Petrelis Files

Walter Armstrong
waltera@poz.com
Editor
POZ Magazine

Dear Mr. Armstrong:

Stop the presses!

A miracle has occurred in the San Francisco AIDS world and must quickly be reported, so other similar miracles can start happening elsewhere.

In the midst of massive cutbacks in federal and local government funding for vital AIDS programs for people with AIDS and those at risk of HIV, with private funding sources shrinking, forcing groups and programs to cease operations, an AIDS executive has sacrificed a portion of her salary.

Yes, the normally avaricious Pat Christen, during the last year of her reign as empress, er, executive director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, suffering pangs of an almost-absent conscience, had her pay reduced.

Strange as it may seem, in 2003 Christen's salary was $190,266, and in 2004 it plummeted down to $189,974. (Sources: SFAF 2003 tax return page 21, and SFAF 2004 tax return page 21.)

She lost a gargantuan amount: $292.

Let me spell that out for you. Two-hundred ninety-two smackaroos.

Have you ever seen such a noble act from an AIDS leader?

No, of course not and the POZ audience should be made aware of this tremendous financial loss to Christen, who probably just didn't fill up the tank for her Mercedes SUV a few times last year.

I tell you, Mother Theresa up in heaven is smiling down at this AIDS executive's miracle. May Mother Theresa's sainted blessings and the spirit of Mahatma Gandhi assist in bringing about additional such miracles among directors of other AIDS charities across the land.

How can POZ ignore Christen willing giving up $292 in pay to help keep people with AIDS alive?

I look forward to a POZ article about the Christen miracle.

Best,
Michael Petrelis
San Francisco, CA