National Notes
November 20, 1992
GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE
Page 17
After six years on AZT, man finds he never had AIDS
A gay man in San Francisco filed suit this month against his health maintenance organization for mistakenly diagnosing him as having AIDS. The man, 53-year-old John Kulvenhoven, went to a Kaiser Permanente hospital in San Jose in 1986, seeking treatment for a respiratory ailment.
According to the New York Times, a doctor there diagnosed him as having pneumocystis carinii pneumonia an opportunistic infection associated with AIDS. Although no one at the hospital apparently conducted an HIV antibody test, doctors gave Kulvenhoven an AIDS diagnosis, put him on treatment with the antiviral AZT, and advised him to quit his job as a skin care professional.
Six years later, the hospital discovered that Kulvenhoven had an unusually high CD4 cell count for a person with AIDS and asked him to come in for the antibody test. He repeatedly tested negative. Kulvenhoven is suing Kaiser for $2 million, according to the San Francisco Examiner, saying that the unnecessary AZT treatment left him debilitated and forced him to give up his livlihood.
Paris' gay paper folds
Paris' Gai Pied Hebdo shut down October 29 after 15 years as Europe's bestknown gay publication. Newsstand sales have been dropping for seven years.
"We have not been able to turn this trend around or maintain a sufficient level of sales to ensure a balance, even a precarious one," Managing Editor Gerard Vappereau informed his 60 employees Sept. 4.
The following week, Gai Pied's staff denounced Vappereau and challenged his authority to kill the newspaper, arguing it is really the property of the gay community.
Additionally, Gai Pied's parent company is facing shutdown of its "telematic services" (similar to computer bulletinboard systems in the U.S.) by the phone company, France Telecom, which says some messages posted on the services are "offensive to good morals.'
Money available for gay and lesbian candidates in 1993
Washington. D.C.--The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund is seeking openly gay and lesbian candidates who plan to run for public office next year, and who qualify for funding from the Fund's national donor network.
The Victory Fund was established in 1991 to assist qualified, openly gay and lesbian candidates win elections. Members pay $100 to join the Victory Fund, then agree to support at least two recommended candidates over the next 12 months with direct contributions of $100 or more.
"The impact of combined contributions has already made a difference in races this November," said William Wayborn, executive director. Citing Tammy Baldwin's September primary win in the race for the Wisconsin Assembly, Wayborn noted that Victory Fund contributions were crucial to her overcoming a spending spree by her main opponent, whom she beat by 11 percent. "Every $1,000 in combined contributions sent to her campaign resulted in one more percentage point of victory," Waybourn said.
The Victory Fund's board of directors will consider candidates for recommendation at its November board meeting. Candidates seeking information or applications should contact the Victory Fund at 202842-8679, or by writing to 1012 14th Street NW, Suite 707, Washington, D.C., 20005.
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Gay rights for Salt Lake City workers
The Salt Lake County (Utah) Commission made Utah history on September 30 when it passed two new ordinances prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in county employment and services. These two ordinances are the first civil rights laws in the state of Utah to include sexual orientation as a protected class.
The two ordinances were passed after an August poll conducted for the Salt Lake Tribune showed 65 percent of Utahns agree that "Gays and lesbians should be protected by laws against housing and job discrimination.'
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Feds reduce funding to gay AIDS group
The National Task Force on AIDS Prevention announced it sustained another cut in federal funds the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta during annual budget negotiations that were held in mid-October. This is the second year in a row in which their CDC-National Program budget has been decreased.
The National Task Force is one of the few gay organizations in the country to receive direct funding from the federal government (the Public Health Service through CDC and the Office of Minority Health). The Task Force is also the only one among the 32 National Minority Organizations to serve gay and bisexual men of color with technical assistance, health education and AIDS prevention models.
Headquartered in San Francisco, the National Task Force operates through affiliated groups in some 30 cities.
U.S. civil rights panel rejects gay-bashing report
Detroit--The United States Commission on Civil Rights has rejected a report that describes and highlights the increase of hate-motivated crime and violence against gays and lesbians in Michigan. This report calls attention to the lack of civil rights protection for homosexuals as a major contributing factor in crimes and violence against the gay community. The report was prepared by the Michigan Advisory Committee for the U.S. Commission in Washington.
The Michigan Advisory Committee report included extensive information about gay and lesbian victimization and made specific recommendations on how to address the problems. The Advisory Committee report was the only state-level report submitted to the U.S. Commission that paid significant attention to gay and lesbian issues.
It was also the only report rejected at the federal level. The vote of the Commission was divided down party lines, Republicans voting to reject, Democrats voting to accept.
"It is clear that this report has been rejected because it flies in the face of homophobic Republican platforms and policies," said John Monahan, president of the Triangle Foundation In Detroit. "Election-year politics have forced the U.S. Commision on Civil Rights to become a tool of the Administration.
New York collegians elect gay president
Albany, N.Y.--Student delegates from State University of New York schools across the state elected Glenn D. Magpantay from SUNY at Stony Brook to be president of the Student Association of the State University of New York, a state-wide student lobbying organization last weekend. Magpantay will serve as the first openly gay and first Asian president of the organization since its in-
ception, and will work with SUNY's 404,000 students on 64 campuses.
Glenn Magpantay said, "I think my election makes a tremendous impact on both the students of New York State and the entire lesbian, gay and bisexual community. There was a time, not too long ago when I never thought that [the Student Association] would ever elect an openly gay president, much less one who is also a person of color. We have had gay people serve before, but they were never open about their orientation and they almost never had prior experience organizing on lesbian, gay or bisexual issues."
Provincetown swim raises $35,000 for AIDS services
Celebrating summer's end and Provincetown's magnificent Harbor, 128 swimmers from as far away as Texas raised over $35,000 in pledges for Provincetown Positive PWA Coalition, AIDS Support
Since 1984
Group, and the Family Tree Project. The 1.4 mile, post-Labor Day swim from Long Point to the Boatslip was followed by Helen Roszczewski's legendary Mermaid Brunch, attended by 450 swimmers and their friends--four times last year's feast. Over 100 boaters, registrants, cheerleaders, and cooks volunteered for this lovefest, along with 100 business donors of food and prizes.
Winners of the competitive component, which was approved by U.S. Masters Swimming and organized by Ed Hudner and Glen Cunha of Different Strokes of Boston, were Jim Peters of Dallas, Texas, men's division, with a time of 33:07, and Irena Sumberg of West Dennis, Mass., women's division, with a time of 33:46.
Plans are already underway for next year's Swim for Life, traditionally held the weekend after Labor Day. Organizers of the Swimathon are available to assist other AIDS organizations around the country to stage similar fundraisers, and can be reached at P.O. Box 819, Provincetown, MA 02657; 508-487-3684.
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