Inhabiting the Uninhabitable: HIV Criminalization and Black Resistance

ABSTRACT: "Decriminalizing the Status Symbol," a two-sided letterpress poster by charles ryan long and Christopher Paul Jordan, calls for action against HIV nondisclosure laws. One side references the Fugitive Slave Laws of the 1850s, while the other features a bold × symbol. Emerging from their collaboration, Jordan's memorial andimgonnamisseverybody in Seattle consists of towering metal boxes arranged in the shape of a ×, honoring Black queer communities impacted by HIV/AIDS. Both works employ the × symbol, which subverts the concept of HIV positivity and draws on West African spiritual symbolism. This essay argues that long and Jordan confront the ways HIV criminalization, prevention, and the erasure of Blackness in the cultural record of AIDS are rooted in anti-Blackness. Their projects challenge traditional AIDS historiography, reinvigorating the timeline of the disease by emphasizing Black history and tradition. They expose HIV/AIDS as a political process that mirrors historical efforts to restrict the well-being of Black communities. The × project creates a platform for imagining a world where HIV is neither stigmatized nor criminalized, offering new perspectives on its history, prevention, and legislation.