January 21.2005 - JllSt OUt j 3
news
R enewing
AIDS A dvocacy
D.C meeting galvanizes activists
by Bob Roehr
he seeds for a rebirth of AIDS
Hegarty noted AIDS “is a moral issue as
activism may have been sown dur well as a medical issue. We have to shift pubic
ing a meeting of about 125 discourse from the ‘immorality’ of drug use and
activists from around the country out-of-wedlock sex to the morality of caring for
Jan. 4 and 5 in Washington, D.C.
people.”
Originally billed as a planning session for a
That is one of the reasons AlDSWatch is
May march on Washington, the gathering considering adding a faith-based session as part
morphed into something that is broader and of its May gathering to lobbying on AIDS.
more expansive.
Senterfit spoke with many people prior to
“The larger goal is to revitalize and re coming to the meeting and found “not a lot of
energize the AIDS activist movement across the people were excited about yet another march
country,” said Michael Kink of Housing Works . on Washington where a whole lot of money
in New York, one of the principal organizers and energy is dedicated to something that is a
of the meeting.
big ptxif on one day, and everything rides on
The very successes that grew out of AIDS whether or not it gets any press. Often that is
activism in the mid-
not proportionate to the effort.”
1980s, along with the
Kink acknowledged some con
new drugs in the mid-
tentious discussions at the meeting
1990s, has allowed
but said, “The conflict was people who
the development of
really wanted to work with one anoth
domestic complacen
er and get their issues heard.”
cy, while the contin
To Senterfit, “The intent is to not
ued horrors of AIDS
only reinvigorate activism at the grass
in the developing
roots but to spread the movement into
world have drawn
places across the country that are
attention overseas.
politically as well as epidemiologically
Domestically, the
important—those red states,” and to
number of U.S. citi
revitalize local media coverage of
zens living with HIV
H1V/A1DS.
continues to grow, as
What emerged from the discus
do their needs for
sion was “an increased mobilization
expensive services. It Paul Feldman of the National
for AlDSWatch, May 2 to 4,” Feldman
is a testament to the Association of People with AIDS
said. The group hopes to increase par
very success of those
ticipation to 2,000, add another day
programs that more people living with
to the program and
HIV are alive, healthy and productive
refocus lobbyist train
than at any time in the past. But pri
ing on a deeper under
vate donations to AIDS groups have
standing of the issues.
declined, and government funding has
It also hopes to add
not kept pace with the steadily
skill-building sessions
increasing caseload.
around
community
AIDS advocates see 2005 as a cru
organizing, in part to
cial year because of reauthorization of
mobilize for the larger
the Ryan White Comprehensive
caravan or march that
AIDS Resources Emergency Act,
is to culminate in
which funds a large portion of services,
Washington
from
and an escalating crisis with under-
Oct. 8 to 12.
funding of the AIDS I^rug Assistance
Feldman believes
Program.
the idea of caravans
There also is a serious threat to
from various parts of
Michael Kink of Housing Works
Medicaid, which provides another
the country converg
in New York. Housing is an
large portion of AIDS care nationally.
ing on the Capitol dur
ongoing and often overlooked
“I think the fact that the Republi need for people with AIDS.
ing Columbus Day
cans won again in November crystal
weekend will succeed
lized the fact that we’ve got to do something in creating greater public awareness of domes
new and different,-” said longtime Los Angles tic AIDS needs. Crucial to this success is prop
AIDS activist Walt Senterfit.
erly training the participants to better commu
Paul Feldman of the National Asstxziation of nicate their stories to reporters—“why in the
People with AIDS, another principal organizer midst of being sick, of being ptxir, they are
of the meeting, explained, “The political using their energy to get themselves to D.C.
environment has changed in Washington.”
I think that is really, really powerful.”
Tax cuts and demands for the war in Iraq have
And even while airing their grievances, par
made it increasingly difficult to get increased ticipants chose to focus on what unites rather
funding for any social program, he said. “We than what divides them.
have to demand of our friends that they make
As Senterfit said, “Most people respect
the fact that we need different types of
AIDS a priority.”
Feldman called the meeting “historic...an skills—we need people who are skillful inside
amazing, diverse group of people from all over players—but 1 think that most of us also real
ize we cannot leave it hi that sector of the
the country.”
•
CoIm Hegarty came to Washington from movement if we are going to have any hope
San Francisco, where the epicenter of new of expanding the pie [of funding] and
infections is among dnig users. He works for a expanding the constituency of advocates and
smaller AIDS services organization, the Ten activists.” jn
derloin AIDS Resource Center, which “felt
that we needed to be at the table anti those per B ob R oehr is a free-lance reporter based in
Washington, D.C.
spectives needed to be represented.”
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