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| By Lambda Legal Defense & Education Fund
Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund issues its annual report card on this day, to spotlight high-achievers and failures in this life-and-death struggle. In this 20th year of a preventable epidemic, Lambda ranks some notable prevention efforts around the country, and several particularly shameful attacks on efforts to slow the spread of HIV. COURSE OF ACTION The Bush Administration: F
After the September 11th attacks, the Bush Administration mobilized the
country in a rapid and decisive response to the crisis. But when it comes
to the AIDS crisis, why does the Administration seem unwilling to move
decisively to support realistic HIV prevention? Particularly notable
failures are two Administration actions supposedly designed to deal with
adolescent sexual health, and to prevent new cases of HIV. Tackling any
disease calls for education on how to reduce risk. But as explained below,
the Bush Administration seems to think that with HIV, the best approach is
to hide the ball.
Young people account for half of all new HIV infections in this country, but the Bush administration is responding with a discredited "just-say-no" approach that withholds crucial sex education from those most at risk.
United States Congress: Inc.
Surgeon General David Satcher: A
Dr. Satcher showed political courage with "The Surgeon General's Call to
Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior." The
report, released in June, details the importance of comprehensive sexual
health education and acceptance of gay youth in order to combat the spread
of HIV, AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases among young people.
Satcher's action disturbed President Bush and many conservatives, who
called for his resignation. For a copy of the report, go to
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/sgoffice.htm
National Black Religious Summit on Sexuality: A Annually since 1997, the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice's Black Church Initiative has held the National Black Religious Summit on Sexuality at Howard School of Divinity in Washington D.C. This year's conference drew 600 ministers, lay leaders, and youth to discuss how to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, decrease unplanned teen pregnancy, and understand sexual orientation from a faith perspective. The Summit supports ministers in breaking the silence about sex and sexuality in the Black Church by providing trainings, information, sexuality education models for youth and adults, and regional summits. The Bronx Lesbian & Gay Health Resource Consortium: A This South Bronx grassroots organization created innovative outreach posters for bus shelters, to raise awareness about sexually transmitted disease like AIDS in one of the country's hardest-hit communities. The group's public health campaign gets a top grade for paying attention to people of color, who disproportionately suffer from the AIDS epidemic, as well as men who have sex with men but don't identify as gay.
Green Chimneys: A New York City's Green Chimneys home for boys is the only agency in the Eastern US that provides a foster home and a broad array of social and education services to gay and transgendered youth as part of its efforts to address these kids' needs. Green Chimneys' vital services reflect the understanding that to keep young sexual minorities safe from HIV, they first must have a place where it is safe to be who they are. Mujeres Unidas y Activas: A Created in 1990 by Latina women in the Mission District of San Francisco, this program attempts to tackle some of the overarching cultural and economic issues that influence the risk of HIV infection for women immigrants. Mujeres Unidas y Activas presents HIV information as part of an overall health and empowerment campaign, offering trainings that address topics such as virus transmission, condom use and HIV testing and counseling. thebody.com: A Founded in 1995, thebody.com was one of the very first web sites dedicated to providing comprehensive information on a wide variety of HIV-related issues. Today it is one of the most visited medical sites on the Internet. Based on the principle that knowledge is power, the award-winning web site includes an impressive selection of HIV prevention resources, from a question-and-answer forum on safer sex to a regularly updated collection of prevention research reports on how to stay healthy. KEY TO GRADES A - Achievement and vital results in the fight against HIV and AIDS F - Flunkies who failed to help or even stood in help's way Inc. - Incomplete, inconsistent, and inadequate |
Each December 1st marks World AIDS Day - a day to remember those lost to AIDS.
It is also a day to honor the courage and celebrate the lives of those
who are living with HIV and AIDS, and to reaffirm our commitment to fight
the disease and the discrimination it has inspired.
In early November of this year, the Senate finally voted to allow the
District of Columbia to use local public and private funds to slow HIV
infection rates through programs providing clean needles to intravenous
drug users. The House voted to continue the ban on any public funding of
needle exchange programs, so now it is up to a House-Senate conference
committee to resolve the deadlock. In the meantime, Congress continues its
across-the-board ban on use of federal funds for these programs, despite
their effectiveness in cutting infection rates without increasing drug use.
© 1997-2002 BEI