Take Action on World AIDS Day!

Today is World AIDS Day. In the Washington Post today, former President Bush said:

"[P]rogress in many African nations depends on the realistic hope of new patients gaining access to treatment. Why get tested if AIDS drugs are restricted to current patients? On AIDS, to stand still is to lose ground."


As strange as it feels, I can't help but agree with the former President. What a fitting comment for this World AIDS Day, three years after President Obama made a commitment to dramatically increase spending on global AIDS. Instead, funding has virtually flat-lined for two years in a row. The result on the ground is that people are being turned away from clinics without life-saving medicine. New research on prevention is stalling because of a lack of funding. And the doctors and nurses needed to implement the programs are not getting trained, because the money isn't there to train them.


So today, people from around the US are coming together to call for increased funding for AIDS, which the President and Congress promised to do. Will you join them? Directions are below.

President Obama will finalize his budget by December 15th so time is of the essence.

To make a difference:

1. On December 1st, call the White House Comment Line at (202)456-1111
2. Follow the automated instructions
3. Say: “Hi, my name is ________. I’m from ______. I’m disappointed with how the administration has dealt with the AIDS Pandemic so far. I’m calling to ask President Obama to live up to his promise of contributing $50 billion by 2013 for the fight against AIDS. Thank you very much."

What are you doing for World AIDS Day?

There are a lot of options. You could, for example, listen to Alicia Keyes' free YouTube concert. You could go to Starbucks and buy a Product(RED) gift card. You could volunteer with an AIDS Service Organization. You could get tested. You could talk to someone about AIDS.

All of which are fine things to do. But in my view they ignore the two fundamental causes of AIDS: the HIV virus, and injustice. The way AIDS works is that you get infected by the HIV virus, and it makes you sick. Getting infected can happen to anyone, but it happens disproportionately to people who are stigmatized, poor, and disenfranchised. The solutions to preventing AIDS are political solutions. Stopping politicians from keeping clean needles out of the hands of injection drug users. Stopping politicians from keeping condoms away from prisoners and young people. Stopping politicians from criminalizing and stigmatizing homosexuality. Forcing politicians to face and solve the problem of homelessness. Forcing politicians to put people's lives ahead of drug company profits. Forcing politicians to make sure everyone has access to affordable health care. Access to treatment, housing, health care, clean needles, condoms, justice, and enfranchisement are scientifically proven to fight transmission of the virus that causes AIDS. And politicians and corporations are the main things standing in our way. The spread of AIDS is not the fault of drug users, LGBTQ people, people who have sex, or mothers. The spread of AIDS is the fault of people unwilling to spend the money or political capital to solve the problem.

The other cause of AIDS is the HIV virus. Stopping viruses requires treatment and research. Which cost money. Which brings us back to the above point.

So this World AIDS Day, in addition to buying your Product (RED) coffee, listening to Alicia Keyes, or volunteering, take time to work for the political solution.

Contact Mayor Michael Nutter and tell him a 2-year AIDS housing waiting list is unacceptable: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5712/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1343

Contact State AIDS Director Joseph Pease and let him know that returning or not applying for nearly $15 million dollars of state funding is unacceptable: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5712/t/8185/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1255

Contact President Obama and let him know that earning a D+ on fighting AIDS is unacceptable, and that you expect him to achieve full marks next term (don't worry, he still can. He just needs your help to make this a hot political issue!) http://healthgap.org/press/wad09_report_card_pr.htm