Our community needs passionate advocates who can stand up for the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. That’s why Lifelong’s dedicated advocacy team works strenuously throughout the year to monitor all state and federal policies and legislation. Below are some of our top priorities:

Effective HIV Prevention
We support:
• Evidence-based, best practices models for HIV prevention programs
• Comprehensive and medically accurate sexuality education
• Legislation that expands access to substance abuse treatment services, especially methadone treatment.
We oppose:
• Efforts to weaken factually-based HIV/AIDS curricula in public schools and replace them with abstinence-only education. Research has shown that abstinence-only education is not effective.
• Substance abuse treatment enrollment caps

Client-Centered Care Services
We support:
• Affordable and comprehensive insurance access, including prescription drug coverage benefits
• Medicare modernization that takes into account the flexibility needed in prescribing treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS
• Retention of housing programs that support people living with HIV/AIDS
• An effort to ensure treatment is available to HIV-positive people, regardless of ability to pay
We oppose:
• Legislation that limits or denies public assistance to groups or individuals at risk for, or living with, HIV, including immigrants and undocumented aliens

Adequate Funding
We support:
• Reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act
• Increased funding for federal HIV/AIDS prevention
• State and local efforts to provide comprehensive housing resources for individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS
• Increased funding for substance abuse treatment services and HIV prevention funding that targets alcohol and substance abuse programs and mental health services
We oppose:
• Shifting funds from domestic HIV/AIDS prevention and care programs to fund international programs
• Efforts to increase funding for abstinence-only sexuality education

Access to Testing
We support:
• Free or low-cost HIV testing that is accurate and coupled with counseling and resources to be made available to all people who wish to be tested

Privacy and Confidentiality
We support:
• Continued access to anonymous HIV testing throughout Washington State
• Collaborative partner notification efforts that respect an individual’s right to choose whether to seek assistance from health officials when notifying partners of potential exposure
We oppose:
• Legislation that would initiate mandatory testing of any group at risk, or perceived to be at risk, for HIV
• Legislation to require mandatory disclosure of HIV status
• Efforts to weaken the privacy protections of the state’s HIV reporting regulations

Civil Rights
We support:
• Equal rights for all of Washington’s citizens, regardless of HIV status, sexual orientation and gender identity and expression
We oppose:
• Efforts to amend the State Constitution that would institute discrimination

International Prevention & Treatment
We support:
• Increased funding levels for international HIV/AIDS programs and initiatives
• Drug-pricing initiatives that ensure widespread access to life-saving therapies for patients
• Legislation to encourage private sector involvement in vaccine research
We oppose:
• A ban on immigration of HIV-positive individuals into the U.S.