From the Executive Director

June is Pride month -- a time to look at how far the LGBT community has come, and how far we have left to go. Less than two weeks after same-sex marriage became legal in California, thousands flocked to the annual Pride celebration in San Francisco. Meanwhile, across the globe in Uganda, three activists were arrested for protesting the exclusion of LGBT communities from HIV/AIDS prevention efforts. They remain charged with trespassing.

Pride month ended with a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing that HIV/AIDS diagnoses among U.S. men who have sex with men (MSM) have increased 8.6 percent from 2001 - 2006, with the number of HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed among young (age 13-24) black MSM nearly doubling during that same period. June is Pride month, and never before has our global struggle for rights, health and basic safety seemed more vital than it is today.

Craig E. Thompson
Executive Director

What's New

APLA publications continue to grapple with the major HIV/AIDS issues of the day. The spring edition of Impacto! Transnacional, APLA’s Spanish-language publication that is circulated widely across the U.S. and Latin America, looks closely at the links among HIV and substance use and addiction. The editors culled personal stories of addiction, interviews with psychologists and a yearlong examination of success stories from APLA’s own LINKS program, a one-on-one counseling program through which gay men explore the impact of substance abuse and sexual risk on their health. 

Also just out from APLA, To Be Left with the Body is the third in a series of publications created by and for black gay and bisexual men to explore the impact of HIV/AIDS on their lives. Conceived in response to disproportionate rates of HIV among black gay men, the collection features contributions from 16 writers, activists and poets. You can download a copy of these latest publications, and check out our archive, by visiting the Publications page of our Web site.

Profile

Looking back on her past, Felicia Swift can hardly remember a time when she wasn't homeless.

Felicia, a White Mountain Apache Indian who left her reservation in Arizona for Los Angeles, struggled with drug addiction and alcoholism. She is also HIV-positive.

"Four years ago, a friend told me about APLA," Felicia explains. "He said that they could help me, and since then, my life has turned around."

APLA's Residential Services staff helped Felicia to find and pay for affordable housing.

"Suddenly, I had my own apartment. I had rent and responsibilities. I even had cats. There were so many reasons to stay sober," she says.

And Felicia, who identifies as a transsexual woman, also found a peer group. She began to attend meetings of APLA's Red Circle Project, the only HIV prevention program in Los Angeles County that specifically targets Native American populations. The program is launching a support group this month specifically for transsexual Native Americans.

"It wasn't easy to find others who I could identify with," she says. "But during Red Circle meetings, I can really talk about issues that affect me: alcoholism, drugs, urban life. And I have a chance to talk to people who aren't infected -- to help them learn how to stay safe.

"And for once," she adds, "I feel like I'm part of a group. That's a new feeling for me. I'm just not looking in from the outside anymore."

Giving

A decade ago, APLA donor Jay Brecker, a certified public accountant, met Ken, a new client who came to Jay to have his tax returns prepared. But when he asked Ken for his financial data to prepare the return, Ken told a story that Jay could not forget.

"All of his financial data was with another accountant who had begun preparing his paperwork," Jay explains. "But when the accountant learned that Ken was HIV-positive, he refused to do any further work -- and he also would not return any of his financial data," Jay explains. "He wouldn't even return his phone calls."

Weeks elapsed until finally Ken's former accountant "dumped the data in the hallway outside his office so that he would not have to see Ken when he came to pick it up," Jay recalls.

Stunned by the stigma that Ken experienced, Jay, with wife Eileen Cowin, began to give to APLA after learning about the agency's HIV/AIDS care and prevention work through the local news.

"We also wanted to give our time," Jay explains, "so we registered as volunteer intake counselors. Eileen and I underwent extensive training, and we were often the first point of contact for clients who were seeking help. It was eye-opening."

The couple continues to give to APLA programs and services through both direct donations and attendance at APLA fundraising events.

"There's just never enough government support for low-income people who are living with HIV," Jay says. "For so many people, APLA is there to fill that gap, and it's important for us to do whatever we can to help."

Take Action

APLA continues to conduct a wide range of activities to educate the public, elected officials and policymakers about the critical needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. In late June, a bill to expand and extend a program that protects affordable health care coverage for people with disabilities who return to work was placed "on suspense" in a California Senate committee.

The bill, AB 851 (Brownley), would continue the Medi-Cal 250% Working Disabled Program, which allows people with disabilities (including HIV-related disabilities) to return to work and earn a modest income without fear of losing vital Medi-Cal coverage.

The program helps people living with HIV/AIDS to lead independent, productive lives while they maintain access to vital personal care and other medical services. But with the Working Disabled Program scheduled to sunset on September 1 (and with the new legislation now in jeopardy), APLA issued an action alert to give constituents an easy way to contact policymakers and voice their support for the bill. Learn more about AB 851 and sign up for our "In the Loop" advocacy network today.

Photo of the Month

Hundreds of APLA clients, volunteers and staff marched together on June 8 at the 38th annual L.A. Pride Parade. Marchers sported t-shirts bearing this year’s theme, “I Am APLA,” and carried signs to represent APLA’s diverse family of clients and friends. Some even rode atop a 24-foot parade float to mark APLA’s 25th year of service. The parade weaved through West Hollywood, where APLA offers a range of programs and services for people living with HIV/AIDS. 

The Last Word

“It’s important for people to take a look at their community and see what’s happening and to see how they can make a difference.”

 -- Tad Coughenour, who survived a rare form of cancer and is now training to complete the San Francisco Marathon with the National AIDS Marathon Training Program, as quoted by the Canyon News.