Though we advise against individuals being

BAY/LESBIAN COMMUNITY STATEMENT DN tested, those who desire atest should NOT use the

HTLV-III/LAV ANTIBODY TEST bloed banking system as a means tor getting the

JANUARY 11‘ 1935 HTLV-lil antibody test. Since the test is not 100

' percent accura_e and does not always detect

infectivity, some blood that should not be

with the expected licensing b the u.s. Food transtused ttytt Past. threuah the Svetee 1* the

and Drug Administration of the test for antibodies tenet. deferra ehteEIthee are net followed 1”
td HTLg-éIl/tfivélnéhe virus considered to be addltltn t0 the t 00d test-

associa e wi it is im ortant to state what . .

we believe this test’does and goes not do. what its thhtVthhete ShOUtd be aware ht the fact that

otential misuses are. and what risks members of tte1t tESt results may be requested hhh hhtathEd by

the gay communitv face if they take this test. thtrd parties. BEtUFE requesting a. hthhd tESt

' under ay c1rcunstances,_we urge a 1 individuals,

It is our recommendation that. except in rare Petttth arlv those 1h the gay community, t”
circumstances, this test should he used ONLY in the consider the following F15t5=
context of screening blood donations and as part of . . .
research programs that guarantee strict ‘ It a positive antibody test hECOhSS .hhtt .ht
confidentiality. Individuals should be aware that your hehttet record, It teeth become thetttttatthh
this test 9111 N07 provide answers to such .or denial of life or health insurance in the
questions as: am 1 healthy? do I have AIDS? an I a ththt?' (Ne htt already aware ht cases where
carrier of AIDS? have I been exposed to AIDS? can I thdtVtuete thhStdEtEh at r15t th AIDS have been
give AIDS to someone else? denied insurance.)

The HTLV-Ill antibody test does NOT dia nose - h entitles antlttdi test teutd else tet0t9.3
AIDS. It simply oeasures the development of reason for hehtth?.9hP10Yheht- hhtte tethlhh 1“
antibodies to the HTLV-IlI/LAV virus. It could meeltat JustlfICA-leni we ar9.deep1v tautereed that
mean there has been no prior ex osure or infection thte tEEt “11 become a hEthhhtSh for screening ”ht
by the virus, that the individuat is still in an IntIVIYdeats ““0 are at'ttst t0 hlh5.tt°t 10t5.1n
incubation period before development of the such ttethe as health care, feed handling, or thttd
antibody, that there may have been a prior care. . There 15 no ev1dence tha. AIDS .15
infection and the antibody is no longer detectable ttehehtttEh ettefit through exchange ht Vltet bodily
that the test was performed incorrectly, or that tththt'. thts .as. not stopped some from already
the test itself was innacurate. disoriminating against those somehow associated

with AIDS or he groups considered to be at risk to

Irrespective of test results, we underscore the hth5= htVEh the ;{?h level _of exposure to the
importance of all members of high-risk groups VttheT’ehh thttte _ =thd1e= that Shh" a hthh
continuing to follow prevention uidelines that POSIttVE tESt tat9"“hhh9 gav men, we are lSalso
have been put forward by 3135 service concerned that potential employers may use the test
organizations including the adoption of safe sex as an indicator tht homosexuality.
practices. the declining rates of sexually . .

ransmitted deseases amon ga men in many cities ' The psychological pressures ht thhhthh that
show the success of these egforts. whether one has one has tested PGSIttve, th antibodies 15 one_of
tested ositive or negative, whether one has been deeE concern to her thhhhh1t7-, hhlte a positive
exposed to the HTLV-III virus or not, safe sex tes result does "ht necessarily seen one 15,9e1hz
practices ma help to prevent either new or further t0 develop “IDS: there has been . Settttteh
exposure to the virus or the transmission of the inaccurate PehIIEItY suggesting that thte 15 indeed
virus to another party. a test for AIDS. Until -hat lint is broken, the
mental health impact of recieving a positive test

Hhile the blood test will be used to screen result could be devastating. The misconceptions
donations at blood banks, the test will not and _general level 0* hysteria among the general
eliminate all donations that have been exposed to Phhttt eheht AIDS increases .the lite ihood et a
the HTLv-iii virus and are therefore potentially nanlcted response to a potltlve test result-
infectious. There is evidence that individuals who .
test ne ative can, in some cases, be carrying the he . continue _ to encourage members. 0t OUT
HTLV-Ilt virus. Therefore, this test is sim I an thheU"1tY t0 eertttlgate 1“ research StUhtee that
added measure to screen donors and is hflt a htfiht .hEIP {the t_e answers te the AIDS riddle.
substitute for the donor deferral guidelines that thtthdlhg studies using this Htth’ttt antibody test
recommend that those persons falling into at-risk 1“ the ope that e clearer meaning th flflSlthE and -

roups should refrain from donating blood at this negative results hlhht be develope . eheVeTi we
time. This includes all males who have had sex thhtthhe to urge-particularly 1“ tt?ht ht the rests
with more than one male since 1979, andmales whose hhtttheh abovs-' hat thhftdEhtte ttY for all
male partner has had sex with more than one male research Shhlett Peftttteehtes thttedlhg the
since l979.‘ Eggnétgggtiéhat identifiers will not be share with