASTAD

This month, Congresswomen Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) introduced bipartisan legislation, HR1843, the Repeal Existing Policies that Encourage or Allow Legal (REPEAL) HIV Discrimination Act.

By Christina Rodriguez, SMART Youth

Christina Rodgirquez, a founding member of SMART Youth, chose HIV disclosure, relationships and criminalization as the topic of a recent speech she delivered as part of a college course. We think it's worth a read.

by Catherine Hanssens, Executive Director, CHLP

The passage of this resolution is a major marker on the road to reform and justice for many people and communities affected by HIV.

By Catherine Hanssens, Executive Director, CHLP

Now that antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea has made its way to North America, and treatment advocacy organizations are positing the question of whether microbicides can replace condoms for preventing HIV transmission, we thought it time to offer a brief primer on gonorrhea, courtesy of the CDC. 

by Catherine Hanssens, Executive Director, CHLP

Not long before he died, Spencer Cox reflected on what he learned from his decades as an AIDS treatment activist. "You make your life as meaningful as you can make it.  You live it and don't be afraid of who's going to like you…You worry about things like being kind...if it's not about that, what the hell is it about?"

By Catherine Hanssens, Executive Director, CHLP

HIVMA has joined the growing group of medical and public health organizations that have taken a public stand against the health and human rights disaster of HIV criminalization.  Will federal public health officials catch up?

by Gavin Myers, Legal Intern, CHLP

What does it mean to be an HIV activist in 2012? Is grass-roots activism alive and well? 

The Washington Post featured an op ed by Sir Elton John this week supporting the ACLU's work for improved treatment of HIV+ prisoners. 

by Catherine Hanssens, Executive Director, CHLP, and Rashida Richardson, Staff Attorney, CHLP

For many women forced to negotiate the parallel epidemics of HIV and domestic violence, ignorance about HIV can prove to be an additional excuse for physical violence against them.  

by Darcy Kues, Legal Intern, CHLP

Though many young people spoke positively about their experiences at the recent XIX International AIDS Conference, others said their contributions were undervalued. What barriers stand in the way of youth fully participating in the HIV advocacy landscape? How can we guarantee that youth voices are heard and respected in the national HIV/AIDS conversation? 

Margo Kaplan, current professor and former CHLP staffer, reacts to recent Gawker post on how "Magic" Johnson became HIV-positive.

by Rashida Richardson, Staff Attorney, CHLP

The final report of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law, representing 18 months of investigation, convenings, comment solicitation and review of the scientific literature, addresses the role of the law around the globe in both protecting and punishing people living with HIV.

The Center for HIV Law and Policy's updated mapping of HIV criminalization laws shows the far-reaching harms of government ignorance about HIV — and news outlets are paying attention.

by Adrian Guzman, Staff Attorney, CHLP

Three minutes is not a lot of time. After a few rehearsals, I found that three minutes is roughly the amount of time it takes to read out loud a page of single-spaced text. I was hoping to stretch my three minutes to three and a half, even four. But the timekeeper was on his game, so it looked like three minutes was all I was going to get.