With your indulgence, I'm going to deviate from the assigned topic. I shall address the Millennium Development Goals, but not in the way that was anticipated. There are two reasons. First, I want to speak in an unusually personal way, and from the heart, and in a fashion that leaves no room for ambiguity. Second, I consider the attack on the Global Fund to be the most serious assault it has endured in its ten-year history. I would feel utterly delinquent to let the issue slide.
I am seized by frustration and impatience. Let me explain. I'm thrilled when UNICEF tells us of the possibility of the virtual elimination of paediatric AIDS by 2015. But I know -- as knowledgeable people in this audience know -- that it remains an unlikely prospect, but more important, that we lost several precious years during the last decade where we simply didn't apply the knowledge we possessed to prevent vertical transmission. It was a terrible failure on the part of international agencies and governments. Worse, the mother barely factored into the so-called 'PMTCT' equation at all. As we come to this thrilling moment of progress, I cannot forget the millions of infants who died unnecessarily and the women who were never given treatment.
I'm thrilled at the creation of UN Women, and the possibility, once they join as a formal co-sponsor of UNAIDS, that the focus on women will be given a new lease on life. But I can't dislodge from my mind the experience of my years in the role as envoy, and subsequently working with AIDS-Free World, when it became clear that in every aspect of the pandemic women were rendered subordinate. Gender inequality doomed their lives. Sexual violence fed and feeds the virus. The entire survival of communities and families was placed on their shoulders. Men were the social determinants of women's health, and men simply didn't care. As we come to this thrilling moment of potential progress, I can't avoid the spectral faces of stigma, discrimination, isolation and pain, and they are the faces of women. That doesn't mean that women aren't the core of courage and strength in this pandemic; it simply means that they have to struggle valiantly to challenge the phalanx of male privilege, of male hegemony. Just a few days ago, coincident with World AIDS Day, the Harvard School of Public Health held a symposium called AIDS@30 to assess the past and plot the future. The symposium had a Global Advisory Council of 19 eminent experts on the pandemic: 17 men and two women. It is ever thus. It's the rare woman indeed who doesn't ultimately report to a man in the world of HIV, or who can command, ever-so-rarely, the place and presence that legions of men command automatically.
Of the nearly 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S., only an estimated 28 percent have a suppressed viral load (defined as viral load less than 200 copies of the blood-borne virus per milliliter of blood) — meaning that the virus is under control and at a level that helps keep them healthy and reduces the risk of transmitting the virus to others.
However, of those living with HIV who are in ongoing care and on antiretroviral treatment, 77 percent have suppressed levels of the virus. Effective HIV treatment and care benefit infected individuals by improving their health, and are also important for HIV prevention. Results from a recent study of heterosexual couples from the National Institutes of Health showed that consistently taking antiretroviral therapy, in combination with safer behaviors, can reduce the risk of spreading HIV by approximately 96 percent.
A study by the Williams Institute found that five percent of dental offices in Los Angeles County have a blanket policy of refusing dental services to People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The study also revealed that an additional five percent of dental providers would treat PLWHA differently than other patients in ways that could potentially violate anti-discrimination laws. Examples include only providing the most basic of services, such as a cleaning, or only treating them on certain days of the week or in an isolated room.
“Thirty years into the epidemic, HIV-positive patients continue to face discrimination when accessing dental care,” said study co-author Brad Sears, executive director of the Williams Institute. “While it is definitely encouraging that 90 percent of dentists in Los Angeles County do treat HIV-positive patients, it is likely that the rate of discrimination is higher in other parts of the country.”
Similar studies of health care providers in Los Angeles County conducted by Sears between 2003 and 2006 found that 55 percent of obstetricians, 46 percent of skilled nursing facilities and 25 percent of plastic surgeons had unlawful blanket policies of refusing service to PLWHA.
Youth groups secure major grants
LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Liberty Hill Foundation has selected five community organizations from around the country to receive $100,000 multi-year grants in an effort to end violence against LGBTQ communities and advance safety, self-determination and justice for LGBTQ youth. The grants will be made through the Queer Youth Fund, one of Liberty Hill’s donor advised funds.
The 2011 Queer Youth Fund grantees are Brown Boi Project (Oakland, Calif.); Colorado Anti-Violence Program (Denver, Colo.); Make the Road New York (Brooklyn, N.Y.); The Theatre Offensive (Cambridge, Mass.); and Three Wings (Seattle, Wash.).
The Queer Youth Fund was established in 2002. So far, more than $3.5 million has been awarded to groups in 21 states and Canada. Each grant is $100,000 and paid out over three to five years.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation announced is launching the first-of-its-kind Jewish Organization Equality Index (JOEI) survey. Modeled after HRC’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI) and Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), JOEI is designed to measure LGBT inclusion in the programs and employment practices at Jewish non-profit organizations.
Rabbi Hyim Shafner of the Bais Abraham Congregation in St. Louis, Mo., said, “It is my hope that the Jewish Organization Equality Index will serve as a strong step toward strengthening the important Torah value of seeing all Jews as made in the image of God and deserving of the highest of human dignity and kavod, no matter their gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or background.”
Baltimore County must grant equal employment benefits to same-sex couples, the result of a binding arbitration decision secured after Lambda Legal and the police union filed grievances on behalf of Baltimore County police officers Margaret Selby and Juanika Ballard, who had been turned down for benefits for their same-sex spouses.
“Under Maryland law, Officer Selby and Officer Ballard both have legal spouses who should be recognized. We are pleased that Baltimore County will finally have to fulfill its obligation to these dedicated long-time employees who just want to protect their families,” said Susan Sommer, Lambda Legal director of constitutional litigation. “This binding arbitration order is the final step in a long process. For years, these police officers have put themselves in harm’s way to keep Baltimore County safe. Now they will get the same employee protections for their spouses that other officers get.
“We are thankful to the Fraternal Order of Police for standing by its lesbian and gay members to make sure these officers are treated like their colleagues,” Sommer added.
The National LGBT Cancer Network, the first program in the country to address the needs of all LGBT people with cancer and those at risk, has expanded its directory of LGBT-friendly cancer screening facilities beyond New York City. The list now covers facilities in California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Vermont.
Liz Margolies, executive director of the National LGBT Cancer Network, explained, “We have selected each facility for inclusion based on its commitment to offering safe, affordable, welcoming care to all LGBT people. Each has demonstrated proven cultural competence in respecting the bodies, histories and families of LGBT patients. We will research additional facilities and expand the list until every LGBT person in the country is within driving range of a safe and welcoming facility where they will be respected. …
“On average,” she added, “medical students receive under 5 hours of training on LGBT issues in their entire medical education. To address these concerns from patients, we have included, wherever possible, a contact person at each facility who has agreed to shepherd members of the LGBT community through the process of being screened.”
The list of facilities is available at cancer-network.org/screenings/facilities.
On Nov. 29, the Nigerian Senate unanimously outlawed same-sex marriages and civil unions, with penalties of up to 14 years in jail for participants and 10 years in jail for anyone who helps or witnesses such a marriage or union. The measure also bans public displays of affection between gay couples.
During the bill’s third reading, which determined its passage, senators chided U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron’s October threat that aid might be withheld if the bill is enacted. Senate President David Mark said, “Any country that does not want to give us aid or assistance, just because we hold on very firmly to our values, that country can (keep) their assistance.”
The bill was approved in a form that is even more restrictive than when it was read at a public hearing some weeks ago. Now, the bill additionally criminalizes the registration of gay clubs, organizations and “same-sex amorous relationships” in general.
At press time, the bill is awaiting three readings in the House of Representatives, at which time it is expected to be approved. If it is, the measure will then be submitted to the president for final assent.
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