Washington Blade - August 9, 2002
Laura Douglas-Brown

U.S. Secretary of Health & Human Services Tommy Thompson announced the appointment of Dr. Julie Gerberding as the CDC's new director at a July 3 press conference in Atlanta, where the agency is located.

During her acceptance speech, Gerberding stressed the abstinence approach to HIV prevention touted by Thompson and President Bush and roundly criticized by gay HIV activists.

"Abstinence and monogamy are the first line of defense against HIV/AIDS," she said then.

Now a month into her tenure as CDC head, Gerberding sent a letter last week to Darlene Weide, director of San Francisco's STOP AIDS Project, saying she is "sending a CDC team" to the group "to assess whether [HIV prevention programs] are not only scientifically sound, but also are consistent with guidelines" requiring workshops be approved by local review panels and not promote sexual activity.

"CDC continues to receive complaints in reference to STOP AIDS organization's HIV educational sessions and associated materials," Gerberding wrote.

Gerberding was not available for interviews on the letter and her approach to gay HIV prevention, according to CDC staff.

A spokesperson for STOP AIDS Project, meanwhile, said the agency "looks forward" to explaining its programs to Gerberding, but would rather focus on its main mission.

"Speaking for the staff, everyone would like their full time to go to working with gay and bisexual men to prevent HIV infection," said Shana Krochmal, communications director for STOP AIDS. "On a certain level, it is frustrating to have spent so much of the last year having to respond to very politically motivated challenges of the work we do."

Krochmal declined to specify the exact political motivations behind the questioning of the agency, saying only that "generally speaking, under this administration, I think we will continue to see progressive HIV prevention attacked."

In response to questions from the Blade about the issue, the CDC issued a terse statement saying the Aug. 12 visit to STOP AIDS Project was prompted by a letter received by the agency on July 30 from three Congress members who serve on the House Committee on Government Reform. The Congress members claimed the group "had violated federal laws or misused federal funds," the statement said.

'Booty Call,' 'Great Sex' had drawn criticism

Neither Gerberding's letter nor the CDC statement listed specific STOP AIDS programs causing the concern. But a report released last fall by the federal Department of Health & Human Services targeted two workshops - "Booty Call" and "Great Sex" - that use sexually explicit language to reach out to gay men.

The programs "could be construed as 'encouraging, directly... sexual activity' and as 'obscene,' and thus not in compliance with CDC guidelines," HHS Inspector General Janet Rehnquist wrote at the time.

Rehnquist's report prompted HHS to announce a larger review of all AIDS programs funded through the CDC, and it remained unclear at press time whether Gerberding's new assessment of STOP AIDS programs was related to the review.

Gerberding has requested a report from the team "within 10 working days of completing the assessment," the CDC said.

Officials at STOP AIDS Project, meanwhile, defended the group's outreach methods and its use of the approximately $225,000 in CDC funding it receives each year.

"All the work we do here at the project is fully compliant with both local and federal guidelines, and all of our workshops and promotional materials have been approved by a local review panel in accordance with CDC guidelines," Krochmal said. "Our community says the work we do is both necessary and appropriate."

Krochmal said her agency welcomes the chance to explain its programs more fully to CDC staff, who she said had praised STOP AIDS in the past.

"I won't pretend this isn't a serious visit, but on the other hand, we are used to the CDC visiting," Krochmal said.

STOP AIDS continues to conduct the controversial "Great Sex" workshop, although "Booty Call" was discontinued because of a lack of community interest.

"I think it is important for us to recognize the reality of people's lives," Krochmal said. "The STOP AIDS Project targets gay and bi men in San Francisco who have decided to be sexually active,...and we have to meet them where they are."

FOR MORE INFO: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. 1600 Clifton Rd. Atlanta, GA 30333. 404-639-3311. www.cdc.gov
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