I greatly admire the work done at POZ, and in particular the high-profile efforts of my friend Regan Hofmann in the fight against AIDS. When I read her recent blog harshly criticizing activists (myself included), who protest at supposedly inopportune political times, I felt obligated to respond. Regan, you asked your readers what they think...here it is:
With all due respect, I disagree with you on three fronts.
First, I disagree that the Democrats are our allies, and that the Republicans are the enemy. Over the years, both parties, at all levels of government have been lackluster in their response to the AIDS epidemic, and both parties have had folk who have risen to the occasion in one way or another to advance prevention and treatment. The Ryan White Care Act would not have passed without Senator Orrin Hatch. And PEPFAR was initiated by a Republican named Bush. Meanwhile, both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have in turn paid lip services to the things we care about (needle exchange; a robust National AIDS Strategy; global AIDS funding) -- and then failed to follow through.
Second, I disagree with the idea that we need to tackle the recession before we can save the lives of millions of people with AIDS and HIV. The real question is the value of a life and whether we believe that saving lives of people with AIDS is just as important as saving banks, saving GM, or waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is not the Republicans that have been making those choices over the last two years, and as people living with AIDS and HIV, we shouldn't buy into the false dichotomy of people with AIDS versus the economy. I would be crying tears for the Democrats if they were going down for saving peoples lives. But they are going down for saving Wall Street!
Third, I disagree that there is something wrong with disrupting the President, whether at the White House or at a pep rally. Regan, it's naive and just plain wrong to suggest that I should have spoken to one of the members of the President's toothless AIDS Advisory Council (not that I don't interact with many of them on a regular basis). I had a chance to speak directly to the President, and I did. That's democracy. Sorry it soured folks' beautiful moment at the White House, but should we really be giddy that someone was paying attention to us when there are 4,000 people on waitlists for drugs, and the president is doing nothing about it? The same for the students. Presidential rallies are one of the few occasions college students have an opportunity to speak directly to their President. Why shouldn't they take advantage of that opportunity to voice their dissent?
Regan, you often pay homage to the activists who have launched controversial protests during the last 25 years. So I have to ask you: Would you have stood beside us when we disrupted mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral, or carried a coffin with a dead person to the White House? Would it have been too impolitic for you when we shouted Secretary Sullivan down at the International AIDS Conference in San Francisco in 1990? POZ's own blogger Eric Sawyer shouted down Vice President Al Gore during his campaign for president that led the U.S. to support generics in developing countries.
The truth is that the activism that has saved millions of lives around the globe has always been unpopular and controversial. But it has laid the issues squarely on the table and forced elected officials to respond. As long as there are pretty receptions and happy pep rallies, some of us are going to keep on being the skunk at the party.
Charles King is the President and CEO of Housing Works, Inc., the largest community-based AIDS service organization in the U.S.
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To read the blog entry by Regan Hofmann, POZ editor-in-chief, that prompted this response, click here.
To read Gregg Gonsalves' blog entry on the same subject, click here.
With all due respect, I disagree with you on three fronts.
First, I disagree that the Democrats are our allies, and that the Republicans are the enemy. Over the years, both parties, at all levels of government have been lackluster in their response to the AIDS epidemic, and both parties have had folk who have risen to the occasion in one way or another to advance prevention and treatment. The Ryan White Care Act would not have passed without Senator Orrin Hatch. And PEPFAR was initiated by a Republican named Bush. Meanwhile, both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have in turn paid lip services to the things we care about (needle exchange; a robust National AIDS Strategy; global AIDS funding) -- and then failed to follow through.
Second, I disagree with the idea that we need to tackle the recession before we can save the lives of millions of people with AIDS and HIV. The real question is the value of a life and whether we believe that saving lives of people with AIDS is just as important as saving banks, saving GM, or waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is not the Republicans that have been making those choices over the last two years, and as people living with AIDS and HIV, we shouldn't buy into the false dichotomy of people with AIDS versus the economy. I would be crying tears for the Democrats if they were going down for saving peoples lives. But they are going down for saving Wall Street!
Third, I disagree that there is something wrong with disrupting the President, whether at the White House or at a pep rally. Regan, it's naive and just plain wrong to suggest that I should have spoken to one of the members of the President's toothless AIDS Advisory Council (not that I don't interact with many of them on a regular basis). I had a chance to speak directly to the President, and I did. That's democracy. Sorry it soured folks' beautiful moment at the White House, but should we really be giddy that someone was paying attention to us when there are 4,000 people on waitlists for drugs, and the president is doing nothing about it? The same for the students. Presidential rallies are one of the few occasions college students have an opportunity to speak directly to their President. Why shouldn't they take advantage of that opportunity to voice their dissent?
Regan, you often pay homage to the activists who have launched controversial protests during the last 25 years. So I have to ask you: Would you have stood beside us when we disrupted mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral, or carried a coffin with a dead person to the White House? Would it have been too impolitic for you when we shouted Secretary Sullivan down at the International AIDS Conference in San Francisco in 1990? POZ's own blogger Eric Sawyer shouted down Vice President Al Gore during his campaign for president that led the U.S. to support generics in developing countries.
The truth is that the activism that has saved millions of lives around the globe has always been unpopular and controversial. But it has laid the issues squarely on the table and forced elected officials to respond. As long as there are pretty receptions and happy pep rallies, some of us are going to keep on being the skunk at the party.
Charles King is the President and CEO of Housing Works, Inc.
--
To read the blog entry by Regan Hofmann, POZ editor-in-chief, that prompted this response, click here.
To read Gregg Gonsalves' blog entry on the same subject, click here.
I completely agree. I watched your moment at the White House, and Obama needed to be called out on his lipservice. I'm tired of watching AIDS activists fall for it, without tangible 'money where your mouth is.' He is extremely eloquent and charismatic, but talk and action are a far canyon to cross, it seems. I admired your courage and directness. It's how things truly change. Thank you for being willing to speak out, take risks, and rock the boat. You call a spade a spade. We need more of you. Please don't ever 'behave.' Anyone who ever changed anything stepped out of line again and again.
I am writing on behalf of my mother who passed away over a year ago - Lynde Francis. She was always the 'skunk' at any pretty reception where people find all too easy to stand up and say how wonderful they are and what they intend to do. Well she never saw any of it happen and she kept on banging her glass against theirs to say remember us, the one's you promised to help! The only difference in America as opposed to Zimbabwe is the amount of money behind the lip service.
Nicely said, Charles. You get em
Charles, I too, completely agree with your analysis. I think others spoke about the direction of this country pertaining to many issues on election night, November 2.
Republicans never seem to receive praise for the RWCA enacted by a GOP Congress with increased funding levels or G. W. Bush's Global Aids Initiative. Then, California Governor, Ronald Regan, thwarted anti-gay amendments. Florida Republican Governor, Charlie Crist, also prefers to permit the courts to rule in favor of the gay civil right of adoption (the last state in this country to eliminate this ban).
What have the Democrats done for HIV and gay communities lately? DADT (which is still in-effect, not repealed, as promised), DOMA (still in-effect, and still thwarts the civil right of gay marriage, not repealed, as promised), huge ADAP waiting lists in Florida and other states, not present during the Bush/GOP years(the potential for a calculated HIV holocaust without adequate funding and state government waste or drug company medication cost controls). Why have Democrats even failed to make sure the funamental right to live and work in this country is self-evident, without discrimination, if one is gay or HIV-positive?
Charles, or anyone in this country has the right, if not the duty, to question it leaders at every organizational level. The failure to question the methods of our leaders and bureaucrats leads to fundamental flaws in our way of life, i.e., huge ADAP waiting lists. They should be ashamed!
Thanks Charles!
Well said!
I couldn't agree with you more Charles! It has been those of us who have continued to demand that our needs be appropriately addressed that have prompted change. This isn't to discount the efforts of those who go about in a more polite manner. For me and many others the time for polite approaches is past. I'm angry that so many of us are on waiting lists and the fact that providers settle for "doing more with less" cuts and are afraid that advocating for minority populations might take monies from us whites. What we need is increases in funding across the board and yet we get cuts. If our president, who I voted for twice, yearns for my cheers at rallies and interviews, then he had better fight like hell for us. God knows if he doesn't we will.
Mr. King,
I have been trying to obtain support with my HIV Disclosure Campaign, yet continue facing one slammed door after another. In fact, I've even launched a Blog titled
afraidtotellthetruth.blogspot.com
However, I seem to be still facing the worse evils. Do you know of any organizations that are looking to enhance their HIV disclosure message, yet lack the presentation to do so? Also, I'm interested in collaborating with your organization with my HIV disclosure campaign also.
Please contact me via email at
hivdisclosurecampaign2010@hushmail.com