An HIV-positive diagnosis can thankfully now be managed with antiretroviral drugs that keep infection levels nearly undetectable. However, the widespread fear and panic that accompanied the AIDS crisis in the 1980s created rampant panic and discrimination against HIV-positive people, especially gay men. And unfortunately, that discrimination still exists. Our guest today, Scott Schoettes, is an attorney and advocate for HIV-positive individuals, and he is also an HIV-positive gay man.

Scott's undergraduate studies led to a career in musical theater, including a national tour of “West Side Story.” But as he considered his second act in life, the death of Matthew Shepherd inspired his legal journey. Since then, Scott has advocated for HIV-positive individuals – especially those in the U.S. military — as Lambda Legal’s HIV project director, served as a member of the President’s Advisory Council on HIV-AIDS, and continues his work in private practice.
Listen as this sticky lawyer describes the legal and legislative battles that have resulted in restoring rights to the HIV/AIDS community.

Jennifer Wagner’s legal path always included a desire to advance equality and civil rights. But her anthropology passion (and eventual Ph.D.) laser beamed her legal focus to the cellular level: genetics and the human genome.

As an assistant professor of Law, Policy, and Engineering and Anthropology at Penn State University, this sticky lawyer has created a legal career that links our most basic human rights and the most basic building blocks of human life. Listen as she explains the privacy implications of genetic data in medical research and digital technologies, and what we should know about how our personal data is used.

Growing up in North Carolina with parents in the home construction business, Forrest Merithew cut his teeth on construction sites, played in the dirt, and developed an early passion for outdoor adventures. Always game for new challenges, he pursued a law career and discovered how his deep experience in construction and his outdoor recreation pursuits could shape his law practice. And a sticky lawyer was born.

After successfully representing construction clients in complex commercial litigation for several years, Forrest pivoted to private practice representing outdoor recreation clients. Listen and learn how Forrest linked his personal passion (flannel shirt included) to a niche law practice that helps protect industry players and gives back to protect the great outdoors.