What We’re Reading: Love and HIV, AIDS and Organ Donations, and The Black Community’s Response to HIV
Posted by
Jane Coaston
Washington, D.C.
February 15, 2013
This week, we’re reading about love stories involving EGPAF Ambassadors, learning more about a proposed Senate bill that could facilitate organ donations between HIV-positive people, and looking into the African-American community’s response to HIV. We’ve also devised an interesting way of analyzing and building upon the recent State of the Union address.
Elizabeth Glaser and President Bill Clinton. This week, we used
Storify to cover the State of the Union address. (Photo: EGPAF)EGPAF – “Love and Happiness on Valentine’s Day” As we celebrated Valentine’s Day, a holiday celebrating love and honoring caring relationships, we asked a number of EGPAF Ambassadors to share their stories of finding love despite having to grapple with disclosing their HIV status.
Think Progress – “Senators Push To End The Research Ban On HIV-Positive Organ Donations” Organ donations between two people who are each living with HIV have been banned in the United States since the late 1980s. In fact, even researching such transplants is illegal. This puts the lives of thousands of people living with HIV at risk, especially given the long list of people waiting for organ transplants. However, a bipartisan group of United States senators recently introduced a bill that could eventually lift the ban on transplants between two HIV-positive people.
EGPAF – “AIDS in the Black Community – Our People, Our Problem, Our Solution” In the United States, the African-American community has been deeply affected by HIV. Today, African-Americans make up 14 percent of the U.S. population, but 44 percent of those living with HIV. This week, EGPAF spoke to Leisha McKinley-Beach, director of technical assistance and stakeholder engagement for the Black AIDS Institute about how the African-American community is fighting to end the AIDS epidemic.
EGPAF – “HIV/AIDS and the State of the Union, EGPAF-Style” This past Tuesday, President Barack Obama made his annual State of the Union address to the nation, focusing on the challenges and opportunities facing the nation in the year ahead. EGPAF used Storify, a web application that allows users to create “stories” using social media, to follow the address and President Obama’s mention of creating an “AIDS-free generation.”
Jane Coaston is Media Relations Coordinator for the Foundation, and is based in Washington, D.C.