Nashville Settles HIV Discrimination Lawsuit
metroweekly.comseparate court case.However, since 2022, the Pentagon has stopped discharging active-duty service members due to their HIV status.That year, a Virginia federal judge ruled that the military could not discharge, refuse to commission, or categorically bar people with HIV from deploying, especially if they are asymptomatic and virally suppressed — making it highly unlikely that they can pass the virus to others.Additionally, in 2022, Davidson County voters approved an amendment to Metro Nashville’s charter removing the requirement that police recruits abide by military fitness standards, instead allowing the Civil Service Commission to set its own requirements.
Subsequently, in 2023, Doe, enlisting the help of Lambda Legal, sued the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, arguing that the Metro Nashville Police Department’s policies were not only discriminatory but violated federal law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.As part of the settlement, the Metro Nashville government not only must provide Doe with monetary relief, but agrees to update and rewrite the city’s Civil Service Medical Examiner’s policies to make clear that people living with HIV are no longer categorically banned from serving as first responders or police officers.“I feel vindicated,” Doe said following the settlement. “All I wanted to do was serve my state and protect its communities, so I’m glad the city is now recognizing that living with HIV is not an obstacle to performing those critical duties.“On the contrary, thanks to medical advances, HIV is now treated like other lifelong conditions,” he added. “We can live healthy lives, be active members of society, and serve as first responders, police officers, parents, and any other job without any problem.”The updates to the hiring policies include new language stipulating that any medical tests must occur after job seekers have been offered employment and that HIV and other conditions do not automatically disqualify.
