Pennsylvania is Decrimnalizing HIV Sex When There isn No Risk of Exposure
Ronda Goldfein, executive director of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, speaks at a July 16 press conference about SB45. by Lauren Rowello Philadelphia Gay News Undetectable= No Transmission Ronda Goldfein, executive director of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, speaks at a July 16 press conference about SB45. For more than 30 years, people living with HIV/AIDS could face felony charges in Pennsylvania based solely on their HIV status. As the statutes currently read, sex work related charges — referred to as prostitution in the penal code — are misdemeanors. But people living with HIV facing sex work related charges could have their charges enhanced to felonies, even in circumstances when HIV transmission isn’t possible. That will soon change thanks to Senate Bill 45 (SB45), a rare bipartisan win that will update the way the state approaches sex work and eliminate stigmatizing sentence enhancements. It now awaits a signature from Gov. Josh Shapiro before becoming ...
