Tennessee Reverses Sex Offender Status for HIV-Positive Workers

Tennessee has agreed to remove HIV-positive individuals convicted of sex work from the state's violent sex offender list following a lawsuit settlement, addressing discrimination and stigma. The aggravated prostitution law, initially enacted in response to the AIDS scare, led to lifetime sex offender registration for those living with HIV, irrespective of transmission knowledge. The settlement aims to alert and remove affected individuals from the sex offender list, but legal challenges persist to overturn the felony status of aggravated prostitution in Tennessee. Critics argue that the law fails to consider HIV transmission science advancements and unfairly restricts the freedom and opportunities of those labeled as sex offenders due to their HIV status.