In a New York Times letter to the editor (nytimes.com, 5/27), John M. Samuels, administrative director of AIDS Services at New York’s Beth Israel Medical Center, says that reactions to the recent case involving an HIV-positive Texas man sentenced to prison for spitting on a police officer shows that “[we] clearly have a long way to go” in combating HIV stigma.
“Many [bloggers] not only agreed with the sentence, but also wished a harsher punishment than 35 years in prison,” Samuels writes. “Some bloggers stated that they wished the homeless man dead, wanted him executed, or would have preferred him to be ‘set on fire.’”
In his letter, Samuels commends the Times for noting that “contact with saliva, tears, or sweat has never been shown to result in the transmission of HIV.”
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Previous Comments:
comments 1 - 3 (of 3 total)
Gina B, New Orleans, 2008-05-29 14:50:22
I think I've heard it all. People you can not get HIV from saliva unless you are willing to drink 2-3 gallons of spit. Instead of prison, this person could benefit from Anger Management classes and HIV 101. Because it's obvious he thought he could infect someone by spitting (in the newspaper article it states that after spitting he yelled I have HIV) so it's clear that the positive man is uninformed as well as the D.A, Judge and good citizens of Texas.
Doug, Long Beach, CA, 2008-05-29 11:46:55
I don't think the problem is knowledge. Knowledge is out there for anyone who is interested and questioning.
I believe HIV just gives hateful people another justification to be hateful, they don't care about the facts, and they don't want to be informed. We're different, we're evil, we're scary and we must be destroyed before we spread like the virus that we carry.
So much for the age of enlightenment. The whole situation is a pathetic commentary on our lack of progress as a society!
chris, atlanta, 2008-05-29 09:28:57
ok, so this is TERRIBLY scary for all of us with this darn disease. what's next? arresting someone for "reckless endangerment" for spitting on the ground? it's very sad how uninformed and ignorant people STILL are about this disease!!!
let's hope this case gets more attention so this doesn't happen to anyone else!!!!
Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
Woman of the Month is supported by exclusive advertising from Gilead.
Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I recently met a guy who is negative. I did tell him about my status and he decided to kiss me anyway (we didn't go further than that). But a day later, he called and said that he actually had a mouth ulcer that time when we kissed and he was very worried. Asked if he can get the virus from me that way. For that moment, I felt so insulted and yet I felt so bad. It was my first time having a contact with a "negative" guy."
