July 11, 2008 | Main | July 25, 2008
July 18, 2008
PASSED PEPFAR
 |
PEPFAR activism in action |
Thanks to the tireless work of advocates and activists, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) reauthorization passed by a vote of 80 to 16 in the Senate Wednesday, with $48 billion for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria ($2 billion was appropriated for health and safety projects on American Indian reservations at the last minute). A major highlight of this bill—expected to be adopted wholesale by the House—is that the embarrassing Congressional HIV/AIDS travel and immigration ban was overturned. Now the Department Health and Human Services administration can end this appalling piece of prejudice whenever it pleases (time to start lobbying HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt!).
Senator Jesse Helms originally put the first incarnation of the ban into place. Ironically, Senator Elizabeth Dole, unsuccessfully sought to rename the PEPFAR reauthorization legislation after Helms. It is currently named the "Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008."...
Read the rest: "PASSED PEPFAR"
CIVIL LIBERTIES AND JUSTICE FOR AAIM
 |
Mississippi AIDS activist Robin Webb (center) and Robinson (right) accepts award on behalf of AAIM |
The Update congratulates AIDS Action in Mississippi (AAIM), which was named Outstanding Community Organization by the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi on Friday June 11. AAIM was honored for pushing forward legislation that benefits people with HIV/AIDS and making Mississippians with HIV/AIDS aware of their rights. ACLU credits AAIM in the dramatic increase in the number of civil rights complaints they receive from people living with HIV/AIDS.
"AIDS Action in Mississippi has been doing some phenomenal work about the disparities in AIDS treatment in Mississippi and making sure young people can get comprehensive sex education," said Nshombi Lambright, ACLU of Mississippi's executive director. "In addition the work they've done to let people know about their rights brings an increased sense of awareness that there are organizations out there that can address these needs."...
Read the rest: "CIVIL LIBERTIES AND JUSTICE FOR AAIM"
ACTION ALERT: STRENGTHEN THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT!
 |
Put some muscle in the ADA! |
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is often interpreted too narrowly, a particularly damaging scenario for people living with HIV/AIDS, who frequently face discrimination. Even when people with HIV/AIDS file discrimination suits, they must first provide testimony about highly personal, intimate matters that are wholly irrelevant to the discrimination case at hand.
This injustice doesn't have to persist! The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 extends better protections to people with disabilities, including people living with HIV. The bill was passed in the House on June 25, and now needs to get through the Senate.
The ADA Amendments Act of 2008 improves the ADA by:..
Read the rest: "ACTION ALERT: STRENGTHEN THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT!"
FINDING SOLIDARITY IN HAITI
 |
Housing Works staff in Haiti |
On June 27, a million people turned out for New York City Gay Pride. The rural town of St. Marc, Haiti, has no gay pride parade; coincidentally, however, on that same June day, 18 gay men gathered in solidarity and shared their experiences of gay Haitian life.
The group, which has yet to be named, is the first gay rights organization in Haiti outside of the capital of Port au Prince. At the June gathering, the members shared stories of discrimination and outright violence. One man spoke of having stones hurled at him as he walked down the street. Another talked of his family banishing him from his town.
Like much of the Caribbean, Haiti is hostile to gay rights, and very few people are openly gay. The new group is supported by the Fondation Esther Boucicault-Stanislas (FEBS), an AIDS organization founded by Keith D. Cylar Award winner Esther Boucicault. The group met in a pavilion that is part of a small compound FEBS leases so that people can meet for support activities without worrying about being identified. "This group was marginalized and neglected," Boucicault said."Taking into account that this group is at risk and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, we wanted to create a space where they can meet, exchange ideas and help them fight against the stigma."...
Read the rest: "FINDING SOLIDARITY IN HAITI"
HOPWA HURDLES
 |
Still more obstacles for federal AIDS housing |
AIDS advocates shot each other congratulatory e-mails when the Senate appropriations committee suggested giving the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program a slight boost—from $300 million in 2008 to $315 million next year. If the funding bump-up gets through House and Senate floor votes, it would be the highest ever appropriation for federal AIDS housing. But the increase is meager and does little to alleviate the chronic crisis of homelessness of people with HIV/AIDS in the United States.
"It's cause for celebration because it's something," said National AIDS Housing Coalition executive director Nancy Bernstine. NAHC recommended $470 million for the appropriation this year. Still, said Bernstine, "we're pleased to see the program continue to grow. It's a recognition that housing has a central role in prevention."...
Read the rest: "HOPWA HURDLES"