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Originally Posted by AlphaGamUGAAlum
Was he truly in a public place the same way he would be in the things that you listed?
You'd think anyone running a pool would know how do deal with anyone's bodily fluids safely, but it doesn't appear that this guy did.
I don't want to see the kid get banned from doing anything, and I'd like to think that everyone is informed and reasonable about HIV, but it's not always the case.
Telling strangers that the kid is HIV positive is probably not a good strategy if you want him to face as little discrimination as possible, whether you or I want that to be true or not. So I'm not as convinced as you are that they do know what's reasonable.
Again, I don't want to see this kid restricted from doing anything. But he has a deadly blood-born disease, and if you insist on telling people that, don't be surprised when they want to reassured that he's not a risk to them before they let him do stuff. Yes, it'd be better world if everyone equally carried the burden of being knowledgeable about HIV transmission and safety, but they don't. And if it's your kid with the disease, you'd be better off not always counting on rednecks being well-informed and sensitive about things they don't understand. (I'm not saying the parents are more at fault for what happened as much as I'm trying to say that it wasn't totally reasonable to do what they did. They were wildly optimistic about other people's knowledge and good will.)
(Does anyone know if by law the RV park pool owner has to let him swim? Is HIV a kind of protected status in Alabama that would guarantee you the right not to be discriminated against legally? Ethically and morally, I'll go along with those of you who think he should be free to swim there, but is he entitled to legally since it's not a publicly owned facility?)
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His inability to deal with bodily fluids is his own error that needs correcting. He should not be running a pool if he doesn't know what to do when a kid pees in it or cuts himself. He has no idea if Little Jimmy in the pool has HIV or Hepititis or the bubonic plague, he needs to treat every kid's blood as if it were HIV+. This being the case, it shouldn't be a problem for an HIV+ kid to be in the pool.
A restaurant is a comparable public/private area. It is private property but public space, as is a restroom in a store or restaurant. Requiring kids/parents to carry "notes" is stupid. While a person may have the right to refuse to serve you, you have the right to go to court and/or the media and complain. Public opinion and/or the court will decide who was right.