The AIDS Pandemic...

"Be the Solution"

The facts are that there are over 70 million infected......over 20 million already dead, one more death every 11 seconds, one more person infected every 7 seconds.

All too often, the names and faces, and even the mind-numbing statistics only serve to individualize the AIDS pandemic as something that happens to "those people". For most Americans, sadly, it almost doesn't matter who "those people" are -- gay, drug users, homeless people, Africans, African-Americans, or whatever. What matters for most folk is "AIDS can't happen to me, so it's not my problem." And, that, my friends, is why you and I are not hearing a whole lot about AIDS in election campaigns.

Victory! Group photo outside Arlington, Va courthouse after winning our jury trial (well, with only a small fine!) for demonstrating at Bush/Cheney Headquarters - Summer 2004

So what to do? We need to change people's perceptions! We need to let people know that it's not just about those individual names and faces, important as they are. The fact is that AMERICA HAS AIDS! And not just that, but THE WORLD HAS AIDS! That's right, our world has an acquired immune deficiency syndrome that has the potential to destroy us all and to destroy our communities whether any particular person is at risk of infection or not! Talk about a weapon of mass destruction! We are in the throes of a global pandemic that is raging out of control! Yes, AIDS is a real weapon of mass destruction. And the truth is that right now AIDS is a greater threat to our nation's security and the security and stability of global civilization than chemical weapons, nuclear weapons, or terrorists. The social and economic devastation of AIDS is really that great!

--Charles King, President of Housing Works, Inc.

The Campaign to End AIDS (C2EA) is a diverse, exciting new coalition of people living with HIV/AIDS, their advocates and their loved ones. Together, we're demanding that our leaders exert the political will to stop the epidemic, in the U.S. and abroad, once and for all. In small towns and big cities across America, we're mobilizing to ensure the best treatment and care for all HIV-positive people...and HIV prevention methods backed by good science. Best of all? November 2006, we took our message to Washington, D.C...by the thousands!

The NY Caravan, named the "Paving the Way" Caravan actually WALKED from NYC, through the Lincoln Tunnel, to Washington DC. It took us 21 days and you can see pictures here. It was an experience i will never forget!

We demand that our leaders...

• Fully fund quality treatment and support services for all people living with HIV everywhere.
• Ramp up HIV prevention at home and abroad, guided by science rather than ideology.
• Increase research to find a cure, more effective treatments and better prevention tools.
• Fight AIDS stigma and protect the civil rights of all people with HIV and AIDS everywhere.

We urge lawmakers to...

• Reauthorize and fully fund the Ryan White CARE Act.
• Keep Medicaid strong for people with HIV/AIDS and all other beneficiaries.
• Strengthen the global fight against AIDS by fully funding the Global Fund and backing 100 percent debt cancellation.
• Restore and revive effective HIV prevention worldwide based on the best science.

Website of our new President Elect - Barack Obama.