Lawsuit Prompts U.S. State Department To Strengthen Protections Of HIV-Positive Contract Workers

"The U.S. State Department has agreed to policy changes that will prevent people with HIV from being automatically barred from working under department contracts" according to the American Civil Liberties Union, the Advocate.com reports. The action was prompted after the ACLU filed a lawsuit in September 2008 on behalf of a 20-year-old veteran who was denied employment by a federal contractor because of his HIV status. "The suit claimed that John Doe, as he is identified in court documents, was illegally fired, violating the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act" (Garcia 8/25).