London Mayor Asks British Employers to End Discrimination Against People With HIV/AIDS

London Mayor Ken Livingstone on Tuesday encouraged British companies to end workplace discrimination against HIV-positive individuals, Reuters reports. "Employers in London have to take the lead in working out what we do and how we tackle the problems and how we help people cope with them," Livingstone said, adding, "They must recognize the fact that some of the best and brightest people they employ are going to end up HIV-positive, if they are not already." Livingstone, who spoke at a meeting organized by the HIV/AIDS advocacy and support group Positive Futures, added that the idea that HIV-positive individuals are no longer valuable members of the workforce is "absolutely unrealistic." Positive Futures Director Andrew Little emphasized that although those with HIV are "living longer and living well" due to combination drug therapy, they still face barriers at work. Little called on British companies to update their discrimination policies, to participate in placement programs for HIV-positive workers and to "see beyond" the HIV label. The majority of the 33,500 British citizens who are HIV-positive live in London, and most are of working age (Reaney, Reuters, 5/28).