Court ruling ends ban on joining military for people living with HIV

"The Defense Department may not prohibit people who are asymptomatic HIV-positive from joining the military, a judge in Virginia ruled this week.

U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema wrote in a decision filed Tuesday that barring those with undetectable viral loads from serving is “irrational, arbitrary, and capricious” as it contributes to a stigma about people who are HIV-positive while also actively hampering the military’s own recruitment goals."