A man recently let go by the Peace Corps after testing positive for HIV is working with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to change the Peace Corps’ policy toward HIV-positive volunteers, The Denver Post reports (denverpost.com, 4/22).

Jeremiah Johnson, 25, tested HIV negative when he first enlisted as a Peace Corps volunteer. However, according to The Denver Post, after spending more than 16 months teaching English at a Ukrainian secondary school, Johnson tested HIV positive. He soon received a termination letter, which explained that he could no longer work in the Ukraine; the letter also allegedly said that Johnson was not eligible to relocate within the Peace Corps.

“I only want the Peace Corps to change its policy so it is in accordance with U.S. federal anti-discriminatory laws,” Johnson told the newspaper. “And if [their current policy] is in accordance with federal laws, at least clarify what their policy is so another volunteer won’t have to experience the stress brought on by this.”

On Monday, April 21, the ACLU sent a four-page letter to the Peace Corps demanding that they stop barring HIV-positive people from volunteering, citing a recent federal appeals court decision that deemed it illegal for the Foreign Service to turn away HIV-positive people who wish to serve their country abroad.