via Housing Works, by Julie Turkewitz
For Tracy Johnson, 22 and HIV-positive, romance often begins at a karaoke bar. There’s music, conversation and innocent touching. He’s at ease until it’s time for the first kiss—that’s when he leans in, pulls out the document and asks the object of his affection to sign, indicating he’s shared that he has HIV.
That piece of paper, he believes, could save him from years behind bars if a partner ever alleges that he didn’t disclose his status. He carries it everywhere.
“I was scared,” said Johnson, a medical assistant and motivational speaker from Cleveland. He typed up the document after seeing a string of media reports about judges throwing HIV-positive Ohio residents into prison for non-disclosure. “I’m young, I don’t want to go to jail, so I want to cover myself at all angles.”
Read the rest.
For Tracy Johnson, 22 and HIV-positive, romance often begins at a karaoke bar. There’s music, conversation and innocent touching. He’s at ease until it’s time for the first kiss—that’s when he leans in, pulls out the document and asks the object of his affection to sign, indicating he’s shared that he has HIV.
That piece of paper, he believes, could save him from years behind bars if a partner ever alleges that he didn’t disclose his status. He carries it everywhere.
“I was scared,” said Johnson, a medical assistant and motivational speaker from Cleveland. He typed up the document after seeing a string of media reports about judges throwing HIV-positive Ohio residents into prison for non-disclosure. “I’m young, I don’t want to go to jail, so I want to cover myself at all angles.”
Read the rest.
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