HIV Hysteria From The NY Post

The reliably yellow journalists at the New York Post have outraged AIDS activists with a front-page claim that the hotel maid at the center of an rape scandal lives in subsidized public housing for HIV patients. The Post darkly warns that alleged rapist and International Monetary Fund head Dominque Strauss-Kahn now "has more to worry about" than a lengthy prison sentence. Housing Works weighs in angrily:

“Once again the New York Post proves that they are happy to trample on human dignity to sell newspapers. There is no public interest in knowing this woman’s HIV status—yet the woman herself could suffer greatly from the revelation,” said Housing Works President and CEO Charles King. “The Post’s story is an attack on women and all people with HIV.” The Post story intensifies the stigma surrounding AIDS by implying that HIV is an inherently horrifying disease.

The woman's lawyer this morning denied the Post's claim, saying she "absolutely" does not live in housing for people with HIV. But the story has already been picked up in France, where a new poll revealed that almost half of the nation believes the entire case was a set-up meant to derail the political ambitions of Strauss-Kahn, who was widely pegged to become the next president.

NEW YORK CITY: Nine Arrested At Bloomberg AIDS Housing Protest

Nine people were arrested this morning outside of a breakfast meeting hosted by NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a protest about the exclusion of indigent AIDS patients from a state housing program that caps the rent of ill people on public assistance at 30% of their income. More photos from the protest are here. Video is here. At Bloomberg's urging, earlier this year Gov. David Paterson vetoed a bill that would have brought indigent AIDS patients into the program. Paterson said it was the hardest veto he'd ever made. NYC doesn't have the money to help poor people with AIDS feed themselves, but they do have the money to change the fucking font on every fucking street sign.

NYC: Openly Gay State Sen. Tom Duane Among Those Arrested At AIDS Protest

Openly gay and openly HIV+ New York state Sen. Tom Duane was arrested along with several other AIDS activists in a protest at City Hall tonight.

The act of civil disobedience was meant to draw attention to a housing bill that was vetoed by the governor earlier this year. The bill would insure that poor people living with HIV/ AIDS wouldn't have to spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent. Advocates argue the bill saves money in the long run, by lowering the rate of evictions and homelessness. Governor David Paterson vetoed the bill at Mayor Michael Bloomberg's urging. Both men call it an unfunded mandate that neither the city or state can afford. Advocates say the bill would affect about 10,000 low income New Yorkers living with HIV and AIDS.

At the time of the veto, Gov. Paterson remarked that it was the hardest decision he'd had to make since taking office.

NEW YORK: AIDS Activists Protest Gov. Paterson Over Housing Bill Veto

AIDS activists protested outside the Manhattan office of Gov. David Paterson today over his reneging on a pledge to support a bill that would cap the rents of people with AIDS at 30% of their income. Via press release from Housing Works:

Paterson had agreed to sign the 30 percent rent cap bill in both 2009 and 2010, but went back on his promises yesterday, claiming that it would prove too expensive during a difficult budget year. Since, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, as well as council members Annabel Palma and Helen Diane Foster, have sharply criticized the governor’s action. The bill would have helped nearly 10,000 low-income New Yorkers with HIV/AIDS, according to July numbers released by the HIV/AIDS Services Administration, by capping their rent at 30 percent of their income. Today, a state policy forces many poor state residents with HIV/AIDS to pay as much as 75 percent of their income toward rent, causing them to make difficult choices between medical care and paying their landlords.

More photos from today's action are here.

Obama Unveils New AIDS Strategy

This afternoon President Obama unveiled a new strategy for fighting HIV/AIDS, saying that he hopes to cut the number of annual new infections 25% by 2015. The new plan includes a meager $30M in additional federal funding

In addition to slashing the infection rate, the strategy calls for increasing patients' access to care so that 85 percent of those infected will receive care within three months of being diagnosed, compared with 65 percent who do so now. It says that 90 percent of all people who have HIV or AIDS should know they are infected, up from the current 79 percent. A further goal should be to reduce the HIV transmission rate by 30 percent. The report says the twin aims of cutting new infections and increasing the number of patients who receive care will advance Obama's goal of making the United States "a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and discrimination." The strategy does not call for a massive spending increase.

REACTIONS

Human Rights Campaign:

“President Obama has put forward a bold and historic framework for addressing HIV and AIDS in the United States. The Strategy importantly acknowledges the continued impact HIV/AIDS has on LGBT people, as well as the failure to put adequate attention and resources toward addressing the epidemic in our community. But the goals and timetables laid out in this document cannot and will not be achieved without strong leadership and robust resources,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “All of us – including the administration and Congress, state governments, service providers and advocates – must commit to ensuring that the bold vision of this plan is fulfilled, and ‘[t]he United States will become a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and discrimination.’”

National Gay & Lesbian Task Force:

This plan offers much-needed relief by focusing on high-risk communities, directing money to states with the highest need based on reported cases of HIV/AIDS, and by recognizing the unique needs of affected populations. The administration has taken a historic step today in the fight against HIV/AIDS. However, the plan doesn’t yet go far enough in ending new infections and helping those already coping with the disease to manage it. The government must make available the necessary resources and life-saving medicines for those in need. Adequate attention to and funding for implementation as well as aggressive timetables are essential to the success of this plan. This ongoing national tragedy requires an immediate, potent and cohesive federal response that is appropriately funded.

Housing Works:

“The president’s plan is so flawed that it might actually represent a step backwards in combating HIV and AIDS in the United States,” said Housing Works President and CEO Charles King. “Since his days on the campaign trail, President Obama has repeatedly said that he wants to lead the fight against AIDS. Unless he commits significant new resources intended to make major inroads against the spread of HIV, he will be regarded as a leader who did next to nothing about the most devastating epidemic of our time.” The president’s plan sets insufficiently ambitious goals for reducing the number of annual HIV infections in the U.S. while, at the same time, the plan fails to provide adequate funding to reach even the modest HIV prevention and treatment goals that it sets out.

I don't see anything in the plan about addressing the ADAP crisis. Note that even the Democratic lapdogs HRC are clapping half-heartedly.

NYC: Eight Activists Arrested At Massive Protest Over Obama's AIDS Funding

Eight AIDS activist were arrested in Manhattan late Wednesday night in a massive protest outside a $15K-a-plate Democratic fundraiser featuring an appearance by President Obama. Housing Works has the story:

In addition to those arrested, 500 protesters from around the world chanted and marched holding signs reading “No More AIDS Lies! Treat People Now!” and carrying body bags. “While they are inside sipping champagne and caviar, Obama’s broken promises for global AIDS funding mean people will die because they cannot afford a ‘cocktail’ of HIV/AIDS medication,” said ACT UP Philadelphia member Henry Bennett. “Obama gave them hope, then he took it away.” On the campaign trail, candidate Obama pledged to provide at least $50 billion by 2013 for the global fight against HIV/AIDS and to “at least double the number of HIV-positive people on treatment.”

But, as the New York Times reported, Obama’s commitments to fighting AIDS have not even kept pace with inflation, let alone increased to the level he promised. Flat-funding for the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) means that people who were tested for HIV under U.S.-sponsored programs and promised treatment when they got sick are now being turned away. Although $50 billion was approved for five years, both of the budgets Obama submitted have flat-funded treatment.

Visit photographer Kaytee Riek's site for many more photos of the protest.

TOMORROW: Coalition Protest Against Bloomberg's HIV/AIDS Budget Cuts

Over 40 groups will protest tomorrow at the office of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg over massive cuts to the city's HIV/AIDS budget. Via press release:

What: Protest against Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed FY 2010-2011 budget cuts, followed by a press conference on City Hall steps
Who: 200 protestors from 40 diverse groups, including Housing Works, the People’s Budget Coalition, the New York State Nurses Association, City Worker Union DC37, New York Immigration Coalition, and the Brooklyn Council of Churches
Why: Bloomberg’s Draconian cuts to health services for poor and low-income children, poor and low-income people with HIV/AIDS and other disadvantaged New Yorkers
When: 11 AM, May 12, 2010, followed by NOON press conference
Where: Protest is on the East side of City Hall near Brooklyn Bridge Subway Station; press conference is on City Hall Steps