November 30, 2007

GET YOUR AIDSVOTE ON

Mendez speaks about the importance of voting with AIDS in mind

More than 40 people with HIV/AIDS, reporters and concerned voters braved the November wind chill on a street corner in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City on Wednesday to hear the results of AIDSVote.org's presidential candidate questionnaire and the comprehensive "Where Do They Stand? The Gay Men's Health Crisis Report on the 2008 Presidential Candidates and HIV/AIDS Issues". The event marked the relaunch of AIDSVote.org, a nonpartisan voter and candidate education project intended to get the '08 presidential candidates to take the best possible stances on critical AIDS issues.

"This year World AIDS Day is this Saturday. But you could say that the real World AIDS Day will be next year, on Election Day," said Charles Long, Housing Works openly HIV-positive state issues organizer, as the crowd cheered. "This is the most important election in the history of AIDS."

AIDS advocates say the next president has a unique responsibility—and the power—to vanquish abstinence-only education, repeal the ban on HIV-positive immigrants, lift the federal ban on syringe exchange, and dramatically increase funding for HIV/AIDS research, prevention and treatment in the U.S. and around the world in order to end the epidemic. Go to AIDSVote.org to read the AIDSVote platform, a blog, bird-dogging tips, and of course the candidate questionnaire and GMHC report. AIDSVote.org is a project of the Campaign to End AIDS, and is endorsed by dozens of AIDS organizations including Housing Works, AIDS Action, GMHC, AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Campaign to End AIDS, the National Association of People with AIDS, the Global AIDS Alliance and Health GAP.

"We know that it makes a difference who sits in the White House," Sean Cahill, GMHC's managing director of public policy, research, and community health, said at the press conference. "Who sits in the White House will determine whether or not an HIV-positive immigrant in a detention center will have access to her medication or will be shackled to a hospital bed. Who sits in the White House will determine whether or not a young gay man will have the homophobic bullying of the playground be reinforced in a health education class because of an anti-gay abstinence-only curriculum."

Also speaking at the press conference were Housing Works Senior Vice President of Operations Miguel Mendez, GMHC's Assistant Director of Government Relations Daryl J. Cochrane, and GMHC's Community Organizer Kristin Goodwin. Mendez spoke of how it is important for candidates to not fall into the trap of believing AIDS in the U.S. is a "manageable disease" when there are so many people still suffering, while Cochrane and Goodwin focused on the political nitty-gritty on comprehensive sex education and needle exchange. "Anti-gay, sexist, and inaccurate abstinence-only programs have been promoted over comprehensive sex education," Cochrane said, noting that all of the Democratic candidates are fully in favor of comprehensive sex education, while none of the Republicans are.

"There has always been politics around HIV/AIDS"

The AIDSvote.org relaunch and press conference garnered a front page story inGay City News and a mention in its editorial, and additional coverage in Advocate.com, the New York Blade, POZ.com, the Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report and elsewhere.

While all the Democratic candidates responded to the AIDSVote.org questionnaire, no Republicans have.(This week, Hillary Clinton became the third candidate to offer an AIDS plan, following Edward's and Obama's lead.) One of the most notable results was that the three apparent frontrunner Democratic candidates support lifting the ban on federal funding for needle exchange. (Clinton's position had been in doubt). No Republican candidates do.

The GMHC report outlined stark differences between Democrats and Republicans on most other AIDS issues. Seven Democrats committed to investing $50 billion to fight HIV/AIDS globally over the next five years. No Republicans have made a similar commitment. All eight Democrats have made clear their support for comprehensive sex education. No Republican candidates have.

GMHC President and CEO Dr. Marjorie Hill said that electing a president committed to ending AIDS, no matter what party he or she comes from, is only the first step. "There has always been politics around HIV/AIDS. That's why organizations like GMHC and Housing Works were founded. And after the election's passed, we will make sure whoever is chosen to be president, that he or she is educated by people living with the disease and gets beyond the politics of HIV."

The Housing Works AIDS Issues Update is reported, written and edited by Diana Scholl, David Thorpe, Phil Fox Rose, Christine Campbell, terri smith-caronia and Housing Works staff. Send your feedback, leads and story ideas to d.scholl@housingworks.org.

You can reach us by phone at 212-967-1500 x168, by fax at 212-868-4222, and by email at d.scholl@housingworks.org. Housing Works provides housing, advocacy and services to homeless people living with AIDS and HIV. Housing Works is the nation's largest community-based AIDS organization and the nation's largest minority-controlled AIDS organization.

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