People living with HIV have some protection from discrimination through the Equality Act 2010.

This law protects disabled people from discrimination in the workplace, education, housing and in accessing goods and services. It also enables disabled people to ask for 'reasonable adjustments', such as changes at work to ensure that they are not put at a significant disadvantage.

Until December 2005, people living with HIV were only defined as disabled if they showed symptoms of AIDS. This meant that people living with HIV who experienced discrimination, but did not have symptoms which affected their ability to carry out normal daily activities, had no protection under the law.

More information about current protection under disability discrimination law can be found in NAT's leaflet HIV @ work NAT's recent report, Working with HIV found that the majority of gay men living with HIV in employment had positive experiences.  However, a fifth of respondents who had disclosed their status at work had experienced discrimination in their current or previous job.

We are now engaging with employers, trade unions, public bodies and people living with HIV through resources such as our guide to HIV + Recruitment to increase awareness of the new legislation and to ensure that HIV-related stigma and discrimination is prevented.

Under the Equality Act 2010, people living with HIV should benefit from the Equality Duty which means that all public bodies have to promote equality to include sexual orientation, age, religion and belief.

If you are living with HIV then you can find out more about what the Equality Act means for you here.

Find out what we are saying to employers and public bodies here.