Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed has reiterated his call to repeal a Michigan law that criminalizes sexual activity without disclosing HIV status, a position he has maintained for eight years as he campaigns in a competitive Senate race. El-Sayed, who previously ran for governor in 2018, criticized the law, which imposed a prison sentence of up to four years for individuals who knew they were HIV-positive and engaged in sexual penetration without informing their partner. "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," El-Sayed stated during his gubernatorial campaign.
Currently, El-Sayed is competing against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. The Michigan Senate seat is crucial for Democrats aiming to regain control of the Senate. During his 2018 campaign, El-Sayed's website emphasized the need to repeal HIV/AIDS criminalization laws and to include transgender individuals in state Medicaid.
In response to a question about decriminalizing HIV, El-Sayed remarked, "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."
Current Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer also supported reforming the law, stating, "It’s wrong to criminalize sickness, which is what this law has effectively done. It absolutely should be revisited." The law was amended in early 2019 with bipartisan support, limiting felony provisions to cases involving intent to transmit HIV or actual transmission, and reducing certain non-transmission offenses to misdemeanors.
El-Sayed's campaign spokesperson, Roxie Richner, confirmed his support for the 2019 reform bill, stating, "Abdul supports the bipartisan reform bill that passed in 2019 through a Republican legislature that eliminated the discriminatory laws on the books." Richner also criticized the Trump administration for defunding organizations that provide frontline care to prevent HIV transmission.
El-Sayed, who received an endorsement from the Human Rights Campaign, emphasized his commitment to fighting discrimination against individuals with HIV. If elected, he aims to ensure that all Michiganders can live without discrimination. El-Sayed narrowly won the Democratic primary against Rep. Haley Stevens and would become the first Muslim senator in the U.S. if elected. His campaign also includes support for "Medicare for all," abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza, which he has described as "genocide" against Palestinians.