Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton

Here is a great Al Jazeera English piece on the World AIDS Day protest at the White House.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton tells the President to "get serious." She goes on to say that the Republican led Congress had "knowingly killed men, women, and children," by denying the District the ability to fund syringe exchange.

DC Fights Back Co-chair George Kerr tells the President to "look in his own backyard."

Eleanor Holmes Norton Reaffirms Commitment to Needle Exchange

From Kaiser DailyDel. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) recently said that needle-exchange programs in Washington, D.C., should receive public funding in an effort to reduce the spread of HIV, the AP/NBC4.com reports (AP/NBC4.com, 11/28). Norton's comments follow the release of a report earlier in the week that called HIV/AIDS a "modern epidemic" in the district with "complexities and challenges that continue to threaten the lives and well-being of far too many residents." According to the report, almost 12,500 district residents were known to be living with HIV/AIDS in 2006. Thirty-seven percent of HIV cases were transmitted through heterosexual contact, compared with 25% that were transmitted among men who have sex with men (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/27).

According to Norton, the report did not mention a congressional ban that prohibits the city from allocating public funds for needle-exchange programs. The ban likely will be overturned soon, the AP/NBC4.com reports. Although the report did say that injection drug use was the second-most common mode of HIV transmission in the city, it was "misleading" by focusing too much on sexual transmission of the virus, according to Norton (AP/NBC4.com, 11/28).

Related Editorial

"Among the tragic data" in the report, the "statistic on" injection drug use is the "most infuriating" because needle-exchange programs -- the "tool needed to slow transmission of HIV by this route" -- are banned from receiving public funding, a Washington Post editorial says. Norton and Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.) "succeeded in getting the ban eliminated" in a House appropriations bill earlier this year, the editorial says, adding that the district is "waiting for the Senate to approve on an omnibus spending bill, which could happen next month." The "longer the district is denied the freedom to use its own money to help its own residents, the more lives will be needlessly put at risk," the editorial concludes (Washington Post, 11/30).

Eleanor Holmes Norton Town Halls on HIV/AIDS in DC

I'm a fan of Eleanor Holmes Norton, but I can't say I'm a fan of how she's handled her series of HIV/AIDS town halls in DC. As some of you know, Eleanor planned three town halls for the DC community to talk about the threat of HIV/AIDS. The first was for straight men, the second was for straight women, and the third which is taking place this Saturday is for teenagers. So what's the problem?

First, there is a definite lack of communication and willingness to partner with HIV/AIDS organizations in DC. To be clear, despite my request the Norton office has never communicated any information about this event to me or to other local HIV/AIDS activists that I'm aware of. Alex noted this when he posted about the first forum, and unfortunately, despite asking to be notified about future events, the Holmes office has chosen not to do so.

Second, gay men and transgender individuals still constitute a large portion of our HIV/AIDS cases, yet there are no plans to talk about the LGBT community and HIV at any of these events, and to my knowledge, no effort made to partner with LGBT organizations in DC. In fact, many LGBT folks were greatly offended by the flier for the women's forum which indicated Norton was concerned about HIV because "STDs and HIV are now a threat to normal relationships." The wording of the flyer left little doubt as to what relationships Norton considered 'normal' and which she considered 'abnormal'. And her decision to ignore the HIV/AIDS epidemic among gay men and transgender individuals in DC in this series is unacceptable.

Third, the Latino community and other diverse communities in DC are impacted by HIV/AIDS, yet the Norton series of events have focused almost exclusively on the African American community, featuring African American speakers, and outreaching to African Americans. Now, doing an event which discusses HIV/AIDS in the African American community is wonderful and welcome, but doing it in such a way that you ignore other communities impacted by HIV/AIDS is disappointing.

Eleanor, please note, we are more effective when we work in partnership with other organizations and not strike out on our own. Many of your constituents work on HIV/AIDS in DC every single day of their lives, and stand ready, willing, and able to work with you, when you are ready to work in a more collaborative manner and ready to fight for everyone struggling with HIV/AIDS in DC.

Eleanor Holmes Norton Plans Forum on Women & HIV

Eleanor Holmes Norton is planning a forum on women and HIV in the District. The forum entitled "Sex in the City: HIV/AIDS, STDs, Relationships, and Today's Woman", takes place Monday, July 16th from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the Reagan International Trade Center Pavilion, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW. The Pavilion is located one block west of the Federal Triangle Metro Station.

Radio and TV personality Jeannie Jones will lead the discussion.

Help spread the word! To download a flyer for this event, click here

House Subcommittee To Hear Washington, D.C., Appropriations Bill That Restricts City Funding for Needle-Exchange Programs

From Kaiser Daily: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government on Tuesday will consider a Washington, D.C., appropriations bill that includes language preventing the city from financing needle-exchange programs, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, some health advocates are hopeful that the language will be removed from the bill because of the "changed balance of power on Capitol Hill" (Levine, Washington Post, 6/5). The ban was first imposed under a federal law signed by former President Clinton in 1998 that prohibits the district government from using local tax money to fund any organization that operates a needle-exchange program (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 5/29). According to the Post, the House has added the ban each year to the district's appropriations bill (Washington Post, 6/5).

Rep. Jose Serrano (D-N.Y.), chair of the subcommittee, recently said he will make it a priority to push for the removal of the language. District Mayor Adrian Fenty has said that he will provide funds for needle-exchange programs as soon as Congress removes the language.

Injection drug use is the second most common mode of HIV transmission among men in the district and the most common mode among women in the city. Prevention Works!, the district's only needle-exchange program, is financed through private donations and reaches about one-third of the estimated 9,700 injection drug users in the city (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 5/29). Walter Smith, executive director of the DC Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, said that there is a connection between the high number of HIV/AIDS cases in the district and lack of a city-funded needle-exchange program, adding that it's "time to uncouple" the connection.

Serrano said that although it is unclear whether the ban will be lifted, he is ready to push the issue. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) called the ban "abuse of the city," adding that "countless deaths have occurred" because the city lacks a government-funded needle-exchange program. More than two dozen medical, public health, social service and philanthropic organizations last month sent a letter to Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), chair of the subcommittee that initially handles the district's budget, urging that the restriction be lifted, the Post reports. Chuck Knapp -- a spokesperson for Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), the original author of the ban -- said that Tiahrt likely will try to continue the ban but added that "it's a different political environment" than when it originally passed (Washington Post, 6/5).

I REALLY wish I had heard about this earlier...

I really think that we should have been contacted about this. We are in contact with Congresswoman Norton's office, we are the HIV/AIDS advocacy group in DC. We do have 170 members, I think we should of heard about this from the congresswoman's office not passed on by chance the day before it happens.

Alex

DISTRICT BRIEFING

The Washington Post

May 2, 2007

Norton Holds Community Discussion for Men

As part of her series of community meetings on the city's HIV and AIDS crisis, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) will host a forum tomorrow for a critical group.

Billed as "a frank discussion for men -- about men -- between men -- on sex, STDs, responsibility and community," the meeting will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in Suite 412 at the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Radio talk-show host Russ Parr will be the moderator.