Positive Thoughts – Stop Calling the Cops: When it comes to HIV disclosure, it’s time to stop involving the police

When I see films or documentaries about the early days of the AIDS epidemic that focus on the lives and relationships of gay men, I see a lot of people taking care of one another. In many cases, one partner might find out he’s HIV positive, the other partner finds out his status, and the two stay together, and one taking care of the other until one or both is met with the unfortunate fate of certain death. I’m sure it also happened that many men, who were brave enough to finally disclose their status in a time where there were no available treatments to keep them alive, were in fact deserted by their lovers, and left to other family and friends to care for them until they died.
But in neither scenario do I recall seeing images of a man, upon learning of his partners HIV status, sneaking quietly into another room, and dialing 9-1-1 to report to the police, that they may have been exposed to the virus.
And yet...