The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a complaint on behalf of an Air Force veteran who was refused a job as a baggage screener at the Fort Lauderdale airport because he has HIV. Michael Lamare said that after a lengthy interview and screening process, he was told he is incapable of performing the job because of his HIV-positive status.
“I am a long-term HIV survivor, and it has never interfered with my ability to work,” said Lamare. “I have learned living with HIV for nearly 20 years that people with HIV need to be able to make a living and support themselves just like everyone else.”
Paul Cates, spokesman for the ACLU LGBT & AIDS Project, said the Transportation Safety Authority has not responded to his group directly. TSA spokesman Sterling Payne told the Washington Post last week, “TSA policy does not automatically disqualify applicants with HIV. TSA’s physicians have in fact cleared applicants who are HIV positive. . . . Sometimes it will not be the underlying medical condition that disqualifies an applicant, but the medications that the applicant takes. Medications can disqualify the applicant if they affect, for example, judgment or vision.”
Lamarre was required to disclose his HIV status during a TSA-required physical. He also submitted lab results and a note from his doctor stating his HIV-positive status would not interfere with his ability to perform the duties of a baggage screener. After Lamarre complied, he received a letter saying he was disqualified from the job because of his HIV status.
