田納西州因針對愛滋病毒陽性者數十年的處罰而面臨聯邦訴訟
2023 年 10 月 25 日 / 美聯社
訴狀稱，田納西州是唯一一個如果在感染愛滋病毒期間從事性工作被定罪則強制終身登記為「暴力性犯罪者」的州。
2020 年位於田納西州納許維爾的田納西州議會大廈。Mark Humphrey / 美聯社文件
田納西州納許維爾——週二，LGBTQ 和民權倡導者提起聯邦訴訟，質疑田納西州嚴厲的賣淫法規，認為該法律源於數十年的愛滋病恐慌，並且歧視愛滋病毒陽性者。
美國公民自由聯盟和變性人法律中心代表四名原告和 OUTMemphis（一個為 LGBTQ 人群服務的非營利組織）向孟菲斯美國地方法院提起訴訟。這些團體認為，愛滋病毒是一種受保護的殘疾，對愛滋病毒感染者實施更嚴厲的懲罰違反了《美國殘疾人法》以及其他憲法保護。
OUTMemphis 執行董事 Molly Quinn 在一份聲明中表示：「這項法規僅針對某些人們，因為他們患有愛滋病毒，並使他們陷入貧困循環，同時對公共健康和安全帶來的好處絕對為零」。「愛滋病毒恥辱正在成為過去，現在是州法律迎頭趕上的時候了」。
州長比爾·李、總檢察長喬納森·斯克梅蒂、田納西州調查局局長大衛·勞施和懲教署署長弗蘭克·斯特拉達都被列為本案被告。代表該州的總檢察長辦公室發言人週二沒有立即回覆透過電子郵件發送的置評請求。
在田納西州，賣淫長期以來被定為輕罪。然而，1991 年，隨著愛滋病流行引發恐慌，有關預防的錯誤訊息盛行，田納西州立法者頒布了一項加重賣淫罪的法規，該法規屬於重罪，僅適用於感染愛滋病毒的性工作者。該法律後來於 2010 年被重新歸類為「暴力性犯罪」，要求被定罪的人面臨終生性犯罪者登記。
2022 年，美國疾病管制與預防中心報告稱，35 個州制定了將愛滋病毒暴露定為刑事犯罪的法律，最初旨在阻止愛滋病毒傳播，但宣稱其中許多法律「已經過時，不能反映我們目前對愛滋病毒的理解」。疾病預防控制中心也指出，黑人和拉丁裔社區——尤其是這些群體中的同性戀和雙性戀男性——繼續受到不成比例的影響。同時，同樣的標準並不適用於其他傳染病。
多年來，一些州已採取措施廢除愛滋病毒刑法，例如伊利諾伊州於 2021 年廢除了所有針對愛滋病毒的刑法。同年，新澤西州和維吉尼亞州廢除了所有針對愛滋病毒的重罪法律。
然而，週二的訴訟稱，全國各地剩餘的許多法律助長了與愛滋病毒相關的揮之不去的恥辱，阻礙了檢測和自願披露。
「在制定了專門針對愛滋病毒的刑法的州，報告自己在過去 12 個月內接受過愛滋病毒檢測的高危險群數量與媒體對愛滋病毒暴露行為定罪的報導數量呈負相關」，申訴者稱。
訴狀中的四名原告都名叫簡‧多伊 (Jane Doe)，她們都至少被判犯有一次嚴重賣淫罪，此後一直面臨著必須登記為暴力性犯罪者的挑戰。一名原告稱，她的鄰居在登記名單上發現她的愛滋病毒感染狀況後，她受到了騷擾。另一位原告多年來一直在努力奮鬥於尋找符合田納西州性犯罪者登記要求的住房。
「註冊要求和限制是如此難以遵守，以至於有時 Jane Doe 1覺得她別無選擇，只能繼續從事性工作以求生存，因為找到穩定的工作太難了，尤其是作為跨性別女性」，訴狀稱。
另一名原告目前因違反性犯罪者登記要求而被監禁，儘管有資格，但他選擇不尋求假釋，因為遵守登記之要求變得是如此的繁重。
根據訴狀，田納西州目前有 83 人因嚴重賣淫而被登記。其中大部分定罪發生在孟菲斯所在的謝爾比縣。起訴書稱，這些定罪主要是由孟菲斯警察局組織犯罪部門在針對街頭的性工作者進行的臥底誘捕行動所發起。
Tennessee faces federal lawsuit over decades-old penalties targeting HIV-positive people
Oct. 25, 2023 / The Associated Press
Tennessee is the only state that imposes a lifetime registration as a “violent sex offender” if convicted of engaging in sex work while living with HIV, according to the complaint.
The Tennessee state Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., in 2020.Mark Humphrey / AP file
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — LGBTQ and civil rights advocates on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit challenging Tennessee’s aggravated prostitution statute, arguing that the law stems from the decades-old AIDS scare and discriminates against HIV-positive people.
The sweeping complaint details how Tennessee is the only state in the United States that imposes a lifetime registration as a “violent sex offender” if convicted of engaging in sex work while living with HIV, regardless of whether or not the person knew they could transmit the disease.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Transgender Law Center filed the challenge in the U.S. District Court in Memphis on behalf of four plaintiffs and OUTMemphis, a nonprofit that serves LGBTQ people. The groups contend that HIV is a protected disability and that singling out people with HIV with harsher penalties violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as other constitutional protections.
“This statute solely targets people because of their HIV status and keeps them in cycles of poverty while posing absolutely zero benefit to public health and safety,” said Molly Quinn, executive director of OUTMemphis, in a statement. “HIV stigma is becoming a thing of the past, and it’s time for state law to catch up.”
Gov. Bill Lee, Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch and Department of Correction Commissioner Frank Strada are all named as defendants in the case. A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, who represents the state, did not immediately return an emailed request for comment on Tuesday.
Prostitution has long been criminalized as a misdemeanor in Tennessee. However, in 1991 — as the AIDS epidemic provoked panic and misinformation over prevention was prevalent — Tennessee lawmakers enacted an aggravated prostitution statute, which was a felony and applied only to sex workers living with HIV. The law was later reclassified in 2010 as a “violent sexual offense,” requiring those convicted to face lifetime sex offender registration.
In 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 35 states have laws that criminalize HIV exposure initially designed to discourage HIV transmission but declared that many of these laws were “outdated and do not reflect our current understanding of HIV.” The CDC also pointed out that Black and Latino communities — particularly gay and bisexual men within those groups — continue to be disproportionately affected. Meanwhile, the same standards do not apply to other infectious diseases.
Over the years, some states have taken steps to repeal their HIV criminal laws, such as Illinois, which repealed all of its HIV-specific criminal laws in 2021. That same year, New Jersey and Virginia repealed all their felony HIV-specific laws.
Yet, Tuesday’s lawsuit alleges that the many remaining laws throughout the country have contributed to lingering HIV-related stigma that has discouraged testing and voluntary disclosure.
“In states with HIV-specific criminal laws, the number of at-risk individuals who report they have been tested for HIV in the past 12 months negatively correlates with the number of media reports on the criminalization of HIV-exposing behavior,” the complaint states.
The four plaintiffs in the complaint, all named Jane Doe, were all convicted of aggravated prostitution at least once and have since faced challenges from having to register as a violent sex offender. One plaintiff reported being harassed after her neighbor discovered her HIV status on the registry list. Another plaintiff has struggled for years to find housing that complies with Tennessee’s sex offender registry requirements.
“The registration requirements and restrictions are so difficult to comply with that that at times Jane Doe 1 has felt she had no option but to continue to engage in sex work to survive, since it was too difficult to find stable employment, particularly as a transgender woman,” the complaint states.
A separate plaintiff is currently incarcerated for violating a sex offender registry requirement and has chosen not to seek parole despite being eligible because complying with registry requirements has become so onerous.
According to the complaint, 83 people are currently registered for aggravated prostitution in Tennessee. The majority of those convictions took place in Shelby County, which encompasses Memphis. The complaint then alleges that the convictions were largely initiated by the Memphis Police Department’s Organized Crime Unit in undercover sting operations on street-level sex workers.