Coco's blog

As top CDC officials arrive today in Mexico City, U.S. activists and their allies are eagerly preparing to confront policymakers to hold them accountable for the worsening HIV epidemic in the U.S.  read more »

Activists will gather today, August 6, at 4:00 pm (CST) outside of the Media Center, and then will march to, and disrupt, the U.S. HIV epidemic session in order to issue an “F” report card to the speakers.

During this week, I will be tracking issues related to criminalization of HIV transmission and the nexus between HIV and imprisonment.

This morning, activists from around the world met at the global village to draft a document entitled “Criminalizing HIV Transmissions: 10 Reasons Why It’s Bad Public Policy." Stay tuned for the release of the document later today.

These advocacy efforts currently taking place at the IAC reflect a commitment by activists around the world to raise the profile about institutionalized state violence facing the most marginalized and vulnerable populations who are disproportionally affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

In the U.S. - as in most parts of the world - racial, sexual and gender minorities, immigrants, sex workers, drug users, homeless people and those currently and formerly incarcerated face overwhelming social discrimination, exclusion and stigma. This marginalization is compounded in no small measure by high imprisonment, criminal sanctions against sex work, the persistence of draconian drug sentencing policies in certain areas of the country and institutionalized homophobia that heightens vulnerability and hinders effective HIV/AIDS prevention efforts.  read more »

Today, President Bush is likely to re-authorize PEPFAR (the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief). As it stands, PEPFAR contains a provision that removes a 15-year statutory ban on the entry of people with HIV/AIDS into the United States, a discriminatorily restrictive policy for HIV positive immigrants and travelers. Many advocates are hailing the provision as a significant achievement in immigrant justice. Dr. Nancy Ordover, founder of the Coalition to the Lift the Bar and member of the International Task Team on HIV-related Travel Restrictions, attests, "Two and half years ago, we were told it couldn't be done. We were told to abandon HIV positive immigrants and focus on extending waiver options for short-term travelers with HIV. We rejected that division, and I believe that our adherence to human rights and social justice principles is what got us this far."

But How Far Have We Really Come?  read more »