El-Sayed’s Position on HIV Law Remains Steadfast in Senate Race

In the race for the Senate seat in Michigan, Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed is holding firm to his previous stance against a state law that punished individuals with HIV for failing to disclose their status before engaging in sexual activity. This law, which he has criticized for years, made it a felony for those aware of their HIV-positive status to have sex without prior notification to their partner.

El-Sayed, during his 2018 campaign for governor, expressed strong disapproval of this legislation. He stated, “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.”

Now, as a candidate in the competitive race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, El-Sayed finds himself up against former Republican Representative Mike Rogers. This election is crucial for Democrats aiming to regain control of the Senate from the Republicans.

Reflecting on his past, El-Sayed campaigned for the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nomination, which he ultimately lost to Gretchen Whitmer. His campaign emphasized the need to “repeal HIV/AIDS criminalization laws” among other progressive causes. At that time, he remarked on the decriminalization of HIV, arguing, “One of the big things that we have to recognize about HIV is that no disease can be illegal. The continuing forward of these laws on the books stigmatize people with the disease.”

Whitmer echoed similar views during her own campaign, labeling the law as unjust. She noted, “It’s wrong to criminalize sickness, which is what this law has effectively done. It absolutely should be revisited.”

Eventually, in early 2019, the law was amended, limiting felony charges to cases involving intent to transmit HIV or actual transmission, while downgrading certain offenses to misdemeanors for those who did not transmit the virus.

El-Sayed’s campaign spokesperson highlighted that he supports the bipartisan reform that passed in 2019, which aimed to remove the discriminatory aspects of the legislation. They also pointed out that he has been an advocate for public health measures to combat the spread of diseases, including HIV.

Recently, El-Sayed received an endorsement from the Human Rights Campaign, an influential LGBTQ advocacy organization. He has affirmed his commitment to fighting discrimination in all forms, stating, “I’ll fight to ensure every Michigander can live without discrimination and never have to wonder whether their rights will still be there tomorrow.”

In a closely contested primary, El-Sayed narrowly defeated the more moderate Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens, underscoring the ongoing ideological rift within the party. Should he win the Senate seat, he would be the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.

His campaign also prominently features calls for “Medicare for All,” alongside a push for dismantling Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and he has voiced strong criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, labeling them as “genocide” against Palestinians.