National Black AIDS Awareness Day Febuary 7th, 2008

February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness and Information Day (NBHAAD). This annual observance day was created to raise awareness among African Americans about HIV/AIDS and its devastating impact on African American communities. The day is part of a national mobilization effort to get African Americans to learn more about the threat posed by the disease, get tested, get treated and make a commitment to fight HIV/AIDS.

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DC State Board of Education Meeting TONIGHT!

Stand with DC Youth TONIGHT at DC State Board of Education Meeting
We need you to stand with and for young people in the District of Columbia tonight (Wednesday Nov 28th) at the DC State Board of Education Meeting and support comprehensive sex education. The meeting takes place at the State Board of Education Old Council Chambers, Old Council Chambers, 441 4th Street, NW at 5:30 PM. Supporters will be handing out red t-shirts!

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

We've all seen the numbers from the HIV/AIDS Administration. You know that we're in a city overwhelmed by HIV/AIDS. But let me give you two numbers that weren't in that report. According to a survey of DC Public School students conducted by the CDC and DC Public Schools, 17.5% of middle school students and 9.5% of high school students say they were never taught about HIV/AIDS in school. These numbers are from 2005. But sadly, when we saw a glimpse of the preliminary 2007 data we learned that 2007 numbers are expected to be worse.

We have failed DC youth by not getting our HIV/AIDS epidemic under control, but we will fail them yet again if we neglect to give them the tools to protect themselves in a city where 1 in 20 people is HIV positive. We must empower every student in every classroom, in every school, with comprehensive sex education and all the information they need to stay safe and healthy.

Encouraging the DC State Board of Education Meeting to approve the Health Learning Standards is a crucial first step. These standards have been created with the input of local DC youth organizations and child and adolescent health specialists.

Please join me TONIGHT to show your support.

We need you to stand with and for young people in the District of Columbia tonight (Wednesday Nov 28th) at the DC State Board of Education Meeting and support comprehensive sex education. The meeting takes place at the State Board of Education Old Council Chambers, Old Council Chambers, 441 4th Street, NW at 5:30 PM. Supporters will be handing out red t-shirts!

Tuesday November 20th: Transgender Day of Remembrance

A local event marking the Transgender Day of Remembrance will take place Tuesday November 20th, at the Whitman Walker Clinic's 1407 S Street NW site from 6 to 7:30 PM. The event is co-sponsored by Whitman-Walker Clinic, and Transgender Health Empowerment.

Metro Weekly has an excellent article up about the Transgender Day of Remembrance. To read it, click here.

DC AIDS Vote 2008: What Would You Ask City Council Candidates?

We are officially one year out from the November 4th election where DC will vote on city council members. A year sounds like plenty of time to prepare, right? Not really. As most of you know, DC is dominated by the Democratic Party, so some of the most important decisions take place during the Congressional and Council Primary Election, which takes place on September 9th. Factor in Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we're down to about 7 months to figure out where city council members stand.

To get that process started, let's talk about the players:

Two At-Large City Council members are up for re-election. Carol Schwartz, and Kwame Brown both plan to seek re-election. They are being challenged by Adam Clampitt and Dee Hunter.

Four Ward-Specific City Council Members are up for re-election. They are: Jack Evans (Ward 2), Muriel Bowser (Ward 4), Yvette Alexander (Ward 7), and Marion Barry (Ward 8).

Where do these candidates stand on HIV/AIDS issues in DC? That's what we need to find out. But first, I want to ask you: What would you ask City Council Candidates about HIV/AIDS?

I've put together a list of questions I would like to ask City Council candidates about HIV/AIDS (a rough first draft, mind you!). Many of these questions are based on things we heard at the two Speakout events. Please check it out and let me know what questions you would like to see added or change. You can add your input by sending me an e-mail, or by posting a comment on this blog post. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

DRAFT QUESTIONS FOR DC CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES

General Health Care:

• Do you support equal access to health care without regard to one’s ability to pay?
• Does your vision for health care include mental health and substance abuse treatment?
• How can DC assure that individuals who need substance abuse treatment receive treatment in a timely manner?

Science Based Medically Accurate Approaches to Prevent HIV

• Do you support medically accurate, age-appropriate comprehensive sex education that includes information on both abstinence and prevention?
• Will you advocate for DC to refuse federal 'abstinence-only-until-marriage' funds which require DC to spend it's own matching funds on programs that don't work?
• Do you support DC funding for needle-exchange programs (should that option become available), which have shown to be an effective tool to prevent HIV?
• Will you encourage the Department of Health to investigate and engage the community in a discussion of new approaches to HIV prevention including circumcision? Note: not asking for a plan – just asking for a discussion – knowing that some folks in DC do not get circumcised simply because they cannot afford it and it is not covered by insurance
• Do you support the availability of free post exposure prophylaxis (PEP) as an HIV prevention strategy in all DC emergency rooms? (Adrian Fenty said he would look into this in his campaign pledge, that’s why I worded the question that way)
• Are you committed to continuing and strengthening the District’s condom distribution program?

Support for People Living with HIV

• Will you ensure that the drive to make HIV testing routine among District residents includes funding for counseling and referrals to treatment facilities for those who test positive?
• How can DC assure that low income individuals living with HIV in need of housing receive financial help for housing in a timely manner?
• People living with HIV in DC are impacted by housing trends in the District. For people living with HIV/AIDS who already have financial assistance for rent, finding available low-income rental housing is difficult. What will you do as a city council member to address the housing situation in DC?
• One issue that came out of our May 2007 Speakout, was the need for jobs, and specifically, the need for life-skill and job training for people living with HIV coming out of substance abuse treatment programs, or prison. What can you do as a city council member to address the housing situation in DC? What will you do as a city council member to address the need for life-skill and job training for people living with HIV?
• Do you support the use of medical marijuana for people living with HIV, cancer, and muscular dystrophy?

Local HIV/AIDS Funding

When considering local HIV/AIDS funding proposals, including the Ward 7 HIV/AIDS initiative, will you strive to assure that resources are allocated to the communities that need them the most, taking into account health disparities that may exist based on race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity?
• Will you encourage better oversight of local agencies that are funded through the HIV/AIDS Administration? How would you, as a city council member, encourage accountability for money spent to fight HIV/AIDS?

Accountability – And Measurable Progress

• Will you encourage the Department of Education to set measurable goals to improve on the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior health indicators when the survey is conducted again in 2009?
• How would you, as a city council member, hold the Department of Education accountable for progress?
• Will you encourage the Department of Health HIV/AIDS administration to use the 2007 HIV Surveillance report to set measurable goals to reduce the number of new HIV infections in DC, and reduce existing HIV/AIDS health disparities that may exist based on race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, and gender identity?
• How would you, as a city council member, hold the Department of Health HIV/AIDS Administration accountable for progress?
• Will you only support local HIV/AIDS funding that is competitive in nature and based on services provided, and oppose funding that is allocated to a specific organization without a competitive bidding process?

What questions did I miss? Be sure to let me know by sending me an e-mail or posting a comment below.

Save The Date: December 6th Forum on Marriage Equality

The DC Center and DC for Marriage invite you to join on on Thursday December 6th at 7:00 PM for a forum on Marriage Equality in the District of Columbia. The event takes places in Room 412 of the Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. To download a 'save the date' flyer for this event, click here.

Our goals are for participants to:

• Understand their current rights & responsibilities under DC domestic partnership laws.
• Understand current domestic partnership legislation and what needs to happen to achieve full marriage equality for same-sex couples.
• Participate in a community-wide discussion about when and how to push for marriage equality in the District of Columbia.
• This event is still in the planning stages and your participation is welcome.

Organizations that would like to sign on as sponsors of this event and individuals who would like to help plan this forum please send an e-mail to communityforum@dcformarriage.org.

Washington DC Reception for Elizabeth Edwards November 9th

Please join me on Friday November 9th for a reception honoring Elizabeth Edwards. Hans Johnson has done a wonderful job putting together this event. (Many of you may know Hans as a board member of the The Task Force through his consulting firm, Progressive Victory).

Host Committee members for this event include David Mixner, Eric Stern, David Mariner, Bob Horvath & Patrick Lyden, and many others.

The event takes place at the home of William Eskridge on Capitol Hill. For details, please download this PDF flier.

I hope you'll be able to join us. I've only had the opportunity to meet Elizabeth Edwards once, but I believe she is one of the most fascinating, dynamic, and passionate folks out there on the campaign trail. I think you'll truly enjoy meeting her.

Stonewall Calls for All Democrats to Support Baldwin Amendment

Washington, DC - Today, the National Stonewall Democrats issued a call for Congressional Democrats to support a proposed amendment which would restore protections on the basis of gender identity to HR 3685. The amendment is being proposed by Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). Jon Hoadley, Executive Director, stated:

"National Stonewall Democrats supports efforts by Congresswoman Baldwin to amend HR 3685 to prevent discrimination on the basis of gender identity. We strongly urge all Democratic Members to vote for such an amendment because of its strategic and moral importance. It would be unacceptable for any Congressional Democrat to vote against an amendment that restores gender identity protections.

The Democratic Leadership has repeatedly indicated that it supports passage of the most inclusive bill possible, and swift adoption of this amendment will achieve that goal. We applaud the support of Congressman Frank for this proposed amendment. We urge the Democratic Leadership and Party organizations, such as the Democratic National Committee, to use the full force of their influence to secure support for this amendment.

We also support this effort by Congresswoman Baldwin because it allows Democrats to be placed on record for their support for the inclusion of gender identity in non-discrimination law. This amendment allows our members to thank Democrats who stand with the entire LGBT community while holding others accountable for their votes."

HR 3685 was approved by the House Committee on Education and Labor. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) has secured commitments to offer an amendment to this bill that would restore protections on the basis of gender identity.

National Stonewall Democrats was at the center of early organizing efforts to save gender identity within the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Working with organizations such as the Task Force, the National Center for Transgender Equality and National Stonewall Democrats quickly helped organizers build a coalition that has now grown to more than 300 organizations.

National Stonewall Democrats was at the center of early organizing efforts to save gender identity within the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Working with organizations such as the Task Force and the National Center for Transgender Equality, Stonewall Democrats quickly helped organizers build a coalition that has now grown to more than 300 organizations.

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National Stonewall Democrats is the only national organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Democrats, with more than 90 local chapters across the nation. NSD is committed to working through the Democratic Party to advance the rights of all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.