You may know us for world-class HIV care. But CARES also leads the way in advocacy, research and more.
HIV Advocacy Day on the Hill
This annual event is organized by TAAN, the Tennessee AIDS Advocacy Network. It kicks off with a brunch and awards ceremony at the DoubleTree Hotel Downtown Nashville. Participants then proceed to the state capitol, where they meet with lawmakers and other select healthcare policy influencers. It’s an important way to maximize our positive impact around HIV policy and education.
The spirit throughout the day is one of hopefulness and purpose. PR and media coverage make this a high-profile event – last year’s total impressions reached nearly two million. By raising awareness, we’re able to keep the subject of health equity in the public conversation in ways not otherwise possible.
Modernizing HIV Laws
Nashville CARES Advocacy achieves legislative and grassroots victories by teaming up with the Tennessee AIDS Advocacy Network [TAAN]. Our efforts focus on creating an environment of dignity and respect for those living with HIV.
Modernizing the current criminalization laws for people living with HIV is a vital part of eliminating stigma and creating a safer, more equitable state for them to live. Together, we’ve been working on HIV law modernization for many years. The strides made over the past few years are nothing short of incredible, but clearly there’s still much more to be done.
Up until July 2023, Tennessee law stated that if a person living with HIV knowingly exposed another individual, they were subject to the penalties of a Class C Felony. That law also required that the offender be listed on the sex offender registry for a violent sexual offense. The law did not require actual transmission of HIV, nor did it draw a distinction between intentional harm, consensual relationships or protective measures that may have been taken to prevent transmission.
Nashville CARES Advocacy and TAAN brought a bill (HB0832/SB0807) to the Tennessee state legislature during the 113th General Assembly. This bill sought to eliminate the requirement that people convicted of HIV Criminal Exposure be placed on the sex offender registry. After a defeat in the House in 2022, the bills were reintroduced in 2023 with a new House sponsor. The legislation was finally approved, and the bill signed into law effective July 2023 (TCA 39-13-109).
While HIV criminal exposure is still considered a Class C Felony, the law now provides a pathway for those convicted to petition to be removed from the Sex Offender Registry. It also removes the registration requirement going forward.
Sadly, there are still other state laws on the books that unfairly criminalize people living with HIV. We strongly believe that using archaic laws to criminally punish someone simply for living with HIV is wrong. We will continue to fight for change, because we know it’s the right thing to do.
GET INVOLVED AND BECOME AN ADVOCATE
Ready to join the fight? Contact Paula D. Foster, LCSW Advocacy & Special Projects Coordinator 615-294-1319 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Register to vote HERE.
The Tennessee AIDS Education & Training Center (TN AETC) is a program of the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic (VCCC) in Nashville, TN – one of the largest comprehensive HIV clinics in the country. The TN AETC is part of the Southeast AIDS Education and Training Center (SE AETC) – an eight-state consortium that includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.
Founded in 1973, Lambda Legal is the oldest and largest national legal organization whose mission is to achieve full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work. Lambda Legal’s Help desk provides information and resources relating to discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, and HIV status.
Positive Women’s Network – USA (PWN-USA) is a national membership body of women living with HIV and our allies that exists to strengthen the strategic power of all women living with HIV in the United States. Founded in 2008 by 28 diverse women leaders living with HIV, PWN-USA develops a leadership pipeline and policy agenda that applies a gender lens to the domestic HIV epidemic grounded in social justice and human rights.
Transgender Law Center – Positively Trans (TLC) is the largest national trans-led organization advocating for a world in which all people are free to define themselves and their futures. Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, TLC employs a variety of community-driven strategies to keep transgender and gender-nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation.
Led by trans women of color living with HIV, Positively Trans addresses inequities, stigma, and discrimination nationally and in our local communities through community-driven research, leadership development, and storytelling.
The Center for HIV Law & Policy challenges barriers to the rights and health of people affected by HIV through legal advocacy, high-impact policy initiatives, and the creation of cross-issue partnerships, networks, and resources.
The SERO Project is focused on ending inappropriate criminal prosecutions of PLHIV, including for non-disclosure of their HIV status, potential or perceived HIV exposure, or HIV transmission, and on building and supporting PLHIV networks.
AIDS United advocates on a national level for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS and the organizations that serve them. TAAN is a member of the AIDS United Public Policy Council (PPC) that brings together organizations from across the United States to advocate for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS & the organizations that serve them. The Public Policy Council operates as a standing committee of the AIDS United Board of Trustees, informing the policy priorities of the organization.
As a part of its overall public health mission, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides leadership in helping control the HIV/AIDS epidemic by working with the community, state, national, and international partners in surveillance, research, and prevention and evaluation activities.
The Southern AIDS Coalition promotes accessible and high-quality systems of HIV and STD prevention, care, treatment, and housing throughout the South through a unique partnership of government, community organizations, people living with HIV disease, and business entities.
Treatment Access Expansion Project (TAEP) works to maximize access to comprehensive care and treatment for low-income people living with HIV or AIDS. TAEP’s health care access programs focus on both increasing the number of people receiving care and treatment and on improving the quality of the health care received.
The PAIGE–Memphis (Project for the Advancement in Gays’ Efforts) is an agency consisting of person-centered programming to serve the often disenfranchised, less served, and often misrepresented minority youth and in the LGBTQIA community.
Get PrEP – TN is a campaign to raise awareness about Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), an FDA-approved treatment for the prevention of HIV. PrEP is a powerful and innovative HIV prevention tool that can help more Tennessee residents live HIV-free.
The Tennessee Pride Chamber of Commerce advances common business interests, economic growth, and equality in the workplace and society for its LGBTQ+ members, businesses, and allies by providing educational, networking, and community building opportunities.
