Georgia campus HIV alert sparks backlash

Georgia Southern University faces criticism after warning of an African American man intentionally spreading HIV.

Storified by AJAMStream· Thu, Sep 05 2013 15:08:18

americanindependent.com

The alert was also sent via email:

Georgia Southern sent a campus alert this morning about a student intentionally spreading HIV. http://twitter.com/GAFollowers/status/369850073447792640/photo/1Everything Georgia

The Dean of Students at the university released a press statement along with the warning, saying:

Georgia Southern University received an anonymous report of a potential health danger to our students that we determined to be a credible threat. The University is taking action to issue a warning to our students about the potential threat from an HIV infected male. At Georgia Southern, we strive to teach our students to make informed decisions. The safety and well-being of our students remain our top priorities.americanindependent.com

The university later removed the warning, but did not issue a statement to explain its reasoning. Terrence Moore of the National Association of State and Territorial AIDS Directors , responded with a statement:

“While we are glad that the University has since removed the health threat from the website, the message that it shared was stigmatizing toward people living with HIV and populations disproportionately affected by HIV, especially Black gay men,” Moore wrote.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com

Mark King , an advocate for people living with HIV and AIDS, said:

“The ignorance in this alert would be hilarious if it weren’t actually being distributed to every student on their campus, which means the university has now willfully spread HIV stigma, ignorance, and a very false sense of what and whom a sexually active young person should be cautious about.”americanindependent.com

@elisegaro @AJAMStream We can't curb HIV by making criminal monsters out of those living with it. Facts, not fear. http://americanindependent.com/220444/georgia-university-warning-about-hiv-positive-man-transmitting-hiv-comes-under-fire#comment-51646Mark S. King

There were also concerns from health professionals:

Health experts accuse Georgia university of spreading HIV-related stigma: http://ainn.ly/18w3U5WToddHeywood

Georgia's Department of Public Health denied any involvement in the university's warning:

“DPH has not issued an alert of this nature.”americanindependent.com

Twitter user @ShugAveryPee elaborated on his reaction to the warning:

@Cajun_peach If the sex is consensual, you have a choice whether to use a condom or not. People get infected with HIV everyday, but you'reOcean

@Cajun_peach now making a public campus announcement about a "black gay man" intentionally "infecting people" with HIV. It's one thing ifOcean

@Cajun_peach this person is raping people. It's another when the message targets an already stigmatized group as a "public announcement."Ocean