Des Moines Register: Matt McCoy to Senate opponent: Whether someone has HIV shouldn’t matter
One Iowa board member, State Senator Matt McCoy is facing criticism from his opponent for his participation in an HIV anti-stigma campaign. Republican challenger Dave Leach previously defended anti-gay remarks by another statehouse hopeful who claimed AIDS is punishment for homosexuality.
The Des Moines Register has the story:
Republican Dave Leach says he “fell on the floor” each time he saw television commercials that he says raise questions about whether his Iowa Senate opponent is HIV positive.
In response, state Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, said today he doesn’t understand Leach’s reaction to the anti-stigma advertisements, and that it shouldn’t matter whether or not he has the infection.
The advertisements by the Iowa HIV Alliance feature McCoy and other prominent Iowans saying HIV won’t stop them from interacting with people.
“HIV won’t stop me from shaking hands with my constituents,” McCoy says in the ad.
Then a female voiceover says: “Whether HIV positive or HIV negative, we are talented, hard-working and lovable. We are neighbors, providers, family and friends. HIV is not the sum of who we are.”
Leach said in a statement on his website Tuesday: “I heard that commercial so many times, the doctor had me install a seat belt on my sofa. Was McCoy actually telling us that he has HIV, but he is willing to accept the risk of giving it to us by shaking our hands?”
He added: “I am dying of curiosity to know what he meant.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website states that HIV is not spread by “casual contact like shaking hands or sharing dishes.”
It’s been previously reported that McCoy doesn’t have HIV.
But he declined to respond this morning when asked by the Register whether he has HIV, saying he had decided purposefully not to answer that question.
“We don’t care if people think we do or don’t,” McCoy said. “The point is we’re just about de-stigmatizing this disease, and ultimately creating conversation and awareness about it.”
