GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

JANUARY 14, 1994

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Meet ACT-UP (finally)

by Alyssa Noel Lamb

In each issue of the Chronicle, ACT UP uses this space to keep our community informed about ACT UP happenings, which usually amounts to this:

1. How angry we are that government inaction kills a PWA every 5 minutes;

2. How angry we are that more people (like, all people) don't get involved in the AIDS war;

3. How angry we are about lots of other things;

4. When, where and why the next demonstration is being held.

It's no wonder, then, that many people view ACT UP as merely a group of angry demonstrators. After all, isn't that all we do?

In actuality,

SSI, welfare, food stamps, Medicare and Medicaid. But filling out the paperwork for these programs can be a nightmare. ACT UP members help these people wade through the paperwork as well as the bureaucracy. Many of them know from experience how to get through the system.

ACT UP also wrote HR3310, (based on the Barbara McClintock Project), which is a comprehensive plan to find a cure for AIDS by taking the profit and conflict of interest out of AIDS research and treatment development. This proposal has been introduced in the United States Congress, and is

ACT UP

THE AIDS COALITION TO UNLEASH POWER

CLEVELAND

demos are only a small part of what ACT UP does. For instance:

Something you probably don't know is that ACT UP produces a document called the HIV Standard of Care. Its purpose is this: PWAS can consult it and find out if

they are receiving adequate care. If a PWA knows that his or her t-cell count is 200 to 500, the HIV Standard of Care says that she

or he should probably be taking antivirals (AZT, ddC, ddl, D4T), either singularly or in combination. If not on these drugs, the PWA can now tell their doctor to provide them, or, more probably, get a new doctor. But if there were no HIV Standard of Care, how would a PWA ever know whether they were receiving substandard care? The HIV SOC also tells PWAs how often they should see a physician, and what ailments to be on the lookout for. All of this is to ensure that PWAS can demand optimal care.

Most people know that HIV infection is a disability under the Americans With Disabilities Act. Obviously this means that PWAS, if they are ill, are eligible for government programs such as Social Security,

Political front

by Joe Carroccio

Two weeks ago ACT UP raised questions about a 1987 lawsuit filed against Hyatt Legal Services. ACT UP asked for the facts and for Joel Hyatt's response to this case.

Clarence Cain was an attorney and regional partner in the Hyatt Legal Services Philadelphia office who was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987. He was asked to leave the position of regional partner, in part because of the concern he could not perform his duties as his illness progressed.

Hyatt Legal Services offered Cain several employment alternatives. The firm also offered full back pay and reinstatement to a similar position at the same salary during the negotiation of a complaint he filed with the Pennsylvania Human Rights Commission. This settlement was rejected by Cain, and the commission closed the case because it found that full restitution had been offered. He then chose to file a lawsuit.

In 1990 Hyatt Legal Services was ordered to pay $157,888 in damages to Clarence Cain.

ACT UP What is your response to how Clarence Cain was treated? Joel Hyatt: We made a terrible mistake. We should have responded to Clarence in a way that reflected more sensitivity and a greater willingness to work with him. Once I realized our mistake, I did try to rectify it, but it was too late.

Were you Cain's direct supervisor? No, but as a senior partner I take full responsibility for our mishandling of the situation. There were two other managers directly responsible for working with Clarence. They devised three options the

likely to be debated in the coming months. If it weren't for ACT UP, all we'd have is a stamp and more lip service from an

"AIDS Policy Coordinator" whose office is above a McDonald's in Washington, D.C.!

Which reminds me. Recently ACT UP was criticized for "picking on" PWAS. I guess not everyone knows that many members are PWAs. So we're hardly guilty of "picking on" them. Conversely, ACT UP provides PWAs with an opportunity to empower themselves to fight this disease. The alternative, of course, is passively giving up and dying.

But there's more. ACT UP does outreach to bring information and services to women, men, and many minorities, including those people who are put at a disadvantage because they do not speak English. ACT UP meets frequently with legislators to promote the allocation of more money and services to PWAS. ACT UP gives referrals. I could go on and on.

ACT UP is the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power. We are a group of individuals united in anger and compassion to end the AIDS crisis. We are committed to doing this through every means possible.

Including, but not limited to, ACTing-UP.

firm would offer him and then approached me as a final step. I asked them: “Are we sure of the doctor's opinion?" "Are we sure that we are being as accommodating as possible?" and "Are we sure we are following any and all legal guidelines?”

In hindsight I would have handled things much differently. I would have become more personally involved, and asked more specific questions. I believe that, if we had known then in 1987 what we know today about the HIV/AIDS virus, there would have been a different outcome. There were so many things that we just didn't know at the time. Today, in 1993, I can say that it would never happen again.

Do you plan to do anything to fight AIDS if you are elected to the U.S. Senate?

Both [my wife] Susan and I have worked with persons with AIDS and organizations that assist individuals with AIDS/HIV. In the public arena, I will work for federal support for HIV-related services, education and research, non-discrimination, accessible and affordable health care for people with disabilities, and preventative efforts to avoid an unnecessary and largely preventable disease.

We appreciate Joel Hyatt's integrity and sincerity in responding to our difficult questions about the Clarence Cain case. We are satisfied with his explanation, and found him to be understanding of the needs of individuals with HIV/AIDS. When you look at the rest of his record he has been a proponent of our issues from the start. We are willing to accept this plausible explanation of a mistake made. We have all made them and feel Joel Hyatt deserves the benefit of the doubt, and this incident should not be held as the measure of Mr. Hyatt's policies.