Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for the Senate in Michigan, has maintained his stance from eight years ago on a controversial law that made it a felony for individuals with HIV to engage in sexual activities without informing their partners. This view, which he first expressed during his unsuccessful bid for governor in 2018, is now resurfacing as he campaigns in a competitive Senate race.
While campaigning for the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, El-Sayed criticized the law, which mandated up to four years in prison for those who were aware of their HIV-positive status and did not disclose it prior to sexual penetration.
He stated back then, “You should not be criminalized for a disease. That is absolutely wrong. It’s hateful. It’s discriminatory, and we can, as a state, do better. You can count on me for that.”
Fast forward to the present, El-Sayed, who has a background in epidemiology and previously served as the health director for Wayne County, is now in a showdown against former Republican Representative Mike Rogers, looking to fill the seat of retiring Democratic Senator Gary Peters. This race is critical for the Democrats as they seek to regain control of the Senate.
During his 2018 campaign, El-Sayed’s website emphasized the need to repeal laws that criminalized HIV and to eliminate exclusions for transgender individuals in state Medicaid. When asked if he endorsed the decriminalization of HIV, he emphasized that “no disease can be illegal,” highlighting that maintaining such laws only serves to stigmatize affected individuals.
The Michigan law, which had been in place since 1988, faced reform in early 2019 after receiving support from both parties in the Republican-controlled legislature. The change restricted felony charges to instances involving intentional transmission of HIV and certain cases where transmission actually occurred, while also reducing some offenses to misdemeanors.
El-Sayed’s campaign spokesperson remarked that he supports the 2019 bipartisan reform that eliminated the previous discriminatory laws and stressed his commitment to public health initiatives aimed at preventing the spread of diseases like HIV. They criticized the Trump administration for exacerbating health crises by defunding vital organizations and programs.
Additionally, El-Sayed has called for the abolition of ICE and described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” against Palestinians. He has also secured an endorsement from the Human Rights Campaign, a prominent LGBTQ advocacy organization, and reiterated his commitment to fighting discrimination if elected to the Senate.
Having narrowly won a contentious primary against more moderate Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens, El-Sayed aims to make history as the first Muslim senator in the U.S. He is advocating for a “Medicare for all” plan as a cornerstone of his campaign.
