“I fought this ban.” After a Decade Spent Fighting Discriminatory Pentagon Policies, Navy Reserve Officer and NYS Assembly Candidate Kevin Deese Responds to Fourth Circuit Reinstatement of HIV Ban

Buffalo, NY - “This week's ruling by the Fourth Circuit reinstating the military's ban on enlistment of people living with HIV flies in the face of science, medicine, and the lived experience of every service member who has served honorably with this diagnosis, including me,” said Kevin Deese, Navy Reserve officer and candidate for New York State’s 149th Assembly District. Deese’s campaign is not endorsed by the Department of Defense or the Department of the Navy.

“I know what this ban means because I lived it. I trained alongside my classmates for four years at the United States Naval Academy, earned my degree, and graduated in 2014, but was told I could not commission as an officer because of an HIV diagnosis. Not because I could not do the job. Not because I posed any risk to anyone. Because of policies rooted in stigma, not science. I took the Pentagon to court over these policies in 2018, and in 2024 the Department of Defense agreed to commission me and recognize the service I had earned. I am proud to serve today as a Supply Corps officer in the Navy Reserve.

“This fight consumed a decade of my life. I do not regret a single day of it, because every day I spent in that fight was a day fighting in the hope that the next person living with HIV who wants to serve this country would not have to fight the same battle. This ruling tells them they still have to.

“Long before the military began successfully enlisting qualified individuals living with well-managed HIV in August 2024, servicemembers diagnosed as HIV-positive while already serving continued to serve with honor and pride. They deployed. They proved what modern medicine has made clear: HIV is a treatable, chronic condition, and people with undetectable viral loads pose zero transmission risk and face no limitation on their duties. The Fourth Circuit chose to ignore that evidence. That is not deference to military judgment. It is deference to prejudice.

“This is personal for me, but it is bigger than me. There are many more servicemembers like me in uniform right now, carrying out their duties with distinction, living and serving with this diagnosis. There are young people at academies and recruiting stations whose futures depend on whether we treat science as science or let stigma write policy. They deserve better than this ruling, and I will not stop fighting on their behalf.

“The Democratic Party has long been the party that stands up for people who have been knocked down and keep fighting. People who face adversity, overcome it, and refuse to quit. That is the Buffalo way. That is the Western New York way. But it is not enough to simply be opposed. Voters expect us to have a compelling, clear vision of our own, and defending the dignity of every person willing to serve their country is part of that vision.

“This week’s ruling is a reminder that it matters deeply who we give power to, at every level. The people we empower with our votes will use that power according to their values, their morals, their worldview, and their lived experience. Elections are not abstract. They determine whether a young person living with HIV gets told they can serve their country or gets told they are not welcome.

“I have been in this fight for more than ten years. I am not stopping now.”

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