Join Grammy-nominated Jazz composer and pianist Uri Caine and songstress Barbara Walker for tapas, cocktails, dessert and great music in an intimate townhouse setting just steps from the Brooklyn Bridge.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
6:30pm - 8:30pm

Tickets: $150

On July 13, 2010, the Obama administration revealed its proposed strategy for dealing with the HIV treatment and prevention needs of people affected by the epidemic in the United States. The National HIV/AIDS Strategy is the culmination of work and advocacy by people living with HIV, their advocates, AIDS service organizations, federal and state agency representatives, and corporate representatives, such as pharmaceutical companies,with a stake in the plan. Please check our Blog for our thoughts on the NHAS. And read the Strategy and related administration documents here: National HIV/AIDS Strategy, National HIV/AIDS Strategy Implementation Plan, and the Presidential Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Agencies and Departments.

The Women's Advocacy Resource Connection Electronic Forum (WARC E-Forum) on women's experiences with HIV launched today, July 12. The WARC E-Forum provides a unique place to report and collect the shared experiences of women and their advocates with HIV-related discrimination in the U.S. and to address the gaps in civil and human rights protections for women living with HIV. The information gathered through the WARC E-Forum will be available to help shape implementation plans for the National HIV/AIDS Strategy to help make sure that it concretely addresses the needs and rights of HIV positive women. To join the forum click here.

On June 2, 2010 a Macomb County, Michigan Circuit Court judge dismissed an October, 2009 charge brought under the state's anti-bioterrorism law against an HIV-positive man,  Allen, who was involved in an altercation with a neighbor. The court did agree with a previous Michigan Court of Appeals decision, People v. Odom, supported by information on the CDC website, that HIV-infected blood is a "harmful biological substance" as defined under the bioterrorism law because it is implicated in the transmission of HIV. An assault charge against Allen  is still pending. 

In response to the White House Office of National AIDS Policy's first report on community discussions that will inform development of a National HIV/AIDS strategy, the Center for HIV Law and Policy, Lambda Legal and the ACLU AIDS Project submitted addtional recommendations on issues that merit more attention, including strategies to end state-supported stigma and discrimination with respect to criminal prosecutions of people living with HIV and the inhumane treatment of correctional facility inmates who have HIV.

On May 10th, 2010 the Center for HIV Law and Policy and several Teen SENSE coalition partners submitted comments on the Department of Justice's (DOJ) proposed standards for the elimination of sexual assault in state and federal correctional facilities across the country. These comments emphasize that the standards should proactively address the connection between comprehensive sexual health care for youth in state custody in the areas of medical screening and care, youth education programs, and staff training, and the elimination of sexual abuse against these youth.

The Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP) has released a updated version of Housing Rights of People Living with HIV/AIDS: A Primer to include a section on the application of how an advocate can use international human rights law to support a person with HIV's right to safe, stable, and affordable housing.

On December 1, 2009, World AIDS Day, the Center for HIV Law and Policy is releasing a groundbreaking report and guide on the medical and legal issues surrounding HIV and pregnancy in the United States. The guide, HIV and Pregnancy: Medical and Legal Considerations for Women and Their Advocates, makes it clear that persistent beliefs among medical, social service, and justice system professionals that women with HIV should avoid childbearing are unsupported by medical science or the law. The guide is the first of its kind, and charts the intersecting medical, ethical, and legal issues that can arise for HIV-positive women who are or may become pregnant.

CHLP is proud to announce that Jody Marksamer, Esq., is CHLP's newest issue specialist. Marksamer joins the CHLP team as an expert in issues affecting LGBTQ youth in child welfare and juvenile justice settings.

Dr. Aronow brings significant expertise in HIV and neurology and a unique perspective on patient needs and rights.

CHLP's Executive Director, Catherine Hanssens, presented on the creation and use of CHLP's online Resource Bank.

Regan Hofmann, POZ editor-in-chief, recently sat down with Catherine Hanssens to discuss the criminalization of HIV exposure and the recent spate of prosecutions, a snapshot of which is included in a list recently prepared by CHLP.

On August 11, U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken tentatively approved a settlement that ends SSA’s policy of denying or suspending benefits based on an arrest warrant alone.

Last week, the International Center for Research for Women released a report containing analyses and recommendations from its 2009 “Sex, Rights and the Law in a World with AIDS” conference in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

A U.S. Army veteran denied a security job with a U.S. State Department contractor because he is HIV-positive has reached a settlement with the State Department that includes policy changes preventing people living with HIV from being automatically barred from working under State Department contracts in the future.

On August 21, 2009, a coalition of advocates representing women living with HIV called on the Senate and House of Representatives to address the urgent need for health care reform that specifically addresses the needs of all women affected by HIV/AIDS.

On July 16, 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice issued an announcement and fact sheet unambiguously stating that exclusion of people with HIV/AIDS from occupational training and trades that require state licensing violates federal antidiscrimination law.

This week, the Center for HIV Law and Policy (CHLP), along with thirteen organizations working to advance the health and rights of women living with HIV in the United States, sent a series of policy directives to the Office of National AIDS Policy and related federal agencies.

The Center for HIV Law & Policy has been working with a coalition of legal and public health advocates to overturn the prison sentence of Q.L.T., a woman whose sentence was extended because of the fact that she is HIV-positive and pregnant. We are happy to report that thanks to the efforts of Ms. T’s attorney, Zachary Heiden of the Maine ACLU, and the amicus brief CHLP helped to draft and coordinate, Judge Woodcock released Ms. T on bail on Monday, June 14, 2009, pending her appeal before the First Circuit.

The Center for HIV Law & Policy is conducting a brief survey to identify the legal services needs of people living with HIV in the South.