Neil Parrott Looks to Set Record Straight on HIV Tattoo Letter

HAGERSTOWN, MD News (9/19/2022) – In 2005, Neil Parrott, current Maryland Delegate and Congressional Candidate for CD-6, sent a letter to the Herald-Mail newspaper talking about how HIV victims need compassion, as well as tattoos to indicate a person is HIV positive to potential intimate partners. Parrott recanted this position in 2010, stating that he no longer believes that a mandatory tattoo is the best solution, and is trying to set the record straight in part due to attacks by his opponent in the 2022 Congressional race.

Parrott’s inspiration for the original letter was an editorial in the New York Times by William F. Buckley, the editor of the National Review. In the editorial, as well as Parrott’s letter, the concept of the HIV tattoo is to provide awareness of the infection to intimate partners due to apparent uncaring by some with HIV regarding the health of those they might infect. Parrott’s letter discusses how this could be located somewhere that would be covered by bathing suits, and otherwise not visible to anyone.

Recently, Parrott has come under attack by Congressman David Trone for his original letter, even though Parrott recanted the position in 2010 during his Delegate debate with Brien Poffenberger. Parrott defeated Poffenberger in the November 2010 election. Documentation of Parrott’s recant of this position is in the Friday, October 29, 2010 edition of the Herald-Mail in their coverage of the debate.

Some might compare Trone’s support of COVID vaccine mandates to mandatory HIV tattoos, with both being potential civil rights violations. After all, both are irreversible procedures which permanently alter a person’s body, and both are designed to prevent the spread of a virus. And while Delegate Parrott has recanted his support of mandatory HIV tattoos and is running with medical freedom as one of the issues of his campaign, Congressman Trone has not recanted his support of mandatory COVID-19 vaccines.

Full disclosure: The managing editor of Radio Free Hub City was injured by the COVID vaccine., and Congressman Trone refused to help when contacted by the editor.

Fortunately, since Buckley’s editorial and Parrott’s letter, HIV viral suppression therapy is now available. Most importantly, while this treatment is not a cure for HIV, it does significantly reduce the chances of transmitting HIV. It can take up to six months for ongoing treatment to be effective to reduce the risk of transmission.

Today, Parrott has stated that he no longer supports the concept of mandatory HIV tattoos. “Needless to say, thankfully at this time we have a treatment for [HIV and AIDS], and that concept is not valid under the current circumstances,” said Parrott in an email to Radio Free Hub City. Parrott then went on to state “In the [2010] debate coverage article, please note that I made an issue of signing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. I did sign it, and have never voted for a fee or tax increase in the 12 years that I have served in the Maryland Legislature.”

Article by Ken Buckler, Managing Editor and President of Radio Free Hub City. Any opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not reflect the opinions of Radio Free Hub City or its clients. While every effort was made to keep this article unbiased, the Editor’s personal interactions with Trone may influence the tone of this article.