On World AIDS Day, Lambda Legal Launches Spanish-language HIV “Know Your Rights” Hub

(New York, NY, December 1, 2015) — Today, in recognition of World AIDS Day 2015, Lambda Legal announced it has launched a Spanish-language version of its latest addition to the Lambda Legal “Know Your Rights” mobile-friendly information hub: “Know Your Rights: HIV.” “Know Your Rights: HIV” provides information for people living with HIV and others seeking information on topics such as HIV testing, PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis), disclosure and discrimination in housing, healthcare and employment.

“We know, based on calls to our Legal Help Desk, that even in 2015 people living with HIV still face continued discrimination rooted in ignorance, unfounded fear, misconceptions and outdated science,” said Scott Schoettes, Senior Attorney and HIV Project Director. “We also know that many of those most vulnerable to discrimination based on their HIV status speak Spanish and may have limited English proficiency. Translating this ‘Know Your Rights’ hub was a critical priority for Lambda Legal, to ensure it is accessible to the large Spanish-speaking population who need the information and resources it provides.”

Lambda Legal launched the English-language “Know Your Rights: HIV” hub this fall to provide a wide range of information about people’s rights when it comes to HIV, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition to educating the public and reducing the stigma and discrimination that people with HIV encounter, the resource helps people understand the protections that are available and access the resources to leverage those protections,. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that Hispanics and Latinos are disproportionately affected by HIV. Latinos and Hispanics comprised only 17% of the U.S. population in 2013, but accounted for 21% of the population living with HIV and 23% of new diagnoses.

“We hope that having this resource now available in Spanish will encourage even more people to call our Legal Help Desk, especially in the Spanish-speaking immigrant communities where there may be even greater fear of getting tested or disclosing one’s HIV status,” said Kyle Palazzolo, HIV Project Staff Attorney. “We believe everyone living with HIV will find this information useful.”

This hub includes legal and advocacy guidance on an array of issues including:

• Housing
• HIV Testing
• PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis)
• Access to Health Care
• HIV Discrimination in the Workplace
• HIV Discrimination Outside Work
• Privacy and Confidentiality
• Disclosing Your HIV Status
• HIV Criminalization
• Adoption, Foster Care and Custody
• Immigration and Asylum 

This is the sixth “Know Your Rights” hub Lambda Legal has launched in Spanish; the others are: “Know Your Rights: Teens and Young Adults”; “Know Your Rights: Transgender”; “Know Your Rights: LGBT Employees & Employees with HIV”; “Know Your Rights: In Court”; and “Know Your Rights: Life & Financial Planning.” The organization is planning additional Know Your Rights hubs in the coming year.

Read more about all of Lambda Legal’s Know Your Rights resources in Spanish: http://www.lambdalegal.org/es/conoce-tus-derechos.

Lambda Legal’s “Know Your Rights: HIV” hub is supported by a generous grant from ViiV Healthcare.