HIV/AIDS groups split on ‘gay disease’ remark by key leader

A top national gay activist’s statement that HIV/AIDS is a “gay disease”  has split HIV/AIDS service organizations over whether the results may be positive or cause a backlash against gays.

Matt Foreman, outgoing executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, made the controversial remark during a state of the movement speech in Detroit on Feb. 7, and added that the community needed to “own up to it.”

The comment has been picked up by the far right, with such groups as the American Family Association (AFA) of Michigan, Concerned Women of America and the Christian Broadcasting Network all reporting on the statement. In a press release, AFA Michigan leader Gary Glenn said he would use the statement to support the claims of his group that homosexuality is dangerous.

Jake Distel, executive director of the Lansing Area AIDS Network, foresaw problems as a result of Foreman’s comment.

“We work with communities of faith, communities of color and various cultural issues,” he said. “We have dealt with these groups for years to bring people to the table. But to have people take another look at this as a gay disease, and out of the words of a gay leader, is unfortunately going to make our job more difficult.”

Continued -“If this were to get a lot of exposure, the churches and other groups might be a little a more reluctant to work with us,” explained Distel. “A lot of public outpouring of it being a gay disease will have an impact on the community. There are people who will be reluctant to get tested, so it has impact all over,  to be honest.”

But Dr. Renee McCoy, director of the city of Detroit’s Health and Welfare HIV/AIDS programs, applauded Foreman’s comment, made to more than 2,000 lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender activists gathered for the 20th anniversary Creating Change Conference.

“Maybe the new strategy is to name the communities,” said McCoy. “We have been avoiding taking ownership of HIV and we keep passing it around. We’ve done that for 26 years. It is about taking ownership of this disease. I don’t have a problem with him saying it is a gay disease. I do have an issue with other groups who are disproportionately impacted not taking ownership.”

“We have been avoiding this conversation for 26 years, yet this conversation still takes place,” said McCoy. “The onus of this disease still rests in the gay community. Men who have sex with men are still the majority of this disease and because we don’t own it, it does not mean it is not going on. Or that this is not a gay disease. Until we recognize that HIV/AIDS is still devastating the the gay community, it will continue.”

McCoy said it was important to understand that Foreman was speaking to the LGBT community, in an LGBT community event. She said she would like to see the activists who were in attendance take Foreman’s comment and return to their own communities and do something about HIV/AIDS in various communities.

“I would not have any problem if every damn group in the country was claiming the disease as their own. Until they have the courage to own it, this will continue,” she said. “We resisted calling it a gay disease for 26 years, and it still is going on. So maybe something else could work.”

But Distel reiterated: “I think the statement is unfortunate. We have worked for many years to make sure people are aware this is not a gay disease. It is a disease of opportunity. We have worked long and hard to get past this. The stigma that attaches itself to this kind of thinking is hard to get beyond.”

Craig Covey, executive director of  the Midwest AIDS Prevention Project and the mayor of Ferndale, who is the first openly gay man elected a mayor in Michigan, said, “I hope Matt [Foreman] is not just now figuring this out.”