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Hello "insider". My name is Steven Slater. I am a former JetBlue Airways flight attendant, HIV positive person. I also have the courage and conviction to state my name proudly, rather than hide behind a screen moniker. I would like very much to remind you, "insider", that this is a thread regardng the media release of my HIV+ status, and is not a discussion regarding my work history, or hearsay regarding same. I would greatly hope you are not a member of JetBlue management disclosing information here that is not only erroneous, but also irrevlevant to this conversation, as that would be a seriously irresponsible action and subject the company to further legal vulnerabilty. I am not aware of these "coworker conflicts" you speak of, and infact, am quite proud of my accomplishments and successes on behalf of the inflight team during my time at the company. I do invite you to please identify yourself either publicly here, or privatley by contacting my directly. That you, whoever you may be, feel the right to make your disdain and opinion pubilc while attempting to maintain anonymity is asking a bit too much, and I would like to be afforded the opportunity to respond directly to your accusations and concerns. Now, to the the real issue at hand, the reporting of my HIV status in the press. I was angered, hurt, and embarrassed when I read the reports in the news. I found it irrelevant and sensationalistic. While I am at peace with my status, knowing that I take care of myself and work toward destigmatization of the disease across society, I can not say that it was as easy for many of my friends and loved ones to experience the news. It brought forth many heartfelt conversations and in the end has only served to strengthen my resolve to live fully as healthy a life as possible. That said, I am fortuante to have a strong support system of both poz and negative friends and family that could see me through this crisis. I fear for those who do not. Living with HIV can be sufficiently challenging on its own, let alone facing public scrutiny. One need only look to the recent rash of teen suicides among gay youth to see the damage that can be done through careless and irresponsible words. While I have yet to determin whether I will take any further action against the parties involved in the non- authorized disclosure of my status, I must accept that it has been reported and what is done, is done. My goal now is to continue to work toward education, leading my life with dignity and success, with my HIV as a side issue. I hope I can be an example to society of someone who simply carries on with life, despite HIV, and that my HIV is simply a small part of who I am, and that I will dictate HIV's role in my life through knowledge and information. I do welcome any feedback or discussion relative to the issue at hand, and look forward to a more productive exchange going forward. In healthy solidarity, Steven Slater Belle Harbor, NY
Disclose, Disclose, Disclose, that is what I learned in Real Estate School, more then 10 forms of disclosure and now in many states 50 documents of disclosure. The point being a document to disclose has been created in most real estate markets to protect consumers, well they have not worked in Banking or Realestate. The airline attended disclosed because he was in truma and it came out as a tool for some to try and understand why he had a melt down and to get a little attention. People talk and like to talk for it is power in all communities from D.C to Bangko and a lot like to talk about themselves. To put another layer on HIPPA or to try and create an ethical standing with a law in this case will not help in my opinon, for I believe as in HIPAA and other disclosure concepts it make people more underground and less honest. A matter of my fact is HIPAA has stop honest relationship with Doctors and caused great harm in or medical treatment for now most doctor do not talk, trust or build relationships with their patients never getting the chance to know them or to treat a hidden illness due to HIPPA. HIPPA is bad medicine. HIV is private, Cancer is private , and sex is private, however it makes great talking points at the diner table, in church and water cooler. It is an old problem and a problem of the heart and a law will not cure. Can any one name one thing that HIPAA has brought forth other then a doucument for lawyers and insurance companies. Look at Tiger Woods. wow he should of disclosed his lovers and he would not had such bad press. Do you believe that. For it is human nature for people to want to know and have some kind of lever over another preson, what is one person news is another person gossip. The story about the fight attended would of been one day if he had not said he was HIV positive openly on a mic.
Selective disclosure of people’s HIV status by news media should aim to promote personal privacy and prevent incendiary social stigmatization. Obliging HIV-positive people who bleed to publicize their status in spite of nominal risk of disease transmission merely begs hysteria. The HIV virus dies instantly upon air exposure. If the airline steward had announced his HIV-positive status to passengers, those familiar with HIV-positive people would be nonplused or incredulous upon hearing it. However, a likely rise in anxiety among the less-informed travelers might jeopardize safety throughout the cabin. If he had delivered the news amid his outburst, it may have sounded punitive, and thus more alarming. Hepatitis and a host of other diseases are more contagious than HIV. Yet carriers of any agent other than HIV are hardly expected to warn others if they bleed. Personally disclosing one’s own HIV status to strangers may sound like a noble idea—but it likely would do more harm than good. Meanwhile, news services should mention HIV status only when it is relevant. With the news, industry still depressed and in flux, publishers and editors are bound to resort to news stories’ more prurient aspects to boost readership. When they do, it tends to reinforce negative perception and stigmatization.
correction: "severity concerns" should have been "security concerns".
In defense of Oriol, this article may have been written with the resigned expectation that Mr. Slater's sero-status was doomed to become a central aspect of the story. as for the incident itself, i have 2 reactions: later reports suggest Steven Slater is a disturbed individual, and his action could easily have resulted in loss of life...it appears as if he acted with genuinely criminal negligence and indifference. he should be punished for that. i think he will be. also, incidents such as this will grow more frequent and inevitable as commercial flight continues to suffer economic loss and increased severity concerns. people r squeezed together more tightly, paying more for less, and it results in a pressure-cooker environment. hopefully this will hasten the day when airlines r obsolete and personal flight vehicles take over for automobiles at long last.
Mr. Slater was my flight attendant earlier this summer. He was pleasant and helpful, and yes, due to the room in the cabin, he did brush against passengers that were often leaning out toward the aisle. On my flight, passengers were being rude as usual standing when they shouldn't speaking in very loud voices. The fact that there is no mention made that Mr. Slater's mother has cancer IS IMPORTANT. Can you imagine the stress of that news added to a job like being a flight attendant? It is already a nightmare. As to the whiny passengers that didn't like Mr Slater's way of keeping order in an unruly mob, perhaps you should look at your part in this.
hy mr slater i salute you. you really have balls to do what you did. well done i would of done worse. some freakin passengers think they are gold and they should be treated such as. i had 1 encounter with a aaa female black attendant she totally ignored me when i asked for a refill on coffee. so my reaction was to patiently wait until she passed thru again so i could pull the back of her aaa coat tail and when i did she just got so angry at me and went and got the captain to come and talk to me. so any way nothing haappened to me. captain apologized. antonio
Steven Slater
A note of clarification: I never stated anything about HIV on the aircraft. Upon my arrest the arresting officer asked about my injury, and asked if I had any medical conditions they should have known about. I responded that I was HIV+ and we went on to other things. My status was reported in the media as having been leaked by a "Port Authority employee on condition of anonymity." Kind if ironic, eh?
November 15, 2010