It's Getting to be That (Revolutionary) Time
Times are really getting tough. For oppressed communities of color times have mostly always been tough. Are we gay activists adjusting our mindsets to what is coming in this country? We are likely moving into a set of pre-revolutionary conditions brought on by the crisis in global capitalism that will change everything. Yet some of our establishment leaders are still acting like it's 1999.
It's really 1930.
.
$2.1 million just got vaporized from the state HIV/AIDS budget last week, leaving us with the same $35 million we had 8-9 years ago after Romney bloodied the budget. (Believe it or not. the budget was $51 million as recently as 2000 or 2001). Now mind you, since the days when we got $51 million, about 10,000 new people have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in this state (1000 a year, the AIDS Bureau admits). Now we have all new, much heavier needs with the same "face value" dollar amount of resources we had 10 years ago - only its probably only worth $20 million in 2001 dollars. Oh, did I mention the big cutbacks in federal Ryan White ACT funding dollars that went away last March 1st?
The capitlalist system can no longer even offer the futile and empty promises and hope that it used to offer to those living in developed oppressor nations. This is indisputable. We would need a minimum of three times what we are getting now just to stay even with new infections. We will be getting less and less and many more will suffer and die as a result.
Yet, some gay political leaders are expressing solidarity - not with the suffering among us - but with the governor and the rotten capitalist system which he is pledged to support - "oh, times are tough, the money's just not there" is what I am reading in Bay Windows.
Well, why don't the homeless, people with HIV, the evicted, the hungry, shoplifting for frozen meals at the supermarket- why don't we just shoot ourselves now, just give in?
We can't - we won't! Not if we want to survive.
When the government wants to find money to bail out the rich, no problem!!
When we organized ACT UP in the 80's our demands were faster drug trials, more drugs. Some ACT UP chapters went so far (gasp, oh my god!)as to demand lower prices for drugs. This movement - very powerful and militant- has gone away, I guess it just "aged out" It's demands were too weak and transitory (although at the time some of us thought they were great demands - and we really did need drugs to be developed, people were dying like flies).
But now, it's 1930. Tomorrow, AIDS drug giant, Glasko-Smith-Kline, one of the bigger pigs at the capitalist trough, will be announcing thousands of layofffs.
The ground is collapsing beneath our feet.
We must act! We must act up! Several groups I work with are organizing a statewide Fightback Conference on Sat Feb 28th at the union hall of the very pro-gay and anti-racist Boston School Busdrivers Union. Please contact me if you want to organize for survival or go to our website, www.iacboston.org.
I have never seen the level of high energy and enthusiasm as has been displayed by the new generation of gay activists, fighting for marriage equality and trans rights. All I ask for from our dear community is to contemplate the fate of the most oppressed of our sisters and brothers and the terrible, terrible hurts and suffering that we can prevent - if we act.
Gerryred@yahoo.com
.
It's really 1930.
.
$2.1 million just got vaporized from the state HIV/AIDS budget last week, leaving us with the same $35 million we had 8-9 years ago after Romney bloodied the budget. (Believe it or not. the budget was $51 million as recently as 2000 or 2001). Now mind you, since the days when we got $51 million, about 10,000 new people have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in this state (1000 a year, the AIDS Bureau admits). Now we have all new, much heavier needs with the same "face value" dollar amount of resources we had 10 years ago - only its probably only worth $20 million in 2001 dollars. Oh, did I mention the big cutbacks in federal Ryan White ACT funding dollars that went away last March 1st?
The capitlalist system can no longer even offer the futile and empty promises and hope that it used to offer to those living in developed oppressor nations. This is indisputable. We would need a minimum of three times what we are getting now just to stay even with new infections. We will be getting less and less and many more will suffer and die as a result.
Yet, some gay political leaders are expressing solidarity - not with the suffering among us - but with the governor and the rotten capitalist system which he is pledged to support - "oh, times are tough, the money's just not there" is what I am reading in Bay Windows.
Well, why don't the homeless, people with HIV, the evicted, the hungry, shoplifting for frozen meals at the supermarket- why don't we just shoot ourselves now, just give in?
We can't - we won't! Not if we want to survive.
When the government wants to find money to bail out the rich, no problem!!
When we organized ACT UP in the 80's our demands were faster drug trials, more drugs. Some ACT UP chapters went so far (gasp, oh my god!)as to demand lower prices for drugs. This movement - very powerful and militant- has gone away, I guess it just "aged out" It's demands were too weak and transitory (although at the time some of us thought they were great demands - and we really did need drugs to be developed, people were dying like flies).
But now, it's 1930. Tomorrow, AIDS drug giant, Glasko-Smith-Kline, one of the bigger pigs at the capitalist trough, will be announcing thousands of layofffs.
The ground is collapsing beneath our feet.
We must act! We must act up! Several groups I work with are organizing a statewide Fightback Conference on Sat Feb 28th at the union hall of the very pro-gay and anti-racist Boston School Busdrivers Union. Please contact me if you want to organize for survival or go to our website, www.iacboston.org.
I have never seen the level of high energy and enthusiasm as has been displayed by the new generation of gay activists, fighting for marriage equality and trans rights. All I ask for from our dear community is to contemplate the fate of the most oppressed of our sisters and brothers and the terrible, terrible hurts and suffering that we can prevent - if we act.
Gerryred@yahoo.com
.
1 Comment
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Comment by AussieRiotQueer86 on February 10, 2009 at 11:19am -
Kudos Gerry. We seem to share the same view. I do appreciate you being one of the few not gabbing on about the assimilationist idea of marriage...instead you present a situation that needs more attention than ever...HIV/AIDS.
I do feel sorry for those in the US who have to pay for HIV meds, as it is pretty much free in Australia. Then again we have universal healthcare too...
Keep up the fight!
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