AIDS Action Now!
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AIDS Action Now! is a Toronto based grassroots organization that was established to end the AIDS epidemic. The organization has been instrumental in fighting for people living with HIV/AIDS from 1988 onwards.[1] AAN! was actively involved in the fight for the establishment of a National AIDS Strategy under the federal Liberal Government in 1990, along with the strategy's subsequent renewals.[1] The organization played an
| Motto | Action= Life |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1988 |
| Purpose | AIDS Activism |
| Location |
|
| Website | http://www.aidsactionnow.org/ |
essential role in the Ontario NDP Government's development of the Ontario Trillium Drug Benefit Program in 1995.[1] Today AAN! continues to fight for HIV prevention, treatment, destigmatization, and for the end of social, economic and infrastructural drivers that put vulnerable communities at disproportional risk for HIV.
History[edit]
In 1987, activist and professor Michael Lynch brought together a group of gay activists, health care professionals and former politicians to discuss the state of HIV/AIDS treatment, care and research.[2][3] The group included Gary Kinsman, George Smith, Alan Dewar, James McPhee, Michael Hulton, Dennis Conway, Wayne Boone, Russell Armstrong, and Tim McCaskell. Many members of this group had been diagnosed with HIV and a few of them had already been hospitalized for pneumocystis pneumonia or other opportunistic infections.[3] In November 1987, Lynch published the article "Silence= Death, US Gays Fighting Homophobic Policies- What About Us?", which solidified AAN's position on the government's failure to provide meaningful action on the AIDS crisis.[2]
The group organized it first public meeting on February 4, 1988 at Jarvis Collegiate which was attended by approximately 300 people.[4] This meeting led to the official establishment of AIDS Action Now! an organization that sought to represent and fight for people living with HIV/AIDS. The meeting established 4 demands:[2]
- The immediate availability of aerosolized pentamidine to prevent pneumocystis pneumonia
- Consensus conference on standards of care
- Government action to make experimental treatments available
- Adequate funding to make Canada a leader in AIDS research
Michael Lynch served as the first AAN! chairperson until he was hospitalized 1988.[2] Lynch was replaced by Tim McCaskell who was elected as chairperson at the first AAN! annual general meeting on October 5, 1988. This annual general meeting also led to the establishment of the AAN! steering committee.[2]
Action[edit]
For much of the 1980s and 1990s, AAN!'s work centred around demonstrations, crafting of briefs, national press campaigns, lobbying politicians at all levels of government, engaging in popular journalism, and partnering with other organizations.[2][5]
Fisons Aerosolized Pentamidine Trial[edit]
March 25, 1988 marked the first demonstration organized by AAN! There was a growing body of research coming out of the United States that demonstrated that aerosolized pentamidine lowered the infection rates and cases of pneumocystis pneumonia, which was the leading cause of death for people living with HIV/AIDS at the time.[2] At the time, pentamidine was only administered intravenously in Canada once the patient had already been diagnosed with pneumocystis pneumonia.[3] In February 1988, Health Canada authorized the Canadian Fisons trial which would be a double-blind placebo trial, that provided half of the participants with a placebo, rather than the aerosolized pentamidine.[2][6] AAN! organized a demonstration that protested the use of placebos, arguing that it was likely that some of the trial participants who were given the placebo would die over the course of the trial.[2] The demonstration was attended by approximately 500 people, starting from The 519 and ending at the Toronto General Hospital where the trial was being conducted.[2] Demonstrators carried signs and empty coffins.[2] On the way to the Toronto General Hospital Michael Lynch gave a speech in front of Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament David Crombie's office.[6] A candlelight vigil was held at the Toronto General Hospital.[6] A few weeks after the demonstration, Fisons announced that it would set up a compassionate arm that offered aerosolized pentamidine to people who did not meet the requirements to join the trial.[6]
In addition to the March 25 demonstration, AAN! crafted a guide and had a phone line that provided the public with information on how to acquire aerosolized pentamidine in the United States.[2] The guide was distributed at local AIDS service organizations, hospitals and doctors' offices.[7] This resource was organized and funded in part by AAN!, the AIDS Committee of Toronto and the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation.[2]
1988 Ottawa Demonstrations[edit]
In May 1988, AAN! organized a die in Ottawa that coincided with the Canadian AIDS Society's national conference. The die in was held in front of the convention centre, and an effigy of the Federal Progressive Conservative Health Minister Jake Epp was burned.[2] This demonstration made front page headlines and established a reputation for AAN![8] AAN! activists returned to Ottawa the following week and held a press conference in front of Parliament Hill where they consumed treatments that were not yet approved by Health Canada.[4]
1988 Federal Election[edit]
A federal election was scheduled for November 1988. In response to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the Progressive Conservative government's record on HIV/AIDS, AAN! organized demonstrations at various campaign events, where Mulroney and local Progressive Conservatives candidates would be booed whenever the government's record on HIV/AIDS was brought up.[4] A demonstration was organized on October 22, calling the government to allow for the use of non-approved treatments to be made available through the Emergency Drug Release Program. Demonstrators burned an effigy of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. In January 1989, the new Progressive Conservative Health Minister Perrin Beatty made the announcement Emergency Drug Release Program would be open for requests for unapproved AIDS treatments, including aerosolized pentamidine.[9] This announcement put an end to the Fisons trial.[4] Within six months of Health Minister Perrin Beatty's announcement, Toronto had its first publicly funded aerosolized pentamidine clinic that served hundreds of people with HIV/AIDS.[9]
Don Jail[edit]
In February 1989, AAN! held a demonstration at the Don Jail calling for better access to treatments and health care for HIV positive prisoners.[4] AAN!'s prisons subcommittee later went on to establish the Prisoners' AIDS Support and Advocacy Network in 1991.
Vth International AIDS Conference[edit]
In the spring and summer of 1989, AAN! focused its attention on the upcoming Vth International AIDS Conference that was being held in Montreal. These conferences had traditionally been organized for medical professionals, government bureaucrats, pharmaceutical companies and not people living with HIV/AIDS.[2] Leading up to the conference, AAN! was given the floor plan of the conference venue the Palais des Congrès by Montreal City Councillor Raymond Blain, who at the time was the first openly gay candidate to be elected in Canada.[10] On the opening day of the conference, over 300 activists from ACT UP and AAN! stormed the venue. The activists went on stage and Tim McCaskell gave a speech denouncing Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and the Progressive Conservative's inaction on HIV/AIDS, the scapegoating of sex workers, and called for anonymous testing.[2] A member of ACT UP read out the Montreal Manifesto- The Declaration of Universal Rights and Needs of People Living with HIV. The Montreal Manifesto was an international bill of rights for people living with HIV/AIDS and was crafted by the AIDS activist organizations.[2] Once the stage was cleared, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney gave his speech, the activists who had taken over the front rows turned their backs and unfurled a banner that read "Mulroney - You've Left US to Die/Tu nous as laissées crever".[11]
Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Richard Schabas[edit]
In 1990, the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Richard Schabas suggested that anyone who was HIV positive and who was suspected of spreading the virus be quarantined.[4] He proposed that AIDS be reclassified as virulent rather than communicable, which would give officials the right to detain people.[2] Schabas also believed that it was too risky for HIV positive people to have sex with a condom, which undermined public health messaging.[2][12] In response to Schabas' comments and suggestions, AAN!, the AIDS Committee of Toronto, Casey House and the Toronto People With AIDS Foundation organized a demonstration and press conference calling for his resignation.[2] Nearly 500 people attended the demonstration, soon after every AIDS service organization in Ontario demanded for Schabas' resignation and the Toronto Board of Health's AIDS sub-committee announced its opposition to Schabas' AIDS reclassification.[12]
Treatment Information Exchange Project[edit]
In the spring of 1990, AAN! put together the Treatment Information Exchange Project which grew out of AAN!'s subcommittee on treatment and education.[13] The Treatment Information Exchange (TIE) Project focused on providing AIDS service organizations, people living with HIV/AIDS and physicians, with up to date education and information on treatments.[13] The project received funding from the Trillium Foundation, which was used to hire a coordinator Eric Mykhalovskiy.[14] The TIE Project eventually broke off from AAN! and incorporated under the name CATIE, the Community AIDS Treatment Exchange.[13] In 1999, CATIE underwent a name change to the Canadian AIDS Treatment Exchange to reflect its work across Canada.[15]
Ontario New Democratic Party[edit]
In the fall of 1990, the Ontario New Democratic Party defeated the governing Ontario Liberal Party. The NDP government approved province wide anonymous testing and established Provincial Advisory Committee on AIDS, which included representatives from AAN![2] AAN! presented their proposal "Ontario AIDS and HIV Strategy" to the newly elected government. Part of their proposal was a call for a catastrophic drug funding plan. Although new treatments were available, they were inaccessible to a large portion of people living with HIV/AIDS given their costs.[2] Treatments were more accessible to people who had private drug plans through their employers or those who had a provincial drug benefits card.[2] The provincial drug benefits card was only available to people who were over the age of 65 or for those on public assistance. This gave many people living with HIV/AIDS the option of either quit their jobs to qualify for a provincial drug benefits card or continue to working while their health deteriorated.[2] Public assistance made treatments accessible, but did not provide enough assistance for people to afford housing, nutritious foods and other essentials that were important to maintain a healthy immune system.[2]
On September 20, 1990 AAN! activists occupied the Provincial Minister of Health's office demanding a catastrophic drug plan.[4]
In January 1993, a video recording of James Thatcher, the AAN! co-chair, was aired on national television shortly after his death. In the recording, he attributed his death to the his inability to afford treatments.[4] Thatcher had been lesions to his central nervous system and had been prescribed acyclovir by his doctor.[16] He did not have a private drug plan and once he had received his AIDS diagnosis, insurance companies would not insure him.[16] Thatcher was already paying for costly treatments and could not afford acyclovir.[16] His recording placed more pressure on the provincial government.
In October 1993, AAN! activists dressed up as statues and demonstrated at Queen's Park calling for the provincial government to establish a catastrophic drug plan.[4]
In December 1993, AAN! organized a demonstration on World AIDS Day outside of the Minister of Health's office carrying huge pill containers demanding for a catastrophic drug plan.[4]
On April 26, 1994 AAN! interrupted Question Period at the Ontario Legislature, throwing fake money onto the politicians and unfurling an AAN! banner to continue demanding for a catastrophic drug plan.[4]
On November 19, 1994, AAN! stormed the stage of the provincial NDP conference in Hamilton. They were given an impromptu meeting with Premier Bob Rae, where they demanded a catastrophic drug plan.[4]
On November 30, 1994, the Ontario Government announced that a catastrophic drug program would be established by April 1995.[4] The Ontario Trillium Drug Benefit Program covered the cost of treatments if they surpassed a percentage of a person's income, making treatments much more accessible.[2]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "AIDS Action Now!". AIDS Action Now!. Retrieved March 17, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 "AIDS Action Now! fonds". Archeion. Retrieved March 17, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 McCaskell, Tim (2017). AIDS ACTION NOW! and the Aerosolized Pentamidine Trial. Toronto: Coach House Books. p. 236. ISBN 9781552453483. Search this book on
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 "History". AIDS Action Now!. Retrieved March 17, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "AIDS ACTION NOW!". AIDS Activist History Project. Retrieved March 18, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 McCaskell, Tim (2017). AIDS ACTION NOW! and the Aerosolized Pentamidine Trial. Toronto: Coach House Books. p. 237. ISBN 9781552453483. Search this book on
- ↑ McCaskell, Tim (2017). AIDS ACTION NOW! and the Aerosolized Pentamidine Trial. Toronto: Coach House Books. p. 238. ISBN 9781552453483. Search this book on
- ↑ "AIDS Activist History Project - Interview Transcript" (PDF). AIDS Activist History Project. Retrieved March 18, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 McCaskell, Tim (2017). AIDS ACTION NOW! and the Aerosolized Pentamidine Trial. Toronto: Coach House Books. p. 239. ISBN 9781552453483. Search this book on
- ↑ McCaskell, Tim (2016). Queer Progress: From Homophobia to Homonationalism. Toronto: Between the Lines. p. 257. ISBN 9781771132787. Search this book on
- ↑ McCaskell, Tim (2016). Queer Progress: From Homophobia to Homonationalism. Toronto: Between the Lines. p. 259. ISBN 9781771132787. Search this book on
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 McCaskell, Tim (2016). Queer Progress: From Homophobia to Homonationalism. Toronto: Between the Lines. p. 274. ISBN 9781771132787. Search this book on
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "TIE & CATIE". AIDS Activist History Project. Retrieved March 18, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "AIDS Activist History Project - Interview Transcript" (PDF). AIDS Activist History Project. Retrieved March 18, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "CATIE's Milestones". CATIE. Retrieved March 18, 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 McCaskell, Tim (2016). Queer Progress: From Homophobia to Homonationalism. Toronto: Between the Lines. p. 317. ISBN 9781771132787. Search this book on
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