Bay Windows - National News February 15, 2001
Peter Cassels Bay Windows Staff

Later in the day, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said during a press briefing that Card was "mistaken" and that the AIDS and race-relations functions would be restructured. "The Department of Health and Human Services will be detailing people to the White House," Fleischer said. "In addition, on our Domestic Policy Council we will have a White House employee who is dedicated to fighting AIDS and developing policies that can help us to fight AIDS. There is also a task force in place that will remain in place that also is concerned with the battle against AIDS. Those will be the entities within the White House that are dedicated to that cause."

The on again, off again plans for the AIDS and race relations offices were particularly puzzling to activists because of figures earlier in the week that indicated that nearly 30 percent of young gay African-Americans and 15 percent of gay Hispanics are infected with HIV.

The administration quickly retreated, but as details of Bush's strategy begin to emerge, it appears the administration may be scaling back the nation's HIV/AIDS efforts at a time when an even greater response is needed. That seven-city study also showed that 7 percent of gay non-Hispanic whites and 3 percent of gay Asian-Americans, are infected with the virus. Over all, the study found that 12.3 percent of gay and bisexual men from 23 to 29 are HIV-positive.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest gay advocacy group, said it is concerned that any restructuring of the White House AIDS office would weaken its efforts.

"At a time when statistics show AIDS is ravishing the African-American community, the Bush administration needs to show this issue is a priority," said HRC Political Director Winnie Stachelberg in a Feb. 8 statement. "One way to do this is by meeting with leading HIV/AIDS advocates to hear our concerns before making hasty decisions that might hinder efforts to combat the disease."

The HRC noted that Fleischer did not mention having the post of an HIV/AIDS coordinator, which, the organization stated in a news release, "is a crucial position to have if our nation is to have a serious, unified response to the disease. Instead of a full-time position exclusively concentrating on HIV/AIDS, it appears the administration may hand the work over to people who deal with a myriad of healthcare issues, thus diluting the focus. Additionally, it appears the administration may cut the number of employees from the Health and Human Services Department detailed to work on this issue."

Stachelberg emphasized: "We need more leadership ù not less ù and the Bush administration must rally, not retreat from its duty to aggressively tackle the AIDS crises in America and abroad. We hope the administration will fully articulate its plans." The HRC said it believes it is crucial for the White House to retain the Office of AIDS Policy director to provide leadership, have direct access to the president and possess the authority to coordinate efforts between federal agencies.

Even though Fleischer did not specifically mention the future of any redesigned AIDS Office, the administration has floated the names of several prominent gay men it may be considering to become its head. According to Health News Daily, individuals being considered include Cornelius Baker, executive director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C., and former director of the National Association of People Living with AIDS. Baker served in the administration of Bush's father and on committees of the Centers for Disease Control.

Health News Daily quoted some supporters of Baker as saying that, as a gay African-American, he is "an ideal choice because he represents the fastest growing segment of individuals in the U.S. who are HIV-positive."

Others on the rumored short list are former Republican Wisconsin Congressman Steve Gunderson, now a senior consultant for Greystone Companies, who is considered a political insider who would have considerable influence in Congress on HIV-/AIDS-related legislation and funding; Terry Stone, executive director of the Northwest AIDS Foundation, and Daniel Zingale, director of the California Department of Managed Health Care and formerly executive director of the AIDS Action Council in Washington.

"Speculation is a game that many people around the country and there are certainly lots of people that play that game well in Washington," the HRC's Stachelberg told Bay Windows Feb. 12. "All of these people would bring incredible strength to the fight against HIV and AIDS. From our perspective, I'm not yet certain of the direction that the Bush administration. If these are among the people who are being considered to run [the Office of AIDS Policy], it sends a very strong signal about the policy direction that this administration is going to follow."

Larry Kessler, executive director of the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, theorized that Card may have been floating a trial balloon when he said the AIDS office would be abolished and denied it when reaction was strong and overwhelmingly negative. "There had been rumors flying around the previous week that they were leaning toward abolishing the office, so it didn't come as a surprise when they first announced they would," Kessler said in an interview. "To do the retraction, I think, is good news, but now we have to wait and see who they will put in that office and the kind of clout that person would have."

Kessler sees Sandra Thurman, Clinton's AIDS policy director, as the ideal model: "Initially, she had some difficulty with [HHS] Secretary [Donna] Shalala, but I think that was overcome fairly quickly, because Sandy wasn't going to stick around if she wasn't going to have any authority and her bully pulpit. That Clinton wanted her to succeed meant on many levels she was successful."

He added that, as a gay African-American, Baker would "send a great signal" because he's "someone who's quite skilled, a good speaker and an advocate. I don't think he would take the job and be quiet. I think he would lean on the administration to keep the ball rolling."

Gary Daffin, executive director of the Multicultural AIDS Coalition, the largest HIV/AIDS organization in New England focusing on people of color, said in an interview that dismantling or lowering the stature of the Office of AIDS Policy would send a signal that the federal government does not need to pay attention to the epidemic any longer.

Then again, the Bush White House may want to separate itself from the Clinton administrationÆs image, Daffin theorized: "I think some people in the Bush administration may view those offices as very symbolic of the Clinton period because Clinton focused on race, HIV/AIDS and gay and lesbian people in a way that no president ever had. The conservative Right hasn't really shown much interest in HIV/AIDS and is certainly not interested in engaging in a conversation about race. So it may be that some in the administration felt that a lower profile for those offices might be a sign to their conservative supporters that they were going to stop focusing on those two issues."

Daffin also said he believes many people read the announcement that the AIDS office was going to be dismantled or restructured as a sign that the Bush administration was not interested in discussing gay and lesbian issues, because the public still views the community as still being closely linked with the epidemic. "I think maybe someone realized that AIDS is not just an issue for gay and lesbian Americans, but is an international epidemic and a crisis around the world and that the we, as the richest country, have a responsibility to do something about it."

He found it heartening that Secretary of State Colin Powell has shown a real interest in attacking HIV/AIDS in Africa: "I think that is a terrific position for him to take and a very good sign that we may actually take seriously the problem in Africa. I certainly hope so."

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