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| Los Angeles Gives Gay Inmates Condoms |
| By PlanetOut.com Network |
| Published: 12/21/2001 |
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Sex is still illegal in the jails of Los Angeles County, but gays who break the law will have a chance to protect themselves from AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. According to the Los Angeles Times, officials have agreed to distribute condoms behind bars to men who like men. 'This is a health issue,' Los Angeles Sheriff's Department Chief Taylor Moorehead told the newspaper. 'I did it only for health reasons. It's a sign of the times -- and a reality-based response from me that says I acknowledge the fact that fatal disease is spread in this fashion.' Sex in jails and prisons is a felony under California law. But there is no question that prisoners nationwide engage in homosexual sexual activity. In fact, according to the Times, officials offer condoms to prisoners in other jails (in New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.) and in Vermont and Mississippi prisons. The Sheriff's department reported that it spends $180,000 a month to treat 220 inmates who have AIDS. HIV infection is detected in about 500 inmates a month. AIDS Action Council, a San Francisco-based advocacy group, reports that the Federal Bureau of Prisons thinks 30 percent of federal inmates have gay sex while incarcerated. Experts suspect that most prisoners with HIV were infected before they went behind bars, often through drug abuse. |
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