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Monday, June 27, 2005


Life, July 1985:
Now No One is Safe From AIDS


I remember it well when the July 1985 issue of Life magazine hit the streets.

Friends of mine were passing away from AIDS, including one who died before the disease was even labeled GRID, Gay Related Immune Deficiency, but because they were homosexuals most of America and the mainstream media didn’t give a damn.

But once enough straight non-drug using people started contracting AIDS in large numbers, Life declared that “Now No One is Safe from AIDS” on its cover. (Source: Photo of the cover.)

Twenty years after its appearance, I hunted for it on the web and couldn’t locate it, so off I went to the San Francisco public library to make a copy of the actual magazine story so I could key it in as an email and posting, to remind folks of this truly deplorable and terrible piece of AIDS reporting.

In reading the article again, some things stood out:

“From one to three million Americans may be harboring – and passing on – the virus without having symptoms.”

That was an extremely high estimate for the number of possible people infected with AIDS, one that wasn’t true. In fact, it’s taken twenty years for America to record one million citizens living with the disease. At its June 2005 annual HIV prevention conference in Atlanta, the Centers for Disease Control announced to great fanfare that the one million infected milestone had been realized.

“Belle Glade’s threat to other Americans, like that posed by homosexuals a few years ago, at first seems easy to dismiss.”

The concern of Life wasn’t the threat on the health of Belle Glade’s poor uneducated citizens, it was that those people were a potential hazard to others, read: better, nicer Americans who weren’t prostitutes.

And what about those threatening homosexuals, dropping like flies? Their health concerns and soaring death rates were supposedly easy to dismiss, well, because they’re fags after all, of no worry to America until their killer diseases begin striking heterosexuals.

“If the virus is as widespread as some fear, sexual mores may change radically; it’s happening already among homosexuals.”

Homosexuals, you say? You mean the people primarily suffering AIDS at that point in time, who didn’t warrant any coverage from Life, and certainly no cover stories about homosexuals doing something to stop and cure AIDS.

Not a single homosexual, with or without AIDS, was quoted by Life, which really saw homosexuals as alien others, unworthy of being asked what they thought of AIDS in 1985.

If Life was still being published, it would be fascinating to see how the magazine would have approached the twentieth anniversary publication of this cover story. The editors and reporters might have acknowledged their mistaken projections and offensive omission of homosexuals, but we’ll never know how Life would approach AIDS today.

May this article serve today’s journalists as an important lesson in how _not_ to cover AIDS.

^^^



Now No One is Safe From AIDS

Life
July 1985

The New Victims
AIDS Is An Epidemic That May Change The Way America Lives
By Edward Barnes and Anne Hollister

In a mobile home in the Pennsylvania countryside a father and son are sick and languishing – 27-year-old Patrick Burk unable to work, his one-year-old son, Dwight, hardly able to move. Both suffer from AIDS, a wasting of the immune system that has laid their bodies open to lethal infections.

When first diagnosed in the U.S. four years ago, AIDS was seen mainly as a homosexual affliction, with intravenous drug users also vulnerable. Of the 11,000 victims reported to date, three quarters are gay or bisexual. But infectious diseases have a way of breaking out of their pockets. Epidemic polio, for example, began strictly as a child’s disease with 132 cases in Vermont and gradually spread to adults all across the country.

Patrick Burk fits the original profile of the AIDS patient because he is a hemophiliac who received the virus in a contaminated blood product. Unknowingly, he transmitted it to his wife, Lauren, who in turn passed it to their son in the womb or through her milk.

Similarly, the AIDS minorities are beginning to infect the heterosexual, drug-free majority. These new cases are not numerous, but they show the same relentless growth as the earlier risk groups: a doubling every year.

AIDS struck the Burk family all at once. Only after Dwight was diagnosed last August did his parents’ symptoms – the unexplained rashes, diarrhea, swollen lymph nodes – make sense to doctors. In December Patrick was hospitalized for a month with a type of pneumonia that defines AIDS; Lauren has the condition called pre-AIDS. A registered nurse, she still drags herself to work at an institution for the retarded in Ebensburg, Pa., where Patrick also was employed.

The future is dark, yet Lauren stays cheerful and Patrick has a quiet confidence that he’ll beat the disease. “Apart we’d probably be two of the weakest people,” says Lauren. “But together we’re strong.”

In adults AIDS is slow to develop. It is not contagious through casual contact, like the flu, but the virus can take hold if it manages to get into the bloodstream by needle or sexual intercourse. It may be as long as five years before full symptoms appear. As a heterosexual venereal disease, AIDS seems to pass more readily from men to women than from infected women back to men.

Sonya Sherman, a 34-year-old legal secretary from Washington, D.C., had a year-long relationship with a man she says was bisexual. In 1983, long after they broke up, she got a rash that wouldn’t go away. Her immune system gradually weakened; AIDS was diagnosed that fall.

Sonya has so far survived four major infections, including two bouts of pneumonia, which for an AIDS patient is something of a record. Doctors have tried a desperate battery of drugs, one of which her left with severe hearing loss. Two members of her support group of AIDS patients died this spring. Serenely, Sonya has written a will and planned her funeral, even selecting her own burial urn. “My mother hopes that one day we’ll use it for flowers,” she says, “but I have to be more realistic.”

Although a cure or vaccine is not yet in sight, since the epidemic began four years ago researchers have isolated the virus and devised a test for it in the blood. The test is already screening the nation’s donor supply to prevent cases like Patrick Burk’s.

But it is has also allowed ominous projections: From one to three million Americans may be harboring – and passing on – the virus without having symptoms.

Predominant in this group are those with active sex lives, such as young men in the military. One study done by the Army has found that a third of 41 AIDS cases can be traced to heterosexual contact.

For instance, the soldier [pictured] above – not gay, not a drug abuser – admits to scores of sexual partners during his 12-year military career. Now 29 and twice hospitalized, the man was recently forced to leave the service. He is about to start a civilian job. He has not told anybody about his potentially terminal illness.

The population center with the highest per capita incidence of AIDS in the U.S. is not New York City or San Francisco, with their large homosexual communities, but Belle Glade, Fla., an isolated agricultural town of 17,000 in the center of the state. Nearly 40 cases have been documented in the past three years. Health investigators are turning Belle Glade upside down in an effort to find more pieces to the worldwide puzzle of AIDS. For the disease is not just American – it is rampant, too, in central Africa, where it is called, simply, “the Horror.”

Significantly, Belle Glade resembles Zaire in that homosexuals are not the main victims. The black agricultural workers live in the poor central section of town, a ghetto not only of AIDS but also of overcrowding, malnutrition, venereal disease and tuberculosis. These also characterize the AIDS pockets in Africa. Some researchers believe that unhealthy environments accelerate the disease because immune systems are already vulnerable. As for the global interconnection, the best guess is that AIDS began in Africa and spread to the U.S. by way of the Caribbean, and then to Europe from the U.S.

Belle Glade’s threat to other Americans, like that posed by homosexuals a few years ago, at first seems easy to dismiss. But Florida’s farm workers migrate with the crop harvests up the eastern seaboard. And long-distance truckers are known to visit Belle Glade prostitutes. LIFE reporters interviewed two such women. Both were gaunt and ill; one admitted she might have AIDS. The two agreed to take blood tests for the virus, and the tests were positive. Though uncounted in the official statistics, these women are almost certainly carriers of AIDS.

“I don’t know how much longer I can continue to watch children die,” says Dr. James Oleske, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Medicine and Dentistry in Newark, N.J. One Friday a month his clinic fills with the sounds of crying infants. They are brought in by parents, guardians and social workers to undergo the aggressive treatments that Oleske hopes will stem the disease. He uses gamma globulin, a blood product administered through bulky intravenous systems in their slender arms.

Most patients are the children of drug abusers. Their AIDS is usually diagnosed soon after birth, and in spite of Oleske’s efforts the majority do not live past the age of three. Nineteen of “my children,” he says, have already died. He has attended ten funerals. Yet to parents coming to him for the first time, the doctor is still able to hold out some hope. Three of his patients will begin school in September – that is, unless fear and misunderstanding about the contagiousness of AIDS block their entrance.

When Patrick and Lauren Burk came to New York in May to attend an AIDS fund-raiser on Broadway, they also consulted Oleske for advice about Dwight. So far the family has escaped the AIDS stigma. Most of the people in their town understand that the Burks pose them no danger. Four-year-old Nicole, who doesn’t have AIDS, joined a dance class after a teacher insisted she be included. Relatives and friends visit constantly, to help with chores and to bolster the family’s spirits.

The federal government has declared the battle against AIDS the nation’s No. 1 health priority. But, sensitive to controversy, officials have proceeded slowly. Even the obvious precaution of screening donated blood for the virus has been criticized – the test isn’t foolproof, and the results could be used to discriminate against individuals.

This month the Red Cross will begin notifying those of its recent blood donors who have tested positive. The agency estimates that up to 1,500 of its pool of four million will be receiving the chilling news. The fallout from AIDS in other areas promises to be far worse:

- The number of new cases, expanding geometrically, will strain the medical system. Some 5,500 have already died, and close to $1.5 billion has been spent on treatment, with costs averaging $147,000 per patient. These figures exclude the unknown thousands who suffer from the debilitating pre-AIDS condition. Perhaps one quarter of this group will go on to develop definitive AIDS infections. Some private health insurers may collapse under the weight of the epidemic.

- Live vaccines against other dangerous illnesses, like polio and measles, may have to be discontinued for those who test positive. In one recent instance a seemingly healthy man, inoculated against smallpox, died when the vaccine caused the very disease meant to be prevented. His immune system, it turned out, was depressed by the AIDS virus.

- The military must worry not only about vaccinations but also about posting troops to zones where exotic diseases occur. In combat, medics may no longer be able to rely on soldier-to-soldier transfusions. Use of screening tests could drastically reduce enlistments.

- Public education about AIDS has scarcely begun. Some experts are calling for a massive campaign to warn sexually active young people to take precautions – such as using condoms – against the disease. If the virus is as widespread as some fear, sexual mores may change radically; it’s happening already among homosexuals. Virginity and abstinence, prolonged courtships and AIDS tests before marriage or pregnancy – all these could make late 20th century America an anxious and altered society.

Saturday, June 25, 2005

Stop AIDS Project Inflates S.F. AIDS Deaths


Jason Riggs
jriggs@stopaids.org.
Media Coordinator
Stop AIDS Project

Dear Mr. Riggs:

I wish to register a complaint against you and your organization for spreading grossly inaccurate statistics about the number of San Franciscans who die every year from AIDS.

Your multimedia HIV prevention campaign this Pride weekend in the Castro tells gay men that there allegedly are 300-plus annual AIDS-related deaths in the city. Thankfully, that is not the case, and hasn't been for some years. [1]

If you had taken the time to read the latest AIDS surveillance report from the Department of Public Health, you would know that for 2003, 216 deaths occurred, and in 2004 the city recorded 209 deaths due to AIDS. [2]

(Sure, those stats are still to high and I won't be happy until there are zero AIDS deaths, it does HIV prevention and the overall health of the gay community to have lies about the stats promoted by a community based group.)

So you essentially killed 175 people with AIDS for those years to make a fearful point. Such manipulation and lies about AIDS stats comes at a time when AIDS deaths continue to fall, a fact your organization willfully omits from your messages and programs. Can't tell the fags the truth about declining deaths because that would kill the alarm we're trying to raise, and jeopardize our funding, seems to me to be the agenda of Stop AIDS.

I find it ironic you've made such an egregious mistake about the city's dropping number of deaths related to AIDS, and you're quoted in this week's Bay Area Reporter making this wildly wrong claim: "The point [of Stop AIDS latest prevention campaign] is to have fun, but to also offer up some hard hitting truths using up-to-date data of the epidemic in San Francisco."

Hard hitting truths using up-to-data epidemiology! Sure, and there were WMDs in Iraq as claimed by President Bush.

Frankly, I think you owe the entire gay community an apology over your ignorance about the real stats for AIDS deaths in the city.

I'm also appalled $10,000 in city funds were spent on the Stop AIDS Project's campaign for this weekend, when it's clear no one from the city performed proper oversight to your scary and false stats.

A copy of this letter will be sent to the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors and the DPH's AIDS Office and will serve as a formal complaint against your group's use of city dollars to misinform the gay community.

Finally, I ask that you, as the media coordinator for the Stop AIDS Project, immediately issue a correction and apology about the false claim of 300-plus annual AIDS deaths in the city. It is not okay that our two gay newspapers, the B.A.R. and the Bay Times, both reported this inaccurate AIDS stats because of your group, so I hope you will demand the publications run corrections.

Regards,
Michael Petrelis

Sources:

1. Stop AIDS Project campaign

2. S.F. AIDS death stats , page 7, table 9, column number 3.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

June 24, 2005

Dr. David Ho (Email: dgottwal@adarc.org )
Dr. Paul Volberding (Email: jaids@chi.ucsf.edu )
Dr. William Blattner (Email: bamford@umbi.umd.edu )
Editors
Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes

Dear Drs. Ho, Volberding and Blattner:

A study that appeared in the November 1, 1997, issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes made two predictions about full-blown AIDS cases in San Francisco that were wrong and require a corrective note in your scientific publication.

The study, titled Projected Incidence of AIDS in San Francisco: The Peak and Decline of the Epidemic, was conducted by the following AIDS experts: Lemp, George F.; Porco, Travis C.; Hirozawa, Anne M.; Lingo, Michael; Woelffer, Greg; Hsu, Ling Chin; Katz, Mitchell H.

This is an excerpt of what they wrote in their JAIDS abstract:

"To predict the incidence of AIDS from 1978 through 1998 in San Francisco, we developed a model that combined annual HIV seroconversion rates for homosexual and bisexual men and for heterosexual injecting drug users with estimates of the incubation period distribution between HIV seroconversion and AIDS diagnosis and with estimates of the size of the at-risk populations [...]

"The annual number of new AIDS cases is estimated to have peaked at 3332 in 1992, and is projected to decline to 1196 annually by 1998." [1]

The study's projected figure for annual AIDS diagnoses caught my eye and I've gone over the San Francisco health department's own quarterly AIDS surveillance reports to verify the estimates, and it appears the findings over-estimated some AIDS statistics.

For 1992, the study claimed the highest number of AIDS cases ever for a twelve month period in the city, with 3332 cases allegedly reported and diagnosed.

However, health department epidemiology reveals 2,705 AIDS cases across the city were diagnosed in 1992, which was in fact when the annual stats hit their highest level. [2]

This means the study and JAIDS over-estimated for 1992's cases by more than 18%, or 627 additional AIDS diagnoses that thankfully didn't develop.

Furthermore, in looking at the 1196 figure predicted for 1998, it too turns out to be wildly high, in my opinion.

Again, thanks to health department AIDS surveillance, we know there were 688 AIDS cases recorded in 1998, so your study over-estimated by more than 42%, or 508 cases. [2]

In light of the actual confirmed diagnoses of AIDS by the San Francisco health department, which is now headed by one of the co-authors of the JAIDS article, Dr. Mitchell H. Katz, I believe JAIDS and the co-authors of the study are required to print a correction about their inflated estimates.

I must also point out that in November 1997 when JAIDS published the study, the 1992 AIDS stats for San Francisco were available to the researchers, who seem to be oblivious to the existing data at the time they conducted their research.

I hope you will agree with me that the record needs to be set straight on the actual number of AIDS cases in San Francisco for 1992 and 1998, which were much lower than your study reported.

A prompt correction is requested forthwith.

Sincerely,
Michael Petrelis
San Francisco, CA

CC: Dr. Mitchell H. Katz, S.F. DPH. (Email: Mitch.Katz@sfdph.org )

Sources:

1. JAIDS article

2. S.F. DPH report; page 5, table 5.
US Navy's HIV Rate Increases Slightly

Unlike the U.S. Army, with apparently declining rates of HIV infections and/or newly identified infections, which may be due to pre-service HIV testing by recruits, the U.S. Navy's most recent HIV stats show a slight increase.

As far as I know, the Navy's surveillance report is the best place to find HIV epidemiology. If I'm wrong about this and you have links to more current stats for the Navy, please share the links with me.
^^^



Naval Medical Surveillance Report
Feb./Mar. 2003

[Link to full report.]

HIV Surveillance Among Active Duty Sailors and Marines, 1985-2001
Michael R. MacDonald, BS, William B. Calvert, MS, MPH, MBA
Navy Environmental Health Center, Portsmouth, VA

[Excerpts from the Introduction, Results and Conclusions sections of the report.]

"The Department of the Navy began testing all active duty military personnel for HIV in 1985. Since then, there have been 4,786 documented cases of HIV infection among U.S. Navy and Marine Corps active duty personnel. The total force screening program goal was to test all active duty members at least once within the first 2 years, and again during the next 2 years."

"During calendar year 2001, 357,470 active duty Sailors, and 142957 active duty Marines were tested for HIV antibodies. Of these, 101 active duty Sailors and Marines tested positive for HIV (Table 1)."

"Note that Figure 1 plots newly identified infections, not necessarily newly acquired infections. The distinction is important, particularly prior to 1990, where the number of positive members is more an indication of prevalence. Predictably, the first few years of testing identified higher numbers of HIV positive members."

"The numbers and rates of new HIV seroconverters have significantly declined since 1990, but there appears to be a slight increase in both cases and rates since 1999. Like HIV incidence in the U.S. general population, in 2001 black men (Sailors and Marines) were disproportionately affected."

"The majority of new seroconverters are younger than 30 years old, though age adjusted rates indicate a higher infection rate among military personnel 30 and older. Condom use by unmarried Sailors and Marines remains below the national goal of 50%."

Table 1.
Newly Identified HIV Positive Cases, 1990-2001

Year/Service

1990
Navy 249
Marines 49

1991
Navy 186
Marines 37

1992
Navy 183
Marines 29

1993
Navy 161
Marines 41

1994
Navy 118
Marines 28

1995
Navy 87
Marines 18

1996
Navy 94
Marines 22

1997
Navy 61
Marines 22

1998
Navy 58
Marines 13

1999
Navy 57
Marines 14

2000
Navy 77
Marines 23

2001
Navy 85
Marines 16

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

I received these replies about the US Army's HIV stats and share them with you because I believe they shed important light on the stats and how the military gathers them, who is getting tested and why.

The first message is from Bob Roehr, a syndicated health care and gay issues reporter based in Washington, DC. The second one is from Sean Strub, veteran AIDS activist and publisher of POZ.
^^^



From: Bob Roehr

June 22, 2005



With regard to the military’s HIV stats, once you look at the details, there is less here than initially meets the eye. There are two principle flaws in the paper (by a candidate for a masters' degree) that would at least have been acknowledged in the discussion section of a peer reviewed publication, but are not here.



The first is that the high starting point of infections represents the backlog of infections that occurred over the course of activity (sexual, injection drug use, transfusions) over more than a decade, prior to the initiation of testing. As the paper points out, active duty personnel undergo periodic and regular HIV-1 testing every 2-5 years. So the real starting point for analysis should be when that backlog had been worked through—somewhere between 1988 and 1991—in which case the curve would look very different indeed. The chart that demonstrates this best is the one comparing incidence rates of those service members with more/less than three years on active duty (page 15).



The second major flaw is that it assumes that the pool of recruits entering the military, and hence being tested, remained exactly the same throughout the period of analysis. That is clearly not the case. Potential recruits are informed that they will be given a complete pre-induction physical and that being HIV-positive is one of the grounds for exclusion from induction. This dataset does not include testing numbers from pre-induction physicals, which would be a better measure of the true rate of infections occurring within the community.



Furthermore, there is anecdotal evidence (there may even be studies, I haven’t looked) that potential recruits, either on their own or on advice of recruiters, take their own HIV test before the pre-induction physical if they believe they might be at risk for testing positive. It is better to find out such information under conditions that they have some control over than at the physical. Bottom line, the pool of those being sworn into the service has changed over time, and this data reflects that.



If one uses a starting point of about 1990 (once the backlog has been worked through), then what one gets is a picture of those who seroconvert while they are in the military. One would be tempted to use this as a marker of gays, however, it also includes injection drug use, and I suspect given the population and popularity of tattoos, a fair number of folks who were infected through improperly cleaned tattoo needles.



The data showing health care personnel as those most likely to become infected with HIV would reinforce the view that gays tend to serve disproportionately in that field. But again, there is a statistical reason to be wary and not read too much into that—those career identifications have the largest confidence intervals and hence are the most suspect for accuracy.



- -



From: Sean Strub

June 22, 2005



This is great news of course, but I wonder how much of it is reverse self-selection as more people know their HIV status or their potential risk for HIV and check before entering the military to make sure they are negative, knowing they will get tested once in service. I suspect the military stats are not as reflective of the broader population today as they were earlier in the epidemic.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

US Army study: HIV Dramatically Declines

Here are two reports on HIV stats that I hope are of keen interest to the gay community, AIDS experts and reporters who cover health issues.

As far as I know, the first study shows a dramatic drop of HIV among U.S. Army recruits and received no media coverage when it was published and presented at a scientific conference in November 2004.

This is not surprising given that the study found HIV declines over an 18 year period and administrators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and community-based HIV prevention groups are loathe to ever acknowledge and tout valid drops in new HIV transmissions. You can't get more funding from Congress if your HIV prevention programs are succeeding in reducing infections, if the misguided thinking of these bureaucrats.

On the other hand, I would have expected those bureaucrats and African American leaders to seize upon the finding showing black recruits had one of the highest incidence rates, but even this finding didn't catch their attention.

Missing from the abstract below, but included in the full report, is this statistic on how many people were tested: "1,140 incident HIV-1 infections were detected among 1,732,419 soldiers who were on active duty at any time between 1985 and 2003, contributing 9,582,252 PY of follow-up." (Source: Full study.)

That's a lot of U.S. Army personnel to test and study, lending much credence to the validity of the findings because so many people were involved in this research project. We're not talking about a handful of subjects studied over a short period of time, but a large number and over many years.

In their introduction to the full study, the authors report the following: "The thoroughness of military health records lends to a unique opportunity to collect data on, in this case, a young, racially/ethnically and geographically diverse, sexually active population whose characteristics parallel those in the general population who could be at risk for acquiring the HIV virus."

In other words, the fall of HIV transmissions among army personnel is reflective of overall declining HIV rates for high-risk individuals across America.

The second study was conducted by some of the same researchers and it documented that prior to the army's HIV numbers falling, the stats were stable in the 1990s.

We wouldn't want this good news to be reported on, now would we? Might undermine efforts to secure more federal funding and selling the country on alarmist fearful HIV statistics.
^^^



HIV-1 incidence among active duty United States Army personnel, 1985-2003

Zahid Rathore, MPH1, Warren B. Sateren, MPH2, Philip O. Renzullo, PhD, MPH3, Mark J. Milazzo3, Darrell E. Singer, MD2, and Jose L. Sanchez, MD2.

(1) Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The George Washington University, School of Public Health & Health Services, 1901 Ingleside Terrace, NW, # 302, Washington, DC 20010, 202-986-4460, zrathore@alumni.bates.edu, (2) Division of Retrovirology, WRAIR, U.S. Military HIV Research Program, 1 Taft Court, Suite 250, Rockville, MD 20850, (3) Henry M. Jackson Foundation, U.S. Military HIV Research Program, 1 Taft Court, Suite 250, Rockville, MD 20850

Background: The purpose of this project is to evaluate HIV-1 infection trends among active duty United States Army personnel, tested between 1985 and 2003. Long term follow-up of cohorts offers the opportunity to determine the rate and risk of new HIV-1 infections. Young men and women from every area of the United States are continuously joining the U.S. Army and are tested for HIV-1 on a periodic basis. This testing program provides unique insights into HIV-1 infection in a group of racially and ethnically diverse, sexually active men and women from every area in the United States.

Methods: The U.S. Army routinely tests personnel for HIV-1 which allows for the characterization of demographic risk factors for infection (incidence rate calculations and unadjusted and adjusted relative risk [RR] estimates with 95% CI’s). Rates are calculated by age group, race/ethnicity, gender, marital status, length of service, education level, rank, and military job occupation. Geographic distribution will be analyzed by county of residence.

Results: Incidence declined between 1985 and 2003 from 0.46 cases / 1,000 person-years [py] to 0.07 cases / 1,000 py. After adjusting for all variables, males (RR = 3.18), blacks (RR = 4.63), personnel between 25 and 29 years old (RR = 1.58) and non-married personnel (RR = 1.82) were at greatest risk for HIV-1 infection.

Conclusion: U.S. Army personnel provide a unique cohort for characterizing long-term trends in HIV-1 incidence. Application of the results will assist in identifying and targeting high-risk populations in prevention efforts.

(Source: Abstract.)

- -



AIDS: Volume 15(12) 17 August 2001 pp 1569-1574
HIV-1 seroconversion in United States Army active duty personnel, 1985-1999
Renzullo, Philip O.; Sateren, Warren B.a; Garner, Robin P.; Milazzo, Mark J.; Birx, Deborah L.a; McNeil, John G.a

From the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, US Military HIV Research Program, and the aWalter Reed Army Institute of Research, US Military HIV Research Program, Rockville, Maryland, USA.

Received: 26 January 2001;

revised: 20 April 2001; accepted: 26 April 2001.

Requests for reprints to: P. O. Renzullo, US Military HIV Research Program, Henry M. Jackson Foundation, 1 Taft Court, Suite 250, Rockville, MD, USA 20850.

Note: The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors and are not to be construed as official or as reflecting the views of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense.

[snip]

Conclusions: HIV-1 seroconversions in the US Army have been low and stable since the early 1990s. Continued HIV-1 incidence surveillance in the US Army provides information on the status of the epidemic in the Army, as well as important corroborative data on HIV-1 infections throughout the US.

[snip]

(Source: Full text.)

Friday, June 17, 2005

Pro-DOMA Judge to be Honored in LA on June 21

If I lived in Southern California, I would attend this event and give thie retiring bigot from the bench a handful of rainbow rice, symobol of gay fertility, to convey that gay is good, gay sex is healthy and sections of his ruling were hostile to gay families, in all their marvelous diverse forms.

Alas, I live in San Francisco and can't be there.

Would be nice if gays in the Los Angeles area got themselves to Taylor's going away party ...

^^^


OC Bar Association

Reception Honoring Retiring US District Court Judge Gary Taylor
Date: 6/21/2005
Registration Time: 5 PM
Program Time: 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Place: The Pacific Club
4110 Macarthur Blvd, Newport Beach
Prices:
Judges & Guests: $30.00
OCBA Members & Guests: $35.00
FBA-OC Members & Guests: $35.00
All others: $45.00
Registration Deadline: 6/21/2005

Description: The Orange County Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association, OC Chapter will be co-sponsoring a reception in honor of retiring U.S. District Court Judge Gary Taylor. Taylor will officially step down from the bench at the end of June. The reception is being held Tuesday, June 21 at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach.
For further information, download the Registration Form

All prices are per person
What's Wrong With Calling Gays "MSM?"

When I moved to San Francisco in 1995 and began paying attention to what the Department of Public Health was doing regarding gay male health and sexuality, it bugged me that the health authorities used the phrase "men who have sex with men" in describing their programs targeting both self-identified gay men and closet cases.

I recall conversations with S.F. DPH officials about how the acronym MSM denied the identity and community of out gay men and our needs. The officials claimed that in order to reach the closeted men it was necessary to use the MSM term instead of gay because it would allow them to reach more men at-risk for HIV and other STDs.

Seemed to me this approach was basically shoving out gay men back into the closet and a willful denial of the gay identity and all of the good benefits of such an identity, but my concerns were dismissed by the S.F. DPH.

Well, I came across this abstract today from the American Journal of Public Health that sums how why I find the MSM term so offensive and a detriment to public health.

I will send it along to the MSMs, er, gay men who work at the health department in the hope to generate discussion about the term and S.F. DPH's approach to effective public health for both gay men and closet cases who don't identify as such.
^^^


AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print Jun 16, 2005

American Journal of Public Health, 10.2105/AJPH.2004.046714


The Trouble With "MSM" and "WSW": Erasure of the Sexual-Minority Person in Public Health Discourse

Rebecca Young 1
Ilan Meyer 2*

1 Barnard College
2 Columbia University

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: im15@columbia.edu.


"Men who have sex with men" (MSM) and "women who have sex with women" (WSW) are purportedly neutral terms commonly used in public health discourse. But they are problematic terms that often imply a lack of lesbian or gay identity and an absence of community, networks, and relationships in which same-gender pairings mean more than merely sexual behavior. Overuse of "MSM" and "WSW" adds to a history of scientific labeling of same-sex pairing that reflects, and inadvertently advances, heterosexist notions. We do not advocate for the complete demise of "MSM" and "WSW," but believe that a decade after their introduction, the terms have become institutionalized and risk inattentive usage. We urge public health professionals to be vigilant about use of the terms: while helpful sometimes, MSM and WSW must be recognized as a sort of "lowest common denominator" and reserved for occasions when it is impossible to ascertain information on social aspects of sexuality.

Key Words: HIV/AIDS, Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Persons

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Pelosi Over-States Number of AIDS Deaths in S.F.

[This letter has also been snail mailed to Pelosi's S.F. and Washgington offices.]

Honorable Nancy Pelosi
US House of Representatives
Washington, DC
sf.nancy@mail.house.gov

Dear Rep. Pelosi:

In your comments today on the House floor about medical marijuana, you stated the following:

"In my district of San Francisco, we have lost more than 20,000 people to AIDS over the last two decades, and I have seen firsthand the suffering that accompanies this dreadful disease." [1]

While I am pleased you favor allowing doctors to prescribe medicinal pot to AIDS patients and other ill people who need it, I must strongly object to your wildly inaccurate AIDS deaths statistic for San Francisco.

According the latest AIDS surveillance report from the San Francisco Department of Public Health, reflecting data from the start of the epidemic through March 31, 2005, there have unfortunately been 17,661 AIDS deaths recorded. [2]

I'm sure we can both agree that the 17,661 deaths in San Francisco over the past two decades is a tragedy, however, that number is thankfully far less than the more than 20,000 you claimed on the House floor this morning. In fact, your statistic was over-stated by at least 2,339.

I ask that you read the full AIDS surveillance report for your district and then immediately correct the numerical error in your remarks in support of medical marijuana.

A prompt response is requested.

Sincerely,
Michael Petrelis
San Francisco, CA
^^^

Sources:
1. Pelosi's floor remarks
2. S.F. DPH AIDS stats, page 8, table 9.

Friday, June 10, 2005

FDA-Designate Crawford's FEC Files

A corner of hell may have been a bit chilly this week when Democratic Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton, Patty Murray and Tom Coburn of the GOP, all announced their opposition to Lester Crawford as head of the Food and Drug Administration, but for different political and medical reasons.

The Democratic senators oppose President Bush's nominee to the health agency because of the FDA long delay on approving over-the-counter birth-control, while Coburn is unhappy with the agency's refusal to force condoms makers to print information on the devices saying they don't stop all sexually transmitted diseases.

That the two blue state liberals would ever join in concurring with their red state opponent on anything to do with healthcare or the FDA guarantees rough days ahead for Crawford and Bush's domestic agenda, with gallons of ink hope to spill on Crawford.

What I'd like to see included in the mainstream media mix as his nomination moves through Congress are a few stories about his political donations over the years.

Not because it will come as any great surprise to learn he's donated $9,100 to Bush and GOP causes, but because it's vital voters and lawmakers understand the extent of his political contributions over the years.

Examine this article that appeared in The Independent in Britain on Bush' recent appointment of Robert Holmes Tuttle to be the US ambassador to Court of St. James, with the headline "Bush Donor Named as New US Ambassador," for an example of what I'd like to read on Crawford in the American press.(Source: The Independent.)

After Googling for any coverage about Crawford's donations to Bush and the GOP, nothing of substance came up, except these Federal Election Commission records from NewsMeat.

^^^


NewsMeat's FEC File on Crawford


CRAWFORD, LESTER M DR.
CHEVY CHASE, MD 20815
F.D.A./DEPUTY COMMISSIONER
BUSH, GEORGE W (R)President
BUSH-CHENEY '04 (PRIMARY) INC
$1,250
04/14/04

CRAWFORD, LESTER M DR.
CHEVY CHASE, MD 20815
F.D.A./DEPUTY COMMISSIONER
BUSH, GEORGE W (R)
President
BUSH-CHENEY '04 (PRIMARY) INC
$750
10/30/03

CRAWFORD, LESTER M
CHEVY CHASE, MD 20815
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE (R)
$2,000
04/09/02

CRAWFORD, LESTER M DR
CHEVY CHASE, MD 20815
GEORGETOWN UNIV
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE (R)
$1,500
06/22/00

CRAWFORD, LESTER
CHEVY CHASE, MD 20815
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE (R)
$1,000
08/23/99

CRAWFORD, LESTER M DR
CHEVY CHASE, MD 20815
GEORGETOWN UNIV
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE (R)
$500
06/23/99

CRAWFORD, LESTER M
CHEVY CHASE, MD 20815
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITYBUSH, GEORGE W (R)
President
BUSH FOR PRESIDENT INC.
$500
04/26/99

CRAWFORD, LESTER M DR
CHEVY CHASE, MD 20815
ASSOC OF AMERICAN
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE (R)
$250
07/31/97

CRAWFORD, LESTER M DR
BETHESDA, MD 20815
ASSOC OF AMERICAN
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE (R)
$350
05/06/96

CRAWFORD, LESTER M DR
BETHESDA, MD 20815
ASSOC OF AMERICAN
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE (R)
$1,000
06/02/95

CRAWFORD, LESTER DR
WASHINGTON, DC 20003
NFPA
FOOD PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (FPA-PAC)
$250
11/05/91
SF STD Report Shows Drops of HIV, STDs

June 10, 2005

Steven Tierney
Director, HIV Prevention
SF Department of Public Health
25 Van Ness Avenue, 5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94102

Dear Mr. Tierney:

The health department's latest monthly sexually transmitted disease report, which is for January through April 2005, illustrates remarkably good news about STDs in the city.

First, the number of HIV positive infections recorded at City Clinic, the primary health facility for the majority of HIV tests performed in the city, shows 37 antibody test results for the four months of this year. That compares with 49 such results for the same period in 2004, which means there's been a drop in this category.

Second, 2005's year to date statistic for male rectal gonorrhea show 141 cases recorded, while for the corresponding four months last year, the number was 147. Another slight drop of an STD for the city.

And third, the number of adult syphilis cases so far this year is 165, versus 231 at this point last year. Again, a decline of cases.

Since you and the DPH have continually sounded the alarms whenever there have been any increases or surges of any of these STDs, especially for gay men, I am most curious to know why there is only silence from you and your colleagues about these STD declines.

I've looked over the DPH web site for any press releases or announcements about the drops, and couldn't find a single one.

I know this may sound odd, considering DPH is not known for ever informing the gay community and all city residents about positive news regarding declines or stabilization of any STDs, much less three STDs, but wouldn't this June, it being Gay Pride Month and all, be an ideal time for you and other gay men at the DPH to widely inform your gay brothers of these drops, congratulate us for bringing about the declines of several STDs, and strongly encourage us to keep STD statistics down?

Could there be a valid reason or two why you, as a gay man, and the supposedly gay-friendly DPH have not yet made any announcement about the latest dropping STD numbers, patted the sexually active gay male community on the back for the drops or organized town hall meetings to explain the numbers?

Seems to me DPH will go out of its way to scream about increases of STDs, and in the process demonize gay men and gay sexuality, but when your own statistics show declines, deafening silence is the order of the day.

I am respectfully asking you to break DPH tradition and do two things this month. One, issue a statement about the STD drops; two, put on at least one town hall meeting about the newest statistics.

I would appreciate a prompt reply.

Regards,
Michael Petrelis
San Francisco, CA

Source: SF STD report

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Dubya's Porn Producer Pal Gave to GOP...and DNC!

I was tipped off to this story by fellow homosexual Hellenic activist John Aravosis and his site, AmericanBlog.

Joseph Farah, an extreme right-wing leader and writer for the WorldNetDaily site, complains today about a straight porn producer and his star who will meet with President Bush and his chief political strategist next week.

Farah writes:

"Last week, Carl Forti, communications director for the National Republican Congressional Committee, explained to WND that self-described pornographer Mark Kulkis and his date, porn star Mary Carey, will be attending the two-day event, 'The 2005 President's Dinner and Salute to Freedom,' next Monday and Tuesday because their money is just as good as anyone else's.

"'They've paid their money,' he said. 'No matter what they do, the money is going to go to help elect Republicans to the House.'" (Source: WND )

Mr. Kulkis has given the family values-friendly folks at the RNC $500 this year, showing to a small degree the GOP accepts porn as good for the American family. Why else would the RNC have cashed the checks from Mr. Kulkis if they don't approve of his profession?

But Mr. Kulkis is one porn producer who is obviously bi-partisan and how knows to work both sides of the political aisle.

He gave the Democratic National Committee $300 last year, and like their GOP counterparts, the DNC cashed the check.

Nice to know both major political parties happily accept money from good ol' American porn makers.

My only problem with Mr. Kulkis' political largesse, speaking as a registered Green Party voter, is that he has yet to write out a check to my party!

^^^



www.tray.com



Kulkis, Mark J Mr.
10/12/2004 $300.00
Los Angeles, CA 90039
Kick Ass Pictures/Producer -[Contribution]
DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE

Kulkis, Mark Mr.
1/26/2005 $250.00
Los Angeles, CA 90023
Kick Ass Pictures Inc./President -[Contribution]
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE
Kulkis, Mark Mr.
2/25/2005 $250.00
Los Angeles, CA 90023
Kick Ass Pictures Inc./President -[Contribution]
NATIONAL REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE
SF Open Meetings Law & Project Open Hand

From: tnolan@openhand.org
To: MPetrelis@aol.com
Sent from the Internet (Details)


Mr. Petrelis,
There are two ways of speaking to our Board:
1. By letter addressed to Mr. Peter Scott, Board Chair
Project Open Hand
730 Polk St.
San Francisco, Ca. 94109

2. By attending the next regularly scheduled Board meeting on Tuesday, June 21st at 5:30 p.m.
The meeting is held at 730 Polk St at Ellis. The public comment section is at the beginning of the meeting following
the welcome, mission statement and minutes of the previous meeting.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.

Tom Nolan

-

Dear Mr. Nolan:

Thanks for reluctantly inviting me to the board meeting in two weeks..

It is my understanding that San Francisco's nonprofit accountability and sunshine laws require all charities receiving more than $250,000 must open at least two of their board of directors' meetings to the public.

I believe the local statutes also call for wide publicizing of the two board meetings to the clients, donors and general public through postings on the recipient group's web site, letters of invitation published in community papers and informing the city's Sunshine Task Force in writing.

Please tell me how if you have followed these provisions of the statutes and are duly informing and inviting everyone to your group's June 21 board meeting.

Regards,
Michael Petrelis

Monday, June 06, 2005

Human Rights Watch's $28K Donations to Kerry, Dems, PACs


hrwpress@hrw.org
hrwnyc@hrw.org
hrwdc@hrw.org
hrwla@hrw.org
hrw-sf@hrw.org
hrwuk@hrw.org
hrwatcheu@skynet.be
hrwgva@hrw.org
berlin@hrw.org
toronto@hrw.org
crawshs@hrw.org

Dear Human Rights Watch:

Here's some unsolicited advice regarding political donations by some of your executives, researchers, lawyers and the chair of the board of directors: stop writing checks to candidates and political action committees.

I believe your nonpartisan independent credibility is undermined by the fact that Federal Election Commission records reveal in the 2003-2004 election cycle Human Rights Watch leaders donated $28,400 to various Democratic Party causes, political action committees that lean Democratic and Democratic politicians.

Some highlights:

- FEC files show HRW's associate director, Carroll Bogert, and HRW's board chair, Jane T. Olson, along with other HRW employees, donated a combined $9,300 to Sen. John Kerry's campaign for the Oval Office;

- Bogert gave $2,000 to Barack Obama's successful bid for a Senate seat from Illinois;

- Donations to the Democratic National Committee from two HRW staffers totaled $5,000;

- Hillary Rodham Clinton received $250 from one HRW employee;

- One HRW lawyer contributed $1,000 to Dr. Howard Dean's failed effort;

- No donations were made to the Bush/Cheney reelection coffers, the Republican Party or GOP-affiliated PACs;

- Independent and third party candidates got no money from HRW executives and employees.

Although the donations from HRW staff and board chair are legal, I nevertheless think many people would read the list of the giving (see below), and question whether it is wise for a pressure group promoting respect for human rights in the United States and around the globe to give even the appearance of favoring one American political party over another.

Frankly, I feel the same way about contributions made last year by the executive director, board chair and others at Amnesty International's U.S. headquarters.

It does the human rights advocacy community absolutely no good to have HRW and Amnesty leaders making donations only to Democrats and their PACs, indeed, it provides President Bush, his administration and the right with reasons to dismiss your reports and demands for action regarding abuses as part of partisan agenda.

Please reevaluate your policies over political giving by HRW staff, researchers and board members.

A prompt reply is requested and much appreciated.

Regards,
Michael Petrelis
San Francisco, CA
Ph: 415-621-6267
^^^


www.tray.com

Adams, Brad
10/12/2004 $228.00
South Orange, NJ 07079
Human Rights Watch/Lawyer -[Contribution]
AMERICA COMING TOGETHER


ALLINA, MARCIA
10/4/2004 $250.00
BRONX, NY 10471
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH -[Contribution]
CAMPAIGN FOR FLORIDA'S FUTURE FKA BETTY CASTOR FOR U S SENATE


Allina, Marcia
6/18/2003 $1,000.00
Bronx, NY 10471
Human Rights Watch/Staff -[Contribution]
JERRYS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (JERRYS PAC)


Allina, Marcia
3/7/2003 $500.00
Bronx, NY 10471
Human Rights Watch/Activist -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Allina, Marcia
5/30/2003 $200.00
Bronx, NY 10471
Human Rights Watch/Activist -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Allina, Marcia
6/27/2003 $800.00
Bronx, NY 10471
Human Rights Watch/Activist -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Allina, Marcia
5/12/2003 $500.00
Bronx, NY 10471
Human Rights Watch/Activist -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Allina, Marcia
3/17/2003 $250.00
Bronx, NY 10471
Human Rights Watch/Administrator -[Contribution]
TIM BISHOP FOR CONGRESS

Allina, Marcia
1/21/2003 $500.00
Bronx, NY 10471
Human Rights Watch/Executive -[Contribution]
PROGRESSIVE MAJORITY

Allina, Marcia
12/12/2003 $500.00
Bronx, NY 10471
Human Rights Watch/Administration -[Contribution]
ALLYSON SCHWARTZ FOR CONGRESS

Allina, Marcia
10/21/2003 $1,000.00
Bronx, NY 10471
Human Rights Watch/Administrator -[Contribution]
ENGEL FOR CONGRESS

Allina, Marcia Ms.
2/3/2004 $1,000.00
Bronx, NY 10471
Human Rights Watch/Program Associat -[Contribution]
EMILY'S LIST


Allina, Marcia Ms.
8/14/2003 $1,000.00
Bronx, NY 10471
Human Rights Watch/Program Associat -[Contribution]
EMILY'S LIST

Allina, Marcia Ms.
7/20/2004 $1,000.00
Bronx, NY 10471
Human Rights Watch/Administrator -[Contribution]
NEW YORK CHOICE PAC II FKA CITIZENS FOR FAMILY PLANNING II

Allinz, Marcia
8/25/2004 $250.00
Bronx, NY 10471
Human Rights Watch/Administrator -[Contribution]
MARK THOMAS FOR CONGRESS


ATTINA, MARCIA
5/2/2004 $250.00
BRONX, NY 10471
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH -[Contribution]
BRAD CARSON FOR SENATE


Bogert, Carroll
10/30/2004 $500.00
New York, NY 10128
Human Rights Watch/Associate Direct -[Contribution]
FRIENDS OF FRANK BARBARO


BOGERT, CARROLL
4/23/2004 $1,000.00
NEW YORK, NY 10128
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH -[Contribution]
OBAMA FOR ILLINOIS INC

BOGERT, CARROLL
6/10/2004 $1,000.00
NEW YORK, NY 10128
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH -[Contribution]
OBAMA FOR ILLINOIS INC


Bogert, Carroll
7/22/2004 $750.00
New York, NY 10128
Human Rights Watch -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Brown, Cynthia G
2/10/2004 $500.00
New York, NY 10011
Human Rights Watch/Department Direc -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Brown, Cynthia G Ms.
7/14/2004 $1,500.00
New York, NY 10011
Human Rights Watch/Department Direc -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


CHATTREE, RITU R
12/9/2004 $250.00
NEW YORK, NY 10014
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH -[Contribution]
FRIENDS OF HILLARY


Cherniavsky, Emma
10/29/2004 $250.00
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Human Rights Watch/Nonprofit direct -[Contribution]
DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE


Galaich, Glen
3/19/2004 $250.00
San Anselmo, CA 94960
Human Rights Watch/Director -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Olson, Jane T
5/25/2004 $1,000.00
Pasadena, CA 91106
Human Rights Watch/Co-Chair -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Pokempner, Dinah
5/10/2004 $500.00
South Orange, NJ 07079
Human Rights Watch/attorney -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


PoKempner, Dinah
10/21/2004 $250.00
South Orange, NJ 07079
Human Rights Watch/lawyer -[Contribution]
DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE


Ross, James
7/3/2004 $200.00
New York, NY 10118
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH/Attorney -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC

Ross, James
6/24/2004 $500.00
New York, NY 10118
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH/Attorney -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Vandenberg, Martina E
7/28/2004 $1,000.00
Washington, DC 20009
Human Rights Watch/Researcher -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Vandenberg, Martina E
4/14/2004 $500.00
Washington, DC 20009
Human Rights Watch/Researcher -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC

Vandenberg, Martina E
7/12/2004 $200.00
Washington, DC 20009
Human Rights Watch/Researcher -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC

Waff, Emily
7/22/2004 $250.00
New York, NY 10012
Human Rights Watch/Fundraiser -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Whitman, Lois
8/6/2004 $250.00
New York, NY 10024
Human Rights Watch/Attorney -[Contribution]
KERRY VICTORY 2004

Whitman, Lois
10/19/2004 $1,000.00
New York, NY 10024
Human Rights Watch/Lawyer -[Contribution]
DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE

Whitman, Lois
10/19/2004 $1,000.00
New York, NY 10024
Human Rights Watch/Lawyer -[Contribution]
DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE

Whitman, Lois
10/30/2004 $1,000.00
New York, NY 10024
Human Rights Watch/Lawyer -[Contribution]
DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE


Whitman, Lois
12/1/2004 $500.00
New York, NY 10024
Human Rights Watch/Lawyer -[Contribution]
DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE

Whitman, Lois
10/4/2004 $500.00
New York, NY 10024
Human Rights Watch/Lawyer -[Contribution]
DNC SERVICES CORPORATION/DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE

Whitman, Lois
9/30/2004 $250.00
New York, NY 10024
Human Rights Watch/Lawyer -[Contribution]
ALLYSON SCHWARTZ FOR CONGRESS

Whitman, Lois
3/4/2004 $500.00
New York, NY 10024
Human Rights Watch/Lawyer -[Contribution]
DEAN FOR AMERICA

Whitman, Lois
11/13/2003 $500.00
New York, NY 10024
Human Rights Watch/Lawyer -[Contribution]
DEAN FOR AMERICA

Whitman, Lois
9/30/2004 $500.00
New York, NY 10024
Human Rights Watch/Lawyer -[Contribution]
LOIS MURPHY FOR CONGRESS

Whitman, Lois Dr Jr
10/19/2004 $500.00
New York, NY 10024
Human Rights Watch/Attorney -[earmarked intermediary out]
MOVEON PAC


Whitman, Lois Dr Jr
10/21/2004 $500.00
New York, NY 10024
Human Rights Watch/Attorney -[Contribution]
MOVEON PAC

WHITMAN, LOIS O
9/9/2003 $500.00
NEW YORK, NY 10024
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH -[Contribution]
DEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE


Whitman, Lois Q
10/11/2004 $1,000.00
New York, NY 10024
Human Rights Watch/Attorney -[Contribution]
DEMOCRACY FOR AMERICA


ZIA-ZARIFI, SAMAN
9/14/2004 $300.00
NEW YORK, NY 10118
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH -[Contribution]
SALAZAR FOR SENATE
Amnesty's Non-reply Reply

In a message dated 6/6/2005 10:41:10 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time, mfeeney@aiusa.org writes:
Dear Mr. Petrelis,

Amnesty International's research is carried out by staff at our
international headquarters in London, virtually none of whom can vote in US
elections or contribute funds to US candidates. That is also where Amnesty
policy is made. Our work is guided solely by international human rights
law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the United
States helped create in 1948. The job of the more than 60 national sections
around the world, including Amnesty International USA, is simply to carry
out policy set at the international level. We strive to do everything
humanly possible to see that the personal political perspectives of Amnesty
leadership in the United States have no bearing whatsoever upon the nature
of our findings and the conduct of our work. Moreover, we hold all US
administrations to account for human rights abuses, and criticized the
Clinton Administration on issues ranging from the death penalty to aid for
Colombia to the conduct of the Kosovo War.

Thank you.

Best regards,
Mary Anne

Mary Anne Feeney
Assistant to the Executive Director
Amnesty International USA
mfeeney@aiusa.org



Dear Ms. Feeney:

Thanks for your reply, which really didn't address my concerns about Amnesty International leaders donating money last year to Sen. John Kerry's quest for the White House. I guess your policy allowing executives to contribute to politicians in the United States will continue, causing many people to question Amnesty's alleged nonpartisan status. You also didn't address my concern about why abuses of gay human rights in the United States were excluded from your recent report. I won't be supporting or joining Amnesty anytime soon.

Regards,
Michael Petrelis

Saturday, June 04, 2005

POZ Writer Mike Barr Declares War on TAG, AIDS Inc

Longtime AIDS activist Mike Barr, a cofounder of ACT UP in New York City and columnist for POZ magazine, has created a new web site that lays out what is wrong the Treatment Activist Group, founded by MacArthur genius grant winner Mark Harrington.

In my not-so-humble opinion about this, Barr is not only declaring war in going public in raising questions about who funds TAG and how the group sets its AIDS research advocacy agenda, but also fires a loud shot at all of AIDS Inc.

Barr's site lays out troubling questions AIDS accountability and transparency advocates have asked about TAG's leadership and the influence of the funding it receives from the National Institutes of Health and Big Pharma.

Oh, and he's made PDF's of TAG's annual reports, showing who donated to the group, charts about their budget, and their IRS 990 forms for the past four years.

Go, Mike, go! People with AIDS and HIV are totally behind you and this fabulous effort to raise necessary questions about TAG and its leaders.

Find the time and read what is posted at this crucial web site: www.taglineputsch.org .
NYT Omits Amnesty Leaders Donations to Kerry

Byron Calame
Public Editor
The New York Times

Dear Mr. Calame:

I believe today's Times article on the war of words between Amnesty International and the Bush administration omitted some important facts.

The Times reports that "Amnesty has fired right back, pointing out that the administration often cites its reports when that suits its purposes. 'If our reports are so 'absurd,' why did the administration repeatedly cite our findings about Saddam Hussein before the Iraq war?' wrote William F. Schultz, executive director of the group's United States branch, in a letter to the editor being published Saturday in The New York Times. 'Why does it welcome our criticisms of Cuba, China and North Korea? And why does it cite our research in its own annual human rights reports?'" (Source: NY Times )

What the Times failed to additionally report is that Mr. Schultz donated $2,000, the maximum amount allowed by the Federal Election Commission, last year to Bush's Democratic opponent, Sen. John Kerry.

And Mr. Schultz was not the only Amnesty leader contributing to Kerry's campaign for the White House in 2004. The chairman of the group's board of directors, Mr. Joe "Chip" Pitts, along with other top officials of Amnesty, gave money to Kerry. Indeed, all donations from Amnesty executives went to Democratic Party candidates and causes, something not mentioned in the Times.

The Times can verify these donations at www.tray.com.

While I am a supporter of Amnesty and its human rights work around the world, including its advocacy on behalf of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens, I find it troubling the rights group risks its nonpartisan reputation by allowing donations to politicians and political action committees. To put it mildly, there's more than an appearance of impropriety with such contributions by Amnesty leaders.

I wish that Mr. Schultz had mentioned his donations to Kerry in his letter printed in today's Times, or that the editor had seen fit to append a note about the donations, to give readers the fullest picture possible in this battle between Amnesty and the Bush administration.

On June 1 I wrote a letter to Amnesty asking for an explanation about these donations, which I posted to my blog.

So far, Amnesty has not replied.

In any event, I'd appreciate an explanation from you as to why the Times has not reported on the financial support Amnesty leaders gave last year to Kerry and his campaign for the Oval Office.

A prompt reply is requested.

Sincerely,
Michael Petrelis
San Francisco, CA
Ph: 415-621-6267

Friday, June 03, 2005

Wash Times: Amnesty and gays


I hope the leaders at Amnesty International's offices in San Francisco, Washington and New York, who spoke to me on Wednesday about my concerns regarding the lack of information on gay human rights violations in their most recent report on the state of human rights in the United States, get around today to responding to my letter they received two days ago.

Kudos to Amnesty and its report for the sections that did cite abuse of gay human rights elsewhere. For example, this is from the section on Uganda:

"The climate of hostility against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) people persisted and discriminatory legislation against sexual minorities remained in force. Security agents continued to harass members of the LGBT community, causing gay rights activists at one of the main universities to fear for their personal safety.

"In October, a radio station was compelled to pay a fine for hosting a live talk show with sexual rights activists. The Broadcasting Council imposed a fine on FM Radio Simba, claiming that the programme was 'contrary to public morality' and breached existing laws." (Source: AI report, Uganda)

Amnesty owes the gay community an explanation about why similar abuses of gays in the United States failed to get into the report.
^^^


June 3, 2005
The Washington Times

Inside the Ring
By Bill Gertz and Rowan Scarborough

Gumshoe

Michael Petrelis is not the first person who comes to mind when listing critics of Amnesty International.
The San Francisco-based Mr. Petrelis is an acknowledged left-wing activist who supports Ralph Nader.
But Mr. Petrelis did a lot of detective work this week, scouring the public files of the Federal Election Commission and finding that a number of high-ranking Amnesty officials donated to the presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat.
Mr. Petrelis then fired off a letter to the group accusing officials of violating their own bylaws about abstaining from partisan political activity. His main complaint is that Amnesty should pay more attention to hate crimes against homosexuals.

-

June 2, 2005
The Washington Times

Amnesty Leaders Aided Kerry

By Rowan Scarborough

The top leadership of Amnesty International USA, which unleashed a blistering attack last week on the Bush administration's handling of war detainees, contributed the maximum $2,000 to Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign.
Federal Election Commission records show that William F. Schulz, executive director of Amnesty USA, contributed $2,000 to Mr. Kerry's campaign last year. Mr. Schulz also has contributed $1,000 to the 2006 campaign of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat.

[snip]

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

June 1, 2005

Amnesty International
U.S. Offices
aimember@aiusa.org
aiusama@aiusa.org
aiusamw@aiusa.org
aiusane@aiusa.org
aiusaso@aiusa.org
aiusala@aiusa.org
aiusasf@aiusa.org

Dear Amnesty International:

It's my understanding that Amnesty bylaws strictly prohibit directors and board of director members from making donations to political candidates and parties, so I can't fathom why William F. Schultz, the executive director, and Joe "Chip" Pitts, chair of the board, contributed money last year to Sen. John Kerry's run for the White House.

According to Federal Election Commission files, both Schultz and Pitts gave the maximum amount allowed by law to Kerry. (Source: PoliticalMoneyLine )

FEC files also show that of all contributions from Schultz, Pitts and other Amnesty directors, the money overwhelmingly went to Democrats and their political action committees. I have appended information from FEC records about the donations at the end of this letter.

My questions for you about these donations are as follows. Did Amnesty recently amend its rules of governance to allow political donations from its directors and board? If the group hasn't made such changes, aren't these donations then in violation of Amnesty's charter?

On another important Amnesty matter, I am pleased your latest report on the state of human rights across the planet is making note of the myriad abuses of civil and human rights in the United States of America by government authorities.

The Amnesty International 2005 report justifiably cites and deplores the state of disrespect for human rights by the U.S. government, for which I applaud your organization. I have absolutely no qualms about what is included in your section on the U.S. and the many violations of human rights committed by government officials and the courts. (Source: Amnesty report on US human rights )

However, the exclusion of the thousands of incidents of hate crimes perpetrated against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans, and the attacks on the equal and human rights of these Americans by local, state and federal politicians, is of grave concern to me.

Perhaps you're not aware that the Department of Justice issued its annual hate crimes statistics report in November 2004 and it documented more than 1,400 attacks on queer Americans reported to law enforcement officials. (Source: FBI hate crimes report , page 9.)

Maybe Amnesty International is ignorant about the 2004 report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs on anti-queer hate incidents, which loudly echoes the statistics in the Department of Justice's report. (Source: Anti Violence Projects' stats , under the news section, click on the PDF listing for the 2004 report.)

How could your advocacy group fail to make any note of the findings in these two most current human rights reports?

There's also the issue of the dozens of legislative attempts to repeal or compromise basic human rights for queer Americans by so many city councils, state assemblies and the U.S. Congress?

From gays in the military, to parenting rights, to marriage equality and employment protections, our basic human rights were facing attacks throughout last year, and Amnesty International seems blithely unconcerned enough to cite the political and physical attacks on queers in its new report.

I respectfully request a prompt reply about my concerns regarding the political giving by Amnesty leaders and the omission of queers from your report on human rights abuses in the United States.

Sincerely,
Michael Petrelis
San Francisco, CA
Ph: 415-621-6267
^^^

Arriaga, Maria A
2/4/2004 $250.00
Washington, DC 20007
Amnesty International/Director -[Contribution]
LISA QUIGLEY FOR CONGRESS


Arriaga, Maria A
7/29/2004 $1,000.00
Washington, DC 20007
Amnesty International/Director -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Arriaga, Maria A
8/9/2004 $1,000.00
Washington, DC 20007
Amnesty International/Director -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Benesch, Susan
10/26/2004 $500.00
Washington, DC 20009
Amnesty International/Human Rights -[Contribution]
NEXT POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE


Benesch, Susan
10/26/2004 $750.00
Washington, DC 20009
Amnesty International/Human Rights -[Contribution]
NEXT POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE


Benesch, Susan
7/3/2004 $1,000.00
Washington, DC 20009
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL/ADVOCATE -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Benesch, Susan
8/5/2004 $225.00
Washington, DC 20009
Amnesty International/Refugee Advoc -[Contribution]
MOVEON PAC


Benesch, Susan
9/16/2004 $500.00
Washington, DC 20009
Amnesty International/human rights -[Contribution]
MOVEON PAC


Bothne, Nancy
7/20/2004 $250.00
Chicago, IL 60626
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL/MANAGEMENT -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


Schneider, Karen
7/11/2004 $300.00
Bethesda, MD 20817
Amnesty International/Human Rights -[Contribution]
KERRY VICTORY 2004


SCHULTZ, WILLIAM F
3/28/2003 $250.00
HALESITE, NY 11743
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL -[Contribution]
LEAHY FOR U.S. SENATOR COMMITTEE


Schulz, William F
5/27/2004 $2,000.00
Huntington, NY 11743
Amnesty International/Chairman -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC


SCHULZ, WILLIAM F
5/2/2004 $1,000.00
HUNTINGTON, NY 11743
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL -[Contribution]
KENNEDY FOR SENATE 2006


SHULTZ, WILLIAM
9/13/2004 $250.00
HALESITE, NY 11743
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA -[Contribution]
DEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE


SHUTTZ, WILLIAM
10/21/2004 $200.00
HUNTINGDON BAY, NY 11743
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL -[Contribution]
DEMOCRATIC SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE

Pitts, Joe
5/28/2004 $1,000.00
Dallas, TX 75201
Baker & McKenzie/Attorney -[Contribution]
MARTIN FROST CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE

Pitts, Joe III
2/13/2004 $2,000.00
Coppell, TX 75019
Self/Investor/Entrepreneur -[Contribution]
JOHN KERRY FOR PRESIDENT INC

PITTS, JOE CHIP W
7/29/2000 $500.00
COPPELL, TX 75019
CONSULTANT -[Contribution]
REGINA MONTOYA COGGINS FOR CONGRESS