The Intersection of Criminalization of HIV and the Sex Trade
Kate D’Adamo | September 11 | 1:30 - 2:30 PM | Room 2592
While people in the sex trade are often treated as vectors of disease, people are often put at higher risk because of the way sex work and HIV are treated in the United States. Over the last year, the Sex Workers Project and the Global Health Justice Partnership at Yale University have embarked on a research project to explore the intersections of criminalization of sex work and HIV. This presentation will explore the ways in which HIV, sex work and criminalization overlap to create the conditions which increase transmission, disincentive HIV testing and safer sex tools, and increase criminalization of those in the sex trade. As each of these issues has a unique set of factors, we will look at specific case studies of how these major issues interact in New York, Georgia, Tennessee, and California, and highlight the unique perspectives that each location brings. In each of these locations we will also dig into ways in which communities are coming together and building coalitions to push back and create real change on the ground. Participants will walk away with a better understanding of the issue, as well as opportunities to investigate these issues in their home state.