Voices Rising

Voices Rising Guidelines

Last reviewed: September 2026

This is a public, moderated space built around care, dignity, and room for many kinds of family.

Who this space is for

Voices Rising is for anyone whose life is touched by HIV: people living with HIV, people at risk, mixed-status partners, biological and chosen family, caregivers, friends, allies, and providers. Family here means whoever showed up.

Community norms

Use person-first language. Say “person living with HIV,” not “HIV+”; prefer “PLHIV.”
No stigma language. Do not use terms such as “victim,” “infected person,” “clean,” “compliance,” or “suffering from HIV.”
No unsolicited medical advice. Share your experience, not what someone should do.
No product promotion, MLM, or political candidate endorsements.
Respect anonymity. Never out someone else’s status.
No slurs, hate speech, or targeting individuals.

A note on HIV disclosure

Posting here is public. Everything approved appears on voices-rising.html for anyone to read, including search engines. Sharing your status is a personal decision. If you’re not sure, post as Anonymous, or share your story with just a first name.

A note on HIV and the law

As of 2025, 32 US states still have laws that criminalize HIV-related conduct, and 28 states impose sentence enhancements tied to a person’s HIV status. Some states have modernized their laws in recent years — reducing penalties, requiring intent to transmit, or aligning with current science on U=U — but the map is uneven and prosecutions continue in many states, including Florida.

Sharing your status publicly here is not a legal problem in itself, but disclosure, sex, needle-sharing, and even spitting or biting are treated very differently depending on where you live. If you have questions about the law where you are, three organizations track this state by state and can help:

CHLP — Find the Laws in Your State: click any state for its HIV-specific statutes, penalty enhancements, and case law.
Sero Project — HIV Criminalization Reform Map: click a state to see current bills, sponsors, and reform history; Sero also supports people facing charges.
CDC — HIV and STD Criminalization Laws: official federal summary of state laws and modernization efforts.

You can also read our own overviews: HIV criminalization in the US and, for Florida specifics, HIV criminalization in Florida.

18 and older

You must be 18 or older to post in Voices Rising.

Your right to delete

If you want a post you made removed, email kevincaresusa@gmail.com with the post text or a link. We’ll remove it within 48 hours, no questions asked.

Reporting

If you see something that violates these guidelines, email kevincaresusa@gmail.com with a link or screenshot. We review every report.

Moderation process

Every post is reviewed before it appears. Approval usually takes a few hours. We may edit for clarity or reject posts that violate guidelines. Rejected posters get an email with the reason when possible.