Petrelis Files

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 .