A two-decade ban on HIV+ travelers may soon be lifted in the United States.
Established in 1987 during the height of the AIDS scare, the anti-AIDS ban has worked to bar all immigrants with HIV or AIDS from entering the U.S., whether as visitors or potential residents. During these years, even famous speakers, public figureheads, and leading researchers who were confirmed as HIV+ were blocked on the basis of their infectious status. But a new bill, poised to pour $50 billion into the fight against AIDS in Africa and other high-risk areas, is also prepared to break the long-maintained ban.
Many other countries that once held the same strictures regarding immigration have now dropped it, with China being the most recent sovereign state to shake the discriminatory ban. Sudan, Libya, and Russia are among the few remaining countries (along with the United States) that still bars entry to HIV+ travelers.
AIDS discrimination in the United States is otherwise illegal, as HIV+ citizens are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and nationwide employment discrimination laws.
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