New York Post blasted for revealing alleged rape victim’s possible HIV status

In their ever growing commitment to admirable reporting of the day’s serious issues, the New York Post has revealed that the unnamed victim in Saturday’s high-profile alleged rape by former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn lives in housing for HIV victims.

The paper stopped short of revealing the woman’s HIV status specifically, but not out of any journalistic integrity. No, the rag rather couldn’t get the people who run the housing to disclose the confidential data about the woman, even citing medical privacy laws in the piece. Just not, you know, respecting them, or anything.

The paper described the woman’s movements over the years across a few apartments, adding:

According to the agency, it is not uncommon for people with HIV/AIDS to move around.

Housing Works, the agency the Post IDs in their article, condemns the paper’s irresponsibility in publishing the information:

“The Post’s reckless disregard for the sexual assault survivor’s confidentiality potentially jeopardizes her relationships with friends, family, and coworkers, and further victimizes a woman who may have already suffered a grievous attack,” said Housing Works. “The tabloid headline of the story, as well as its glib, vulgar lead sentence are a transparent attempt to fan the flames of AIDSphobia.”

The Post says at the beginning of the piece that Strauss-Kahn “may have more to worry about than a possible prison sentence.” The actual chance of a male contracting HIV from a female during standard heterosexual sex is virtually nil.