ROBERT HATTOY

ENVIRONMENTALIST

AIDS activists frustrated by a lack of action during 12 years of Republican administrations spotted a ray of hope at the 1992 Democratic National Convention when a key environmental aide to then Governor Bill Clinton revealed to the assembly that he had AIDS. The aide, Robert Hattoy of Los Angeles, was one of two speakers Democratic presidential candidate Clinton brought to the podium in a powerful plea for support in fighting the epidemic.

Hattoy, a Southern California director of the Sierra Club and a career environmentalist, is typical of HIV-positive people who stay in the work force as long as they can. He is not alone in this: According to the Centers for Disease Control (see card 92) an estimated 1.5 million Americans carry the AIDS-causing HIV virus-and most remain productive members of society for years after their diagnosis. Hattoy believes the nation would be making a big mistake to write off people with HIV, despite their declining health. "I told him [Clinton] I just didn't want to be treated as dead by Bill Clinton or by anyone else," he is quoted as saying.

Clinton agrees with Hattoy and he recognizes the urgency of the AIDS crisis. In his acceptance of the nomination he placed the fight against AIDS at the top of a list of campaign issues. Opposing a strict Republican "family values" platform, Clinton also advocated tolerance for lifestyle choices and pledged to allow gays to join the military (see card 33). This liberal strategy is credited with helping in the ouster of incumbent President George Bush (see card 89). AIDS activists rejoiced when, in the very first sentence of his victory speech, Clinton reaffirmed his commitment to the war on AIDS. Next card 23: EMERY HETRICK: Psychiatrist & DAMIEN MARTIN: Professor