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AIDS 2012: Sebelius unveils public-private collaborations to fight disease

HHS to work with MAC AIDS Fund, Walgreens, others

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Secretary of Health & Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced four HIV/AIDS private-public initiatives Sunday. (Blade photo by Michael Key)

Health & Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced four new public-private initiatives on Sunday night aimed at removing barriers that cause some living with HIV/AIDS within the United States to fall out of care.

Sebelius announced the projects ā€” including a new $4.5 million multi-year project with the MAC AIDS Fund called the Care for Life Initiative ā€” during remarks she delivered as the final speaker on the opening night of the 19th International AIDS Conference, which is being held in the United States for the first time since 1990. An estimated 25,000 are in attendance for the week-long conference in D.C.

“Perhaps the most important principle in our national strategy is one we’ve been reminded of over and over again in our response to HIV/AIDS: none of us can do this alone,” Sebelius said. “That’s why we’re making a new effort to reach to community-based organizations, businesses, foundations, NGOs, faith organizations and more.”

The Care for Life Initiative is a collaboration of the MAC AIDS fund, which was established in 1994Ā to support people who are living with HIV/AIDS across the world, and has three arms that aim to keep people with HIV/AIDS within care, according to a statement from the organization:

  • A $4 million partnership with AIDS United over the next three years toĀ create an innovation fund on the both the national and regional levels to improveĀ retention in care and treatment adherence. Geographic focusesĀ will be determined based on need and capacity of the local providersĀ to address that need. It will also involve an open call for proposals.
  • Working with theĀ Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA, for a pilot launch of UCARE4LIFE, an evidence-basedĀ program that will employ mobile texting to improve care retention andĀ medication adherence. With a focus on SouthernĀ states, the two-year project consists ofĀ developing a message library for delivering phone text notificationsĀ to HIV-positive individuals ā€”Ā in English and Spanish ā€” regarding medical appointmentĀ reminders and taking medications.
  • MAC AIDS Fund will work with HHS and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to convene a meetingĀ of international leaders in fall 2012 on leveraging global lessons on HIV care.Ā This forum is expected to exploreĀ lessons from PEPFAR that can be applied to the United States for best practices on treatment and retention.

According to the MAC AIDS Fund, under the current system, one in two people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States falls out of care.

Nancy Mahon, global executive director of the MAC AIDS Funds, said the Care for Life Initiative is important because it uses new technologies and ideas in its outreach to people with HIV/AIDS.

“We cannot end the epidemic without breakthrough approaches that support andĀ empower those living with HIV/AIDS to stay connected to the care and life-savingĀ treatment they deserve,ā€ Mahon said.

Besides the Care for Life Initiative, Sebelius also hit on the other three initiatives during her remarks. With the pharmaceutical retailer Walgreens, she announced a three-yearĀ partnership with the Centers for Disease Control to explore ways in whichĀ pharmaciesĀ canĀ helpĀ patientsĀ stayĀ onĀ theirĀ medications. According to a news statement, Walgreens is supplying nearly $1 million in in-kind services for this initiative.

WithĀ Medscape,Ā aĀ leadingĀ providerĀ ofĀ onlineĀ continuingĀ educationĀ forĀ U.S.Ā clinicians, Sebelius unveiled partnershipĀ trainingĀ programs with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid toĀ helpĀ cliniciansĀ betterĀ understandĀ andĀ address HIV patients’ needs. According to a news statement, three new training modules have already been created for physicians, nurses and other medical professionals.

Finally, Sebelius announced that HHS is partnering with theĀ eightĀ largestĀ AIDSĀ drugĀ companies ā€” AbbotĀ Laboratories,Ā BoehringerĀ Ingelheim,Ā BristolĀ MyersĀ Squibb,Ā Gilead,Ā Genentech,Ā JohnsonĀ &Ā Johnson,Ā MerckĀ andĀ ViiV ā€”Ā toĀ createĀ aĀ singleĀ applicationĀ formĀ forĀ AIDSĀ medicationsĀ offeredĀ throughĀ theirĀ patientĀ assistanceĀ programs.

“IĀ wantĀ toĀ thankĀ allĀ ofĀ theseĀ partnersĀ forĀ steppingĀ up,” Sebelius said. “AndĀ weĀ willĀ continueĀ toĀ seekĀ out newĀ public-privateĀ collaborationsĀ thatĀ willĀ helpĀ usĀ beatĀ thisĀ disease.”

In addition to announcing the new public-private partnerships, Sebelius also revealed that the Food & Drug Administration would announce this week that moreĀ thanĀ 150Ā antiretroviralĀ drugsĀ areĀ nowĀ availableĀ throughĀ PEPFAR.

The secretary also enumerated earlier initiatives of the Obama administration, including last week’s decision to distribute nearly $80 million to the states “toĀ allowĀ themĀ toĀ fullyĀ clear”Ā wait lists for AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, which provide HIV/AIDS drugs to low-income people. An estimated 2,000 people nationwide had been awaiting drugs through programs.

According to a statement from HHS, aroundĀ $69 million will be sent to 25 states and territories and, based on estimates provided by the states, will eliminate any waiting lists. The remaining $10 million ā€” a portion of which was allocated by the Affordable Care Act ā€”Ā will be distributed to community-based health clinics nationwide to expand access for 14,000 new HIV/AIDS patients for medical and support services.

Other initiatives against HIV/AIDS under the Obama administration that Sebelius touted were recent FDA approval of an at-home HIV test and using Truvada to prevent HIV infection. Sebelius also credited the Bush administration, calling PEPFAR, which was established under the previous administration, one of “theĀ greatĀ healthĀ successĀ storiesĀ ofĀ theĀ 21stĀ century.”

“Our task now is to make it even stronger,” Sebelius said.

“Under President Obama, we’re on pace to achieve an ambitious goal of reaching an additional two million people around the world with life-saving treatment by the end of 2013. At the same time, we’re putting a renewed focus on the key ‘combination prevention’ interventions that have proven most effective in combating HIV.”

The secretary’s mention of PEPFAR received among the most applause of anything discussed that evening before an audience that included many HIV/AIDS advocates from overseas. Obama’s fiscal year 2013 budget request cuts the program by half a billion dollars, but the White House has said PEPFAR is an example of a program that is doing more with less because of the reduced cost of drugs.

Sebelius wasn’t the only public official representing the United States on the stage during the opening night of the conference. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), a renowned LGBT and HIV/AIDS advocate, also spoke on stage to call for an end to the epidemic, observing it has had a particularly devastating impact on black Americans.

“Although AIDS has made the transition from a death sentence to a chronic disease, new infections unfortunately continue at alarming rates,” Lee said. “HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects no group of people in our country more than African Americans. Of the 1.4 million people in the United States living with HIV, nearly half are black men and women, even though blacks make up 14 percent of the population.”

Last week, Lee announced that had introduced into the U.S. House legislation called the “Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Act.” The bill has 26 co-sponsors who are all Democrats and aims toĀ establish a policy and financing framework to eliminate AIDS domestically and abroad.

The bill aims to fight HIV/AIDS by providing additional funds for programs such as the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs; addressing policy barriers to accessing prevention and care, such as encouraging condom use in prisons; and calling for a more advanced strategy overseas to end the global AIDS epidemic.

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray also took to the stage to welcome international attendees to D.C. and talk about how HIV/AIDS has impacted the city.

“HIV/AIDS has crossed all racial, ethnic, religious and socio-economic borders,” Gray said. “It is a disease that knows no boundaries.”

According to Gray, an estimated 20,000 people in D.C. have been infected with HIV/AIDS, and 10,000 residents have died as a result of the disease.

Other speakers on Sunday were Annah Sango, a Zimbabwe advocate living with HIV who seeks visibility for female patients, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, who said he was the first World Bank president to the address the international conference, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel SidibĆ©, South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe and Mark Dybul, global AIDS coordinator for President George W. Bush who touted that administration’s achievements in the global AIDS fight.

The co-chairs of the conference, Elly Katabira, a Ugandan activist and president of the International AIDS Society, and Diane Havlir, chief of HIV/AIDS Division at the University of California, San Francisco, welcomed attendees to the conference. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon prepared a video message for attendees.

Also on Sunday, the White House unveiled a video message from Obama welcoming the international attendees to the conference. The video message was prepared in lieu of a live appearance by Obama at the conference.

In the video, Obama talks about HIV/AIDS advocates’ commitment to fighting the disease and a voice-over talks about discovery of the disease in the 1980s as well as activism and scientific advances to thwart it.

Watch the video below:

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Oklahoma

Medical examine releases final autopsy on Nex Benedict’s death

Okla. high school student died by suicide in February

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Nex Benedict (Family photo)

The Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office released the full report Wednesday on the results of its investigation into the death of Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old transgender teen whose death has become a hot button topic in ongoing national discourse over transphobic and homophobic bullying in public school settings.

Earlier this month the medical examiner’s office released the first page of the report stating that Benedictā€™s death was caused by an overdose of Benadryl and Prozac, and ruled the death a suicide.

Owasso Police Department Lt. Nick Boatman said in a statement to the media at the time of the release of the initial finding: ā€œFrom the beginning of this investigation, Owasso Police observed many indications that this death was the result of suicide. However, investigators did not wish to confirm that information without the final results being presented by the Oklahoma Medical Examiners Office.ā€

The Owasso Police Department released body cam footage from the interview conducted by the Owasso High School resource officer taken at the emergency room, investigating the attack on Benedict by three other female juveniles earlier that day in a school bathroom.

Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler released a statement last week that said no criminal charges will be filed in the death of the 16-year-old Owasso High School trans student.

In part the district attorney said because the finding by the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner precluded the possibility that the death was caused directly from the physical altercation at the school the day prior to the teen’s dying.

According to the district attorney, Benedict had written notes talking about suicide but did not reference the fight or incidents at school. Kunzweiler stated that the notes are personal to Benedictā€™s family and will not be released.

16-year-old trans teen Nex Benedict being recorded on Owasso Police Department body cam footage at the emergency room after he was attacked in a bathroom at Owasso High School speaking with the Owasso High School resource officer.

The report also detailed injuries sustained in the fight from the day before, including several small cuts and bruises on their face and body. Benedict also had a 4×3 inch bruise on his chest from resuscitation efforts. The medical examiner also found yellowing bruises on Benedict’s arms, legs and torso that were healing before the time of the fight. The medical examiner’s office also found evidence of self-inflicted wounds on the arm.

Several Oklahoma-based LGBTQ organizations responded to the release of the full autopsy report along with national LGBTQ advocacy groups GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign and the Rainbow Youth Project.

ā€œAs our community continues to grieve and remember Nex, itā€™s clearer than ever that everyone from Oklahomaā€™s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters to Owasso High School staff members to the Owasso Police Department, Tulsa District Attorney, and unaccredited-since-2009 state medical examinerā€™s office failed to deliver justice for Nex Benedict and Nexā€™s loved ones,” said Nicole McAfree, executive director of Freedom Oklahoma.

“A harm doubled by the continued lack of respect for the tribal law enforcement who should be involved in a case that involves the death of an Indigenous person on reservation land. As we approach the end of the Oklahoma legislative session, lawmakers should take the opportunity to send a message of adamant opposition to anti-2SLGBTQ+ legislation and policies; and support for measures that enable more empathy, kindness and compassion, not less. Nex should be alive, and the very least we can do in Nexā€™s memory is demonstrate our commitment to building a better world that makes it impossible for this heartbreaking tragedy to happen again,ā€ McAfree added.

Oklahoma Pride Alliance President Kylan L. Durant said; ā€œTodayā€™s news is the latest disappointing development in Nex Benedictā€™s tragic story. The best way to honor Nexā€™s memory now is by taking tangible steps to secure meaningful policies and platforms that make life better for all LGBTQ and 2STGNC+ youth. All Oklahomans deserve to live in a world that treats us with full dignity and respect, and where we can access spaces that allow us to live as our honest, authentic selves. We will never stop advocating for equality and justice in honor of Nex and too many others who left us too soon.ā€

The Rainbow Youth Project reported an uptick in crisis calls from Oklahoma since Benedictā€™s death:

  • 1,097 calls from Oklahoma in February.
  • 824 calls from Oklahoma in March so far.
  • Note that the average for the state is 357 per month.
  • Oklahoma youth reaching out to Rainbow Youth Project reported experiencing anti-LGBTQ bullying and specifically called out Walters:
    • 82 percent reported bullying.
    • 62 percent cited anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from Walters.

More than 350 organizations signed a letter one month agoĀ calling for the Walters’ removal following his long history of leadership failures and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

ā€œSince Nexā€™s death, the crisis lines at the Rainbow Youth Project continue to increase in calls and outreach from young people who feel discouraged and hopeless. Itā€™s incumbent upon all of us to secure safety and well-being for young people, especially those who are most at risk of being bullied and singled out,” said Christopher Sederburg, leader of the Rainbow Youth Project’s Transgender Action Committee. “Itā€™s hard enough to be a young person in the world today without worrying about doing something as simple as attending school safely. Nexā€™s death is a tremendous loss and we must do everything in our power to prevent similar tragedies from taking place in the future. Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma Department of Education must enact change and do right by all students.ā€

GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis in a statement released after the report was made public said:

“This report cannot be seen as a conclusion of the investigation into the death of a teenager who should still be here today. Oklahoma’s supposed leaders must still provide answers to the public about the state-sponsored bullying by legislation, the inadequate response to violence in a school bathroom, and all the failures to keep Nex safe that continue to endanger LGBTQ and 2STGNC+ people in Oklahoma. GLAAD continues to call for an independent investigation to resolve the systemic failures that led to Nexā€™s death. Our hearts remain with Nexā€™s family, with Oklahomaā€™s incredible 2STGNC+ and equality advocates and all LGBTQ youth who deserve to grow up in peace and safety.ā€

Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, released the following statement: 

ā€œThe full report does little to fill in the gaps in information about that day or the more than a year of bullying and harassment that led up to it. It does not answer the questions of so many in Oklahoma and across the country. We continue to support the calls from Nexā€™s family for an independent investigation.

Young people in Oklahoma and across the country deserve to be safe and respected in school. This includes young people who may dress differently, speak differently, or identify differently from you. Whatā€™s clear from Nexā€™s death, and from what weā€™ve heard from so many students and parents in Owasso and across the state, is that this is not the case. Instead, we have seen the very adults who should be working to protect Oklahomaā€™s kids actively foster the hostile environment that makes students unsafe.

The release of todayā€™s report does not change the fact that LGTBQ+ students in Oklahoma are not safe at school. And it does not change our continued calls for justice and accountability.  We reiterate our call for a full and complete investigation into the district, state Supt. Ryan Walters, the Oklahoma State Department of Education and into their response after Nex was attacked.ā€

On March 1, the U.S. Department of Education informed Robinson that the department will open an investigation in response to HRCā€™s letter regarding Owasso Public Schools and its failure to respond appropriately to sex-based harassment that may have contributed to the tragic death of Benedict.

This investigation was triggered by a formal complaint made last week by Robinson, who wrote to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and asked his department to use the enforcement mechanisms at its disposal to prevent similar tragedies from taking place in the future and to help hold accountable those responsible for Benedictā€™s tragic death.

Rainbow Youth Project USA Executive Director Lance Preston echoed his fellow non-profit CEOs at GLAAD and HRC, telling the Washington Blade:

“In a unified effort with Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD, Rainbow Youth Project USA is calling for an independent autopsy to ensure a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the youth’s death. 

Rainbow Youth Project USA, demands that educational institutions in Oklahoma and across the country take immediate action to address the pervasive issue of bullying and harassment faced by LGBTQ+ students. 

Statistics reveal that 58 percent of LGBTQ+ youth in Oklahoma feel unsafe at school, painting a grim picture of the challenges these individuals face on a daily basis. “Schools must be safe and inclusive environments for all students, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. It is unacceptable that a significant number of LGBTQ+ students are experiencing bullying and harassment.”

Rainbow Youth Project USA, based on recent data, received 1,097 crisis calls from Oklahoma in February alone. Nearly 86 percent of these callers reported instances of being bullied within the state’s schools, highlighting the urgent need for improved support and protection for LGBTQ youth. 

In a conversation with the Blade on Wednesday, investigative journalist T.J. Payne reflected on the report:

“I canā€™t help but feel a sickness around all of it. As a trans person, reading a trans childā€™s autopsy is really fucked. Referring to their various insides as normal, intact, not usual. If only we described trans people the same way externally. Just like everybody else in the world trying to survive.”

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Federal Government

National Security Council meets with Ugandan LGBTQ activist

Frank Mugisha met with the NSC on Monday

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Frank Mugisha, Gay News, Washington Blade
Sexual Minorities Uganda Executive Director Frank Mugisha (Washington Blade photo by Michael K. Lavers)

The U.S. National Security Council met with Ugandan LGBTQ rights activist Frank Mugisha on Monday, according to a spokesperson who reaffirmed America’s opposition to civil rights abuses against LGBTQ people in the East African country.

Last year, Uganda passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act, a law that criminalizes, with prison sentences, identifying as gay or lesbian and imposes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality.”

The Biden-Harris administration has repeatedly denounced the legislation and called for its repeal.

“There have been increased reports of evictions, vigilante attacks, and police harassment, abuse, and detainment of individuals who are or are perceived to be LGBTQI+, including reports of the Ugandan police subjecting individuals to forced anal examinations ā€“ an abusive, degrading practice that serves no investigative or public health purpose,” the White House wrote in a December 2023 fact sheet.

In a post on X about the meeting with Mugisha, Adrienne Watson, special assistant to the president and National Security Council senior director for press and spokesperson, wrote that the “United States continues to have zero tolerance for any form of discrimination or harmful activities.”

Mugisha, who is gay, is one of the most prominent LGBTQ advocates in Uganda, winning the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award and Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize for his work in 2011. He was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

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District of Columbia

D.C. events to commemorate International Transgender Day of Visibility

Monica Beverly-Hillz to attend Blossom Gala at Hook Hall

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(Washington Blade file photo by Michael K. Lavers)

Trans USA National Pageantry and the National Center for Transgender Equality will hold a series of events in D.C. on Sunday in commemoration of the International Transgender Day of Visibility.

The TRANSform the Vote rally will take place on the National Mall.

Organized by the Queer Equity Institute and NCTE, the event aims to celebrate trans liberation, combat violence and promote civic engagement. Elected officials, activists and artists are expected to participate. 

Queer Equity Institute Executive Director Leigh Finke and NCTE Executive Director Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen discussed the rally and how it will empower the trans community and promote advocacy.

ā€œFrom restricting access to medically necessary healthcare to denying trans students the opportunity to participate in sports, we have seen nationwide efforts to exclude trans people from society,ā€ said Heng-Lehtinen. ā€œTRANSform the Vote presents a historical moment for us to empower our community ā€” casting our votes and participating in democracy is just one of many ways our community can advocate for the issues that matter to us.ā€

Finke, Minnesotaā€™s first openly trans lawmaker who wrote the stateā€™s groundbreaking trans refuge bill, echoed Heng-Lehtinen.

“Over the past few years, weā€™ve watched again and again as ‘jokes’ became hate speech, hate speech became bills, bills became laws; and all the jokes, hate speech and laws created an environment where transgender people are assaulted, beaten and murdered,” said Finke. “Some of the most important tools we have to fight back against these attacks is to change the culture through voting, running for office and creating art and music that shift society. This rally is meant to highlight and encourage folks to use those tools in their communities.”

Confirmed speakers and participants aside from Finke and Heng-Lehtinen include:

  • Minnesota state Rep. Alicia ā€œLiishā€ Kozlowski, who is one of the countryā€™s foremost activists for Indigenous trans and two-spirit people.
  • Minneapolis City Council President Andrea Jenkins.
  • Angelica Ross, a Buddhist artist and human rights activist.
  • Visual artist Cassils

The first annual Blossom Gala will take place at Hook Hall (3400 Georgia Ave., N.W.) and will feature keynote speakers, a Q&A panel discussion featuring national leaders in the trans rights movement and drag performances. Cherry Bomb, which will cap off the event, is an all-trans drag showcase.

Mr. Trans USA 2020 Eddie Broadway; Miss Trans USA 2020 Bianca Nicole and Candi Stratton, a world-renowned Cher illusionist, are among those who are expected to perform. Other participants will include Miss Trans USA 2023 Anya Marino, Mr. Trans USA 2023 Trey C. Michaels and NCTE National Organizer Sybastian Smith.  

Monica Beverly-Hillz from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will also participate.

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