HIV Positive…So What?

20 July

In a sea of advocacy signs and slogans, I noticed a sign that read, “I am HIV Positive…So What?” Someone, whom I did not even see, carried this sign at the Human Rights March through the streets of Vienna this evening. Whoever this person was, s/he took ownership of HIV status, not afraid of sharing such a personal and stigmatized thing with the world. It moved me to think that in this place, amidst so many other logos, brandings, chants, cheers, and slogans, this person felt safe.

But what happens when this person is not surrounded by thousands of HIV/AIDS advocates? What happens when this person is gay…a woman…a sex worker…an orphan…a racial minority…a migrant worker? What happens to this individual outside of the protection of a Human Rights March advocating for change in the status of the marginalized?

What happens is, that this person is tossed to margins of society both by the government and the private sector. This person who openly states her/his HIV status is stripped of basic human rights. S/he is told “you are not wanted, “you are worthless,” “you are diseased,” “you are to blame,” and worst of all “you are a SINNER!”

These things may not audibly be stated to this person, but are stated in the government and the people’s actions. When we stigmatize individuals for their drug use or sexuality—we say, “you are not wanted.” When we do not give promised funding to HIV/AIDS research and relief efforts we deny treatment—stating, “you are worthless.” When we flinch at someone’s confession of status—we say, “you are diseased.” When we deny health care to sex workers—we say, “you are to blame.” When we turn our backs on the gay community—we say, “you are a sinner.”

We do not need words; we need action. Again, the theme of AIDS 2010 comes to mind: “Rights Here, Right Now.” The Human Rights March, lead by Annie Lennox, Michel Sidibé, Julio Montaner, and many other global AIDS leaders had this message. It is only our actions that can and will create change. By our marching through the streets of Vienna, surrounded by Austrians as well as media from around the world, we made a physical statement: in representing the marginalized and stigmatized globally by marching through Vienna. Our message for Universal Human Rights will not be ignored!

Technical Difficulties

Just a quick note to let you all know that I am currently experiencing technical difficulties with getting online. I will be continuing to write but will have to wait to post until I get a more solid internet connection. I apologize for the inconvenience, please continue to check back for more on AIDS2010!

Abbreviated

This morning, I began to think that some of you may not know much about HIV/AIDS, and probably do not know all of the abbreviations that I have/will use in discussing HIV/AIDS. So I will sidestep from the AIDS 2010 conference for this post.

An un-exhaustive list of key definitions:

HIV- (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) the virus that causes AIDS

AIDS- (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) a syndrome, which depletes the immune system

PLHIV- (People living with HIV) individuals who are infected with the virus

ARV- (Anti-Retroviral Drugs) drugs taken to suppress the replication of HIV cells

ART- (Anti-Retroviral Therapy) treatment system for PLHIV

PMTCT- (Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission) treatment systems for pregnant and nursing women to prevent the woman from passing HIV to her child

TB- (Tuberculosis) a respiratory disease which affects many people living with HIV

MSM- (Men who have Sex with Men) Men who have sexual relations with other men, regardless of sexual orientation or marital status

IDU- (Illicit Drug User) A person who uses injection or other illicit/illegal drugs

Quick Facts:

-HIV is the required precursor to AIDS, you cannot get AIDS without HIV

-HIV/AIDS does not kill individuals: opportunistic infections and illnesses, which are considered easily suppressed with an average to strong immune system, such as TB and Pneumonia, kill PLHIV

-HIV+ means that an individual has detectable levels of HIV, while HIV- means that an individual does NOT have detectable levels of HIV

-HIV is caused by the exchange of infected bodily fluids (blood, ejaculatory fluids, vaginal secretions, and breast milk)

-HIV canNOT be contracted by casual contact with a PLHIV (e.g. sharing a drink, hugging, handshakes, kissing, etc.)

-An individual can live with HIV for well over 20 years with proper treatment

-Risky behaviors are those which put an individual at a higher risk of contracting HIV. Risk factors include: unprotected sex, sharing needles, multiple sexual partners.

This again, is nowhere near an exhaustive list of all you need to know about HIV/AIDS, but it is a quick guide to help you to understand the basics of HIV and related issues. If you would like to learn more about HIV/AIDS topics and facts, PLEASE go to any of the following websites:

http://www.unaids.org/

http://www.who.int/hiv/

Political Has-been?

19 July

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Regardless of your feelings about the former first family, it is impossible to deny the presence of the Clintons on the Political stage. Whether you believe that former President Clinton’s “indiscretions” negate his leadership status, or if you believe that he has done great things for marginalized people, you cannot merely ignore his presence. Beyond Hilary’s current office, former President Bill Clinton has been serving as an activist and philanthropist since the end of his presidential term. For this, he received a standing ovation as he stepped out from behind the curtain onto stage at AIDS 2010. No matter what any one of us thought of him before, for the moment, he was in a sense our hero. His voice has been added to the many who fight for people living with HIV, in a rather large way. His foundation the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) has worked on the problem of AIDS since 2002, and he has been an advocate for national and international funding of the Global Fund.

In his keynote address, Clinton addressed the benefits of all of our efforts in service, funding, research, advocacy, and education. He began by explaining that IAS (International AIDS Society) conferences are very much different than other activist conferences and meetings. In other meetings, talk is filled with empty promises and meaningless talk. At IAS meetings, he claimed, talk truly turns to action. Once the global society of individuals concerned with AIDS gets together to discuss the “state of the epidemic” this community produces breakthroughs.

After this praise, Clinton went on to explain that even though the global economy has tanked in the past year, AIDS giving is still going. Though the G8 governments are not fulfilling their promises to the Global Fund of billions of US dollars, privatized giving has been on the rise. He outlined several simple strategies for fundraising, stating that the real solution is in finding millions of people to give small donations to add up to millions of dollars.

The main point of Clinton’s speech was that the global leadership is living in a false dichotomy when it comes to HIV/AIDS. He cited a belief that a choice must be made between funding treatment and funding the general health services for mothers and children. This is simply not the case, as these topics are not mutually exclusive. He said, “There IS a real choice to be made, but its not the one we have been told about. If you want to increase healthcare systems and increase treatment, we need more people in the healthcare workforce.” He continued, that in low-income countries we need to begin to learn how care can be provided at lower costs through in-home care and non-clinical healthcare workers. People living with AIDS need proper medical care, but proper medical care can come from lay people trained to provide for simple medical services and to oversee treatment programs.

The false dichotomy of the global leadership also blinds these leaders from seeing that “more of the same is not enough.” We need to change the programming and treatment initiatives. We cannot stand by and do the same things that are only partially working.

In closing, Clinton conjured memories of the recent physics break-through in breaking down sub-atomic molecules in a manner previously unheard of. He said that this discovery led to knowledge that there are actually more positive than negative molecules in the sub-atomic structure. In terms of HIV/AIDS advocacy, prevention, treatment, and future cure, “That’s the only chance we got, that within us all, the positive is just a little bigger than the negative.

No Retreat…Fund AIDS

18 July

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So it is finally here, after months of planning, preparing, and anticipating, the 18^th Annual International AIDS Society Conference has finally begun! I cannot believe I am here with nearly 25,000 other HIV/AIDS activists, politicians, global leaders, scientists, doctors, healthcare workers, councilors, professors, students, and even the Princess of Norway. Though each of us comes with our own interests and desires, it is simply so exciting to be in the midst of so many people with the same passion for change.

Here, none of us has to explain why. We do not have to go into exhaustion to tell our stories of how we got here and what makes us stay. We all understand the importance of prevention, treatment, education, and rights. We all know the meaning of T-cells, MDG, viral load, PLHIV, and ARV. And, as we saw in a brief video shown at the beginning of the Opening Ceremony, we also all know the meaning of 40 cents…two Anti-Retroviral pills to save the life of a person living with HIV for one day. Here, we can simply begin to address the issues that need to be changed and turn to solutions. Essentially, we can get right down to business!

The theme of this year’s conference is “Rights here, Right now,” meaning that we will be spending the next five days discussing how we can attain universal human rights. Universal human rights means that all people have access to health care globally, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, sexuality, and criminal status. Universal human rights means universal access to HIV treatment. Universal human rights means women’s ownership of their own bodies and their own sexuality. Universal human rights means the decriminalizing of HIV, sex work, same sex partnerships, and drug users so that all of humanity has equal access to proper care.* Universal human rights means that all people of all countries are treated as people, not stigmatized, demoralized, or discriminated against for any reason.

Universal human rights do not just happen overnight. Something must be done in order for people to gain access to healthcare and treatment, to claim responsibility of self, to rid the self of stigma. Two suggestions given by speakers (and delegates) at the conference sessions today were to work on Treatment 2.0 and fully fund the Global Fund. Michel Sidibé, the UNAIDS Secretary General, is calling AIDS advocates and researchers globally to back Treatment 2.0, a plan of action to change the look of HIV treatment. Sidibé has called the world out on our collective complacency concerning treatment regimens. We seem to think that since treatment is available, it is actually available to all people living with HIV. This is not the case, as only 5 million people living with HIV are receiving treatment, while another 10million people are living with HIV without treatment. This must change!! Treatment 2.0 seeks to reach out to new forms of treatment and to create hope for those who have tested positive. This plan includes the stepping up to address human rights issues so that access can be given to the marginalized.

The second suggestion for putting “Rights Here, Right Now” into action to universalize human rights was to call global leaders to step up to the plate. International leaders, particularly those who are part of G8, pledged money to the Global Fund (to fight AIDS) but have not followed through on their pledge. Millions of Dollars are still essentially owed to the Global Fund by countries including the United States. A group of delegates gathered this evening to vocalize their plan for governmental leaders: “No Retreat…Fund AIDS.” Their call was that there is no way to back out of a promise of funding for HIV, when 70% of those living with HIV are not being treated. In the Opening Ceremony, almost all of the speakers acknowledged the work of these protestors, agreeing that there is no excuse for an underfunded Global Fund.

I am excited to learn more about different perspectives on the topic of universal human rights. Not all of us here have the same ideas about, well, anything. As previously stated we all come with our own interests and desires but are here for one cause. We each bring our own political views and even political agendas. Yet we can still support and create change once we work together. This was the message of Deputy President of South Africa, Kgalema Motianthe. He said in an address to International AIDS Society members, “We learned from the World Cup, that many teams, which are blessed with individual stars did not make it to the finals, but it is the teams that played with less stars and played as a TEAM that eventually lifted the trophy.” We, at this conference have to work as a team to create the changes, which we know are needed for universal human rights and for the state of the HIV epidemic. We do not want to show up at AIDS 2012 in Washington D.C. with the same program agenda, but with a full report of change on the global, national, local, and individual level.

*To learn more about the decriminalization of drug users see The Vienna Declaration at www.viennadeclaration.com. This is NOT the legalization of drug use, but instead the understanding that illicit drug policies must be changed to allow for the basic human rights of illicit drug users.

Hofburg in Vienna

Spent the morning viewing the Sliver Collection, the Sisi Museum, and the Imperial Apartments at The Hofburg palace area. This area is a city within a city with several buildings, gardens, and squares. The Silver Collection is, in part, still used today for state dinners and is simply a massive collection of sliver, gold, and porcelain goods. The Sisi Museum tells about the tragic life and death of Empress Elizabeth. The Imperial Apartments are set up as they were used by Emperor Franz Joseph and Empress Elizabeth.
I have included pictures of some of the silver collection and the exterior of the buildings as well as some other facades from the area.

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People Watching

So we spent the evening people watching on the streets of Vienna. There were obvious Germans, and other Western-Europeans, there were British and American tourists, there were Arabs, Jews, Muslims, Russians, the list goes on. This made me think about the diversity of people in different countries. In the United States, we take pride in our “Melting Pot” status, but truly, walking down the streets of Vienna, or even Berlin, or Copenhagen, or Prague (all places I have been in the past) the diversity is so much more prevalent than it is in the US. In these European countries, people of all races, creeds, religions, and ethnicities seem to coexist on a different level than occurs in the US. Brawls and Gang fights and Terf-wars may exist in these European countries, but they seem much less of an issue than racial, ethnic, creedal, and religious “street” warfare in the US.
All of this is not to mention the visible cohabitation of generations in cities like Vienna. Tonight, there was not just a crowd of young singles, or older couples, or families, or middle aged couples. Instead there was a menagerie of generational representation present.
Just something I was thinking about as We watched the co-mingling of individuals on the streets of Venice.
Also, I have attached some pictures I took of Stephansplatz in the inner area of Vienna.

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Departures and Arrivals…Terminal What? 15-16 July 2010

We have finally made it to our hotel lobby in Vienna it is 7:49am on 16 July for all of you stateside. We have been travelling since 12:30pm 15 July (including drive time to the airport). There have been a few bumps in the road, but no major issues—the flights were great, planes were clean, everything landed early—all good things. However, I would highly suggest avoiding Boston in your international flight patterns, and here’s why. In order to board an international flight from Boston, you must leave the airport and your checked baggage behind, in order to board a bus to get to an entirely different terminal. Not a huge problem if you do not mind going through the ordeal of getting a boarding pass, going through security, and booking it to your next gate. Also, do not rely on the people who work at said airport to give comprehensive directions on how to get from Terminal B to Terminal E. We asked several people where we would catch our transfer flight and how to get there with a response of “oh just go to Terminal E.” There are no SIGNS for Terminal E, there are no random individuals working for the airport to simply guide you in the right direction, and it took us to the information desk to get an answer of where EXACTLY to go to get the bus to Terminal E and which bus—out of the dozens stopping for passengers “right outside the exit door”—we were supposed to take! We did of course make it to the plane in time, with enough to spare to grab a latté, but I believe some signs and directions next time would be much more greatly appreciated. This was not our only interesting connection, however, as we spent about an hour running a maze of London Heathrow International Airport in our travels today—er yesterday—who knows?!? Apparently LHR is quite the complex airport, as we had to walk through a maze of escalators, take a tram, take a bus, run through security, more escalators, an elevator, and then another bus to get from one plane to the next. Whoever thought airports would need tour guides to help people figure out how to get from one terminal to the next? Yes, I do realize that I’m used to Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, with a whopping ONE terminal, but seriously?!? This airport ground transport is crazy! Speaking of Buffalo, we did get to see a really cool training right before we boarded our first flight of the day. Today was training day for some young drug/bomb-sniffing dogs. I can’t say that I had ever really seen this practice take place. The human aspect of the K-9 unit set up some dummy suitcases that the dogs were to find then the handlers brought one dog at a time around to sniff. The dogs seemed to want to sniff more than what the handlers wanted them to, but it was awesome to see how responsive they were to their handlers’ commands. The first, dog was a German Shepherd, but the second two were black Labrador Retrievers (made me miss my girls!!). All three sniffed at the dummy bags, and quietly sat next to the bag to indicate something was fishy. No barking, no scratching at the bag, no nothing, just sitting next to a bag with who knows what in it, and being pet incessantly by their handlers. You could see it in the one lab’s face how much she adored her handler, and simply wanted to make him happy. Well, unless you all want to hear about the fact that we are sticking to everything here in Vienna on account of the heat, I’ll post this now and wait for more interesting and relevant things to discuss soon!

Under Construction

Greetings, and thanks for stopping by! I apologize for the old material on my blog. I am still getting used to the idea of writing out things on a regular basis. Please bear with me and check back soon for my first posts on the AIDS 2010 conference in Vienna, Austria.

Full Throttle

Last Friday, I decided to stay late at Ginghamsburg UMC, after class was over, to observe the middle school outreach program at the Avenue. “Full Throttle” reaches out to hundreds of sixth-eighth grade students from several surrounding communities. According to the adult servant leaders, peak attendance can reach nearly 900 students. This past Friday, being a nice summer day, only found 500 students walking through the front door.

I began the evening assisting at the front door, where students pay a five-dollar entrance fee. It was a learning experience for me to watch the clothing and accessory trends of middle school students as they filed past. Not to mention the wake-up call to see a metal detector in use at a church function! I really could not believe my eyes at what some of the kids were wearing and to watch all bags searched and all students willingly go through the metal detector as if it was merely a doorway. Talk about a learning experience for an upper-middle class suburbanite!

After watching and participating in check-in, I floated around the different areas (basketball, skate park, dance club, coffee shop, and snack-bar/arcade) to talk with servant leaders and students alike about their experiences at Full Throttle. One servant told me that she did not really feel called to work with children. She began helping with Full Throttle in order to get her husband (not a church-goer) involved in mission. This woman’s husband is now highly involved in this mission, and she is happy to be working with him every week, even if she does not get to see him all night long.

Another servant began serving when her son became interested in Full Throttle. This woman even comes to Full Throttle when her son does not, and is considering continuing with this mission even after he moves on to high school. Yet another servant, a skateboarder, is excited about the fact that Full Throttle offers an indoor skate park for youth. He was excited to tell me that since Full Throttle has offered this opportunity at the Avenue, skateboarding at the church has taken off. He said that some of the students (middle and high school) go to a skateboarding camp each summer with the church group and there is now a Tuesday night program for older students to skate too. The pride this servant had in this ministry was clearly evident, when he was talking about outreach to students who are typically left unchurched.

While talking with students, most of them became involved because of friends and willingly come back week after week for the socializing opportunity. A couple girls I talked with told me of friendships made with others from different school districts. Most students were just excited to have a place to hang out on a Friday night.

The student that really caught my attention was one that, to me, was dying for attention from an adult. I was randomly asking students what they would be for Halloween if they could be anything, this student’s response was “It doesn’t matter, I won’t be here then.” This discussion led me to create my own pastoral care space in the midst of this youth event. My thoughts naturally went to wondering if this student was suicidal. A few more questions discovered that this student was making dangerous decisions like drinking and drug use. I talked with the student as much as I could without pushing too far as to alienate him, but felt that the discussion was inadequate. I felt that in order to form a proper bond to discuss these issues, I needed to be more than a one-time volunteer.

This experience made me realize the true importance of servant-ministry instead of mere volunteerism in church mission. I realized that it takes more than a short-term commitment to truly address the issues found in true church mission. We, as church leaders need to stress the importance of commitment to ministry. Mission is a sacrifice, not a means to complete community service hours.

From: June 25, 2010