US Justice Department sues over Tennessee law targeting HIV-positive people convicted of sex work

By JONATHAN MATTISE
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has sued the state of Tennessee over its decades-old felony aggravated prostitution law, arguing that it illegally imposes tougher criminal penalties on people who are HIV positive. The lawsuit was filed Thursday after an investigation by the Justice Department warned that Tennessee’s statute violates the Americans with Disabilities Act. Another federal lawsuit was filed in October by LGBTQ+ and civil rights advocates over the aggravated prostitution law. Tennessee is the only U.S. state requiring a lifetime registration as a “violent sex offender” if convicted of engaging in sex work while living with HIV, regardless of whether the person knew they could transmit the disease.