• Health
• Sexual and Reproductive Health
• Reproductive and Sexual Health

HIV Disclosure to Sexual Partners

Disclosing to a sexual partner means telling someone you are having sex with that you are HIV-positive.

In Canada, people living with HIV have a legal obligation to tell their sexual partners they are HIV-positive before having sex in certain situations. If you do not disclose in these situations, you could be charged with a serious crime.

Diclosure in Other Situations

In most other situations, it is your decision whether or not you choose to disclose your HIV status. Generally, HIV status is considered private, personal information. However, there are exceptions.

You can find more information about your rights and obligations regarding disclosure at work, to a post-secondary institution, as a patient and at school or daycare in several languages.

For More Information

• HIV disclosure: a legal guide for gay men in Canada [PDF] - A guide with information about HIV disclosure and Canadian criminal law. It outlines your rights and obligations around the disclosure of your HIV status to sexual partners. From CATIE.
• HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO) - A community legal clinic that provides free information and legal services for people living with HIV/AIDS.
• Canadian HIV/Aids Legal Network - An advocacy organization that produces resources for people living with HIV or AIDS in Canada.
• Black Coalition for AIDS Prevention (Black Cap) - An organization that privides culturally relevant outreach, prevention and support services for Black, African and Caribbean people infected with, affected by, or at risk of contracting HIV.