Just found this law. If you tested positive for HIV and you are caught doing prostitution they suspend your drivers license in Ohio.

If the HIV guy is driving around looking for a SW, then they can revoke his license, and make it harder for him to solicit SW in the future.

I agree that HIV providers should not provide without informing clients of their condition, however the reality is that many providers and clients have HIV and do not inform anyone, sad but true. I know and have known of a number of HIV providers who fear they will lose their client base if they inform. Ethics is not a big thing when money is involved. When the Aids epidemic started years back, providers with HIV were outed in the news and sentenced to jail time, we don't hear that any more, probably due to anti-discrimination laws that followed and the sheer numbers involved, as well as the hyper privacy situation in place for testing.

Now here is the point, taking away a persons drivers license has nothing or very little to do with limiting their actions. Providers do not work out of mobile homes so it does not effect their work nor slow their exposing of others. As long as there is public transport and third party drivers, people will get to work. I suppose for streetwalkers this is a minor problem, but for escorts who work out of home and hotel, it really does little to slow them down. It does however make it harder for them to get meds and attend medical care. A forced training session that explained why they should not be putting others to risk would me more to the point, many providers in L.A. lockup years back when there was enough room in the jails to allow for short stays for victimless crimes, received their first training on proper techniques to avoid infection and to avoid infecting other. Of course today you can kill a pop star and pretty much avoid a prison term, progress? What we need is some form of legalization or decriminalization of prostitution that would allow for some medical testing and would require a sex worker to provide a clean medical card on request for everyone's safety. This had been in effect in France for many years but abolished in 1960.

-- Modified on 12/7/2011 7:06:23 AM

No matter how determined a provider is, to leave the sex trade when they are crying after they are found to be HIV positive, they often recant and get right back to work a few months later. I can understand the economic forces at work but not the risk they offer to unsuspecting clients.
Fortunately, the risks of infection from an HIV carrier are limited if one follows standard procedure. Although the HIV virus exists in saliva, it is near impossible to catch HIV from kissing or placing your penis in a carriers mouth.If your penis is lacerated this would increase your minimal chances.  Note that when first infected a carrier is highly contagious but this lessons greatly within four weeks of catching the virus. Thereafter, a simple condom of latex is pretty good protection for the penetrator, less so for the penetrated.
If your are having sex with a HIV provider avoid rimming and providing oral sex ( if a male provider) without a condom and certainly do not allow a bare back blow job to go to ejaculation in your mouth. Previously the penetrator was though to be less likely to be infected in bareback sex, however a number of people on the internet have claimed to have become infected as penetrators (tops) and another claimed infection as a result of performing exclusive oral service. Until we have specific medical evidence of the actual risks, one is cautioned to avoid any sexual activity without a condom. Be advised that thin condoms break easier and when there is inadequate lube be in natural or artificial, all condoms suffer. Youthful forceful exuberance in intercourse should also be avoided as it will strain the condom and increase your risk. Be careful out there! Now that TER is listing bareback providers we should have this discussion more frequently. Also a word for HIV hobbyists--if the condom breaks when you are having sex with a provider who you have not informed of your situation, you should immediately advise them. Immediate AZT treatment can protect the provider from getting HIV. Man up after you bone up...

Be aware that if an HIV positive partner is taking anti viral drugs, these drugs will reduce the viral load to an very low level and consequently the chances of catching the virus even with unprotected sex become extremely low; therefore an HIV positive provider taking medication for a period of time that lower the viral load is not a real risk to her/his clients when using condoms although bare backing would still have a very low risk and should be avoided.