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Hi John,
Today, on HIV Is Not a Crime Day, founded by Kamaria Laffrey (Co-Executive Director with Sero Project) in collaboration with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, we celebrate a monumental step forward in decriminalizing HIV.
For the first time, the Maryland Senate has passed their HIV modernization bill lovingly called the Carlton R. Smith Jr. Act! There is still work to be done before it hits the Governor's desk, but what we’re seeing is a critical push toward dismantling outdated laws that disproportionately harm Black, Brown, and LGBTQ+ communities, along with more than 37,000 people living with HIV in Maryland.
Want to hear more about this victory? Read our spotlight interview with Ronnie at FreeState Justice by clicking the link below!
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While incredible, this isn’t about one state; it’s about building a national movement. With similar bills emerging across the country, Equality Federation is creating a roadmap to help other states take on HIV decriminalization and other public health policies impacting our communities living with HIV.
Victories like this don’t happen overnight. This work takes resources, strategy, partnership, and sustainable support to shift the narrative and stigma, not just in the legislature but in our own communities.
That’s why we doubled our investment to advance public health and HIV decriminalization efforts financially to our partners and internally to grow our public health policy department. We’re committed to ensuring this work is successful, and we’re grateful to many of our partners, including ViiV Healthcare, Center for HIV Law & Policy, Gilead Sciences, MERCK, and the US People Living With HIV Caucus, for their support.
We know that change is possible, because we’re seeing it happen each day. Together we can continue to make these wins the norm, not the exception.
Thank you for being a part of history,
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Michael Elizabeth
Director of Public Health Policy
Equality Federation
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