Petrelis Files

Transcript of Person With AIDS Zapping Huckabee

This transcript was forwarded by my activist friend and a person living with AIDS, Eric Sawyer, an original member of ACT UP.

Eric references in his report an audio of the zap with Huckabee, which artist and political activist Clinton Fein has kindly posted on this Annoy.com web site. You can also contact Eric via email: esawyer (at) igc.org

And thank you, Eric, and all the other gay and AIDS activists on the NH campaign trail, bringing visibility to our issues.

^

Michael-

ACT UP, Housing Works, HealthGAP, The Student Global AIDS Campaign and the new Private Health Insurance Must Go Coalition had a few dozen activist in New Hampshire for the weekend birddogging, lobbying, disrupting and schmoozing with the candidates. We succeeded in interfacing with almost all the major candidates and positioned ourselves into being many of the first citizens called by the candidates in major Town Hall question and answer periods.

We were 2 of 4 questions at the Edwards Sat. afternoon town hall; the first and third questions and the second to the last question in Hillary's Sunday afternoon town hall meetings; we zapped Huckabee, McCain, and Guiliani twice.

So where were HRC, NGLTF, AIDS Action and GMHC - missing. Most of our folks were activists and volunteers and not staff - except a few from Housing Works and HealthGAP.

I am forwarding a report and transcript. - Eric Sawyer

ACT UP founding member Eric Sawyer confronted former Governor Mike Huckabee at a supporter’s reception after the Sunday night debate in New Hampshire.

As Huckabee took the podium to speak to supporters a, a dozen dozen AIDS activists started clanking their glasses calling out "Toast, toast!"

Sawyer called out “Governor Huckabee may I offer a toast?”

Huckabee: “Why not!”

Sawyer : “As a Christian whose faith is very important to me - I want to toast to Mike Huckabee – the only politician with the courage to stand up for Christian values!”

Sawyer toasts to the crowd's applause.

(Attached recording starts here with crowd applause.)

Sawyer continued: “ I’m a Methodist like you and my values and my faith are very important to me - I know you are a Baptist..."

Crowd laughter…

Huckabee breaks in: “I was going to say, you are - you know, a Methodist is a waterless Baptist, you know that!”

Sawyer: “That’s, that’s true, and ah, I don’t know that my Preacher would agree with that – but ah – I also wanted to say that one thing – I think one of the Christian values that is really important is that God embraced everyone and that Jesus Christ embraced everyone, including lepers. And it hurts me as a person of faith - who is one of your supporters because of the fact that years ago you said that people like me, people with AIDS should be quarantined and if I was quarantined I could not vote for you."

Huckabee interrupts: "Thank you for coming tonight."

Sawyer concludes: "And I, I hope you; I hope you will revisit that statement.

Huckabee say: "Thank you for coming, thank you for coming."

Crowd noise rises.

Activists chant, and chant, and chant: "People With AIDS are dying, and you're not even trying. AIDS treatments now!"

Huckabee again: "Thank you for coming. Excuse me. Thank you for coming. Thank you for coming, let's be seated. Excuse me ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming tonight. The great thing is that in a free country, everybody has a chance to speak-– not everybody has to agree with us. Thank you very much for coming."

A Huckabee supporter yells out: "Ok, wear a rubber."