The Conversation Starts Here

I had a person here in Michigan whom I respect a great deal tell me that I was completely off base on my piece about Rea Carey, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the lack of HIV mentions in the State of the Movement speech. In fact, this person told me I had done Rea a great dis-service.

I try to always be direct and accurate with this blog, so this criticism from this person I respect hit home hard. So, I figured if I had done something wrong, I had an obligation to reach out and fix it. To do that, I reached out to Rea.

And I was pleasantly surprised to spend a half an hour on the phone with her Friday afternoon. Let me be clear, Rea did not feel it necessary for me to post this blog, but I feel that her perspective helps to better show the gray that is political activism in the LGBT community as well as the HIV community.

First and foremost, it is important to note that while HIV was not brought up in either this year’s State of the Movement speech, nor last year’s; Rea pointed out correctly that HIV has played a clear, concise and important front-row center role in both Creating Change events. In fact, following our conversation, she was kind enough to send me a list of programs during the conference which dealt with HIV. Here they are:

HIV As We Grow Older: Policy Needs

AIDS/HIV

Change we can believe in? LGBT equality and HIV/AIDS policy under the Obama administration

AIDS/HIV

Enhancing HIV/STD Prevention Outreach to Diverse Communities: African-Americans, Hispanics, and Men Who Have Sex with Men

AIDS/HIV

HIV and young gay and bisexual men and transgender women: Promoting Support

AIDS/HIV

Advocacy, Community Mobilization and Outreach, Participation and the Rest of the Mess in HIV Clinical Research: What’s the Deal for Populations Most Impacted?

AIDS/HIV

HIV, Race and Generational differences

AIDS/HIV

OK, that point is well taken. And what it points to, as well as the conversation I had with Rea, is that the LGBT movement has moved aside to allow the AIDS, Inc. to run the show. Now, we can all vary on the importance of allowing that to happen and the strategic importance. I happen to believe that AIDS, Inc. is not doing its job, and when the vast majority of the HIV cases continue to appear in men who have sex with men populations in this community, that the LGBT movement as a whole needs to step back up to the plate.

Rea counters, and I think with a valid perspective, that NGLTF is stepping up to the plate. It was nice to be reminded that it was NGLTF that stepped up to the plate in the earlier years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and fought for legislation, funding and more. It was also nice to be reminded that Ms. Carey did not rise to her post in a vacuum. She rose to the post via years of street action for HIV and she was there fighting during the Reagan years when people were dropping like flies. While I was still in middle school and high school.

Where we diverge in belief, however, is that NGLTF’s activities, which are under the radar, should stay under the radar. Matt Foreman threw down the gauntlet in Detroit by declaring the community had to deal with the continuing HIV crisis among our population. Part of dealing with that crisis is also giving voice to it, not being under the radar. But again, that is my view and I don’t hold the budget strings, nor do I have the ability to direct NGLTF activities.

So in short, I have a much finer tuned understanding and appreciation for Rea and NGLTF. My frustration remains, but it is a frustration I hold for many LGBT groups in the state and the country, not just NGLTF. But Rea did something no other leader has done. When I reached out, she picked up the phone and reached back. Only by having those conversations can all of us get a better understanding of where we are going, what we are doing and what we hope to accomplish.

I had the opportunity to speak to Lansing Community College President Brent Knight this evening. We spoke about the HIV textbook controversy.

Knight said he was unaware of the controversy, even though staff from the college, including Lori Murphy, his assistant, have been fully involved in the situation since I brought it to light Jan. 13.

He said that the college has hundreds of textbooks the students use, “So in that context I wouldn’t know.”

Asked if the college had more responsibility in this case because the LCC name was on the cover, Knight responded, “That’s a legal question.”

Fair enough.

But he did express concern about the errors, stating: “The students should be updated promptly.”

He went further, noting, “you can die from Kaposi’s Sarcoma,” then stating “It should be based on science. It’s all about the science. The blindfolded scale of justice, if you will.”

Students still have not been informed that an errata has been issued on the textbook, according to a student in the class. An errata was issued by the company on Jan. 22, and The Conversation published it the same day.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists and their allies have gathered in Dallas for the annual Creating Change Conference, sponsored by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. And today, Rea Carey, executive director of NGLTF took to the stage in Dallas to deliver the annual State of the Movement speech.

Let me back up a bit. This same conference came to Detroit in 2008, and it was during then-executive director Matt Foreman’s State of the Movement speech that Foreman declared HIV is a “gay disease,” and that the community members “need to own up to it.” Foreman delivered that stunning statement, overturning nearly two decades of HIV activism bent on addressing HIV stigma which is fueled by homophobia, as he was leaving the NGLTF for a new job.

Carey replaced him. And since Foreman, who one presumes was speaking for NGLTF as a whole, threw down the gauntlet and demanded the community “own up to it,” in regards to the disproportional impact of HIV on the men who have sex with men community (gay and bisexual men); one would expect Carey to have stepped into the role and taken up that gauntlet.

If you expected that– as I did– you have been sorely disappointed by Ms. Carey’s leadership.

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In what can only be described as fantasy masquerading as academic/scientific publishing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta has released a piece (pdf) looking at how the agency has responded to the HIV pandemic in the Black community in the U.S.

And while they do a fine job of putting on their rosy glasses, and as the agency is wont to do when confronted with this epidemic, spin a lovely song and dance number– the fact remains the agency’s response to the epidemic has been, from the start, pathetic.

And they spend several pages talking about all they have done to address the epidemic in the Black community, but the most stunning and most appalling fact they release is that only 4%– YES 4%– of the fed’s funding for HIV/AIDS response is spent on prevention. That number the researchers note has declined.

So, let me get this right– The CDC wants us to praise them for prevention programs which focus on those already infected, and then to be overwhelmingly excited that they spend on 4% of their budget on prevention programs directed at stopping the epidemic?  Right. Oh yeah, and half of that funding, 2%, is targeted at communities of color.

The piece claims the interventions and prevention models are successful. Really? How is that, considering 50,000 people are year being infected? How is that when here in Ingham county, we continue to see an annual increase in new cases of between 10 and 15 and have since the late 90’s? Just how exactly is THAT success? Take of the glasses, stop smoking whatever you are smoking and get with reality.

Prevention, in order to be successful, has to actually PREVENT new infections. It’s not happening. That in my book says no matter how you spin it means the programs are a failure. Period. End of story.

How about if the feds spent the same kind of money, energy and attention to the HIV epidemic that they did for the pig flu– oh sorry H1N1 Influenza. We mustn’t link it with swine, as that could hurt the swine industry.