To all our members, volunteers, supporters, and colleagues,

Happy Holidays!

From the Staff at Positive Women’s Network 

Miriam mentioned the Cancel the Cuts campaign in her blog last week about North American activism, but I am bringing it up again to bring the message home to Vancouver. I’m even posting a day ahead of schedule so you might change your schedule for tomorrow and make the rally at the north plaza of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Why all the fuss? Well, as the campaign implies, it’s about cuts to community organizations serving people with HIV in the Lower Mainland, specifically within the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (VCH). Community organizations have been presented with the news that they have to make some staggering cuts to their budgets, immediately and in the next fiscal year. It’s not only going to have an impact on people living with HIV, but also on many other communities.

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In the AIDS Service field, we do a lot of reminiscing about the good ol’ days and lamenting that activism isn’t the same as it used to be. Of course, I can’t personally remember ACT-UP and the early days of AIDS activism, because I was preoccupied with elementary school.  But I’ve wholeheartedly adopted this movement and I do believe in solidarity. While I can’t necessarily reminisce, I think I can relate to my colleagues’ sentiments.  By now, President Obama lifting the travel ban is sinking in for many.  This post by Bonnie Goldman at The Body, got me thinking.  She finishes by lamenting that “if there was more AIDS activism, we could’ve gotten this law changed long ago”.  What can activism change?

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After a day of listening to updates on HIV related disease and treatments, the word I kept writing down was inflammation. It’s not a word that applies only to the physical aspects of HIV, but the social aspects too. On a torrential Monday in November, I attended the BC Centre For Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BCCfE)’s treatment update, and this one featured speakers representing the International AIDS Society. It was a real gift to hear these folks from around the globe and note similarities and differences in the work we all do to support people living with HIV.

HIV disease is one of inflammation. Once it enters the bloodstream HIV attacks the gut, decimating protective CD4 cells and degrading the gut’s protective mucosa. The immune system fires up in response. A revved up CD4 response means more targets for HIV to attack, and the image of a body on fire wouldn’t be out of line. Specific topical inflammations can increase the risk of HIV transmission. Thankfully, HIV treatments act on HIV at different stages in its replication process, keeping HIV virus under control and allowing the immune system to rebuild. This attack/rebuild dance can continue for years and people can enjoy health they mightn’t have imagined before 1996, when HAART became the norm. 

If only it were that way for the social inflammation created by the mere idea of HIV. Not that I needed reminding, but Monday’s presenters pointed out that stigma, discrimination, racism, heterosexism and denial of any problem are ongoing hallmarks of HIV in countries the world over. On top of the issues noted above, women and girls bear the realities that sexism, intimate partner violence, unequal economic opportunities, childbearing and child rearing bring. HIV makes the burden even heavier. I thought of the late Jonathan Mann when Dr. Chris Beyrer echoed something Dr. Mann said in the early 90’s: for women in some cultures, marriage is a significant risk factor for HIV infection.

Moral judgments on harm reduction strategies as a means to reduce infection are of no use to anyone. “Now is not the time to limit use of any intervention with proven efficacy.” Beyrer was speaking of the infection rates in Russia, where rates in the IDU population is close to 50%, but I also thought about the struggle of Insite’s harm reduction work here at home.

HIV inflames the body and the cultures in which exists. It reveals biases that may have otherwise gone unremarked or more easily ignored. But now highlighted, we must continue to fight the virus and the ugliness it can create. What an energizing forum it was – a conference full of fighters from all over the world.

- Janet

This blog represents the ideas of individual writers, and does not necessarily reflect any formal stance taken by Positive Women’s Network.