trickortreatment2007's photostream

To Include photos of this rally
1) Contact us by Flickr Mail
2) Contact vsowell [at] critpath [dot] org

Rally Photographers so far are:
18brumaire
riekhavoc

The Democratic candidates for President debated at Drexel University in Philadelphia on Tuesday, October 30th. ACT UP Philadelphia (The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) joined with many allies for a march and rally. We brought the following demands to the candidates:

1. Guaranteed Health Care for Everyone
Most of the candidates lack a plan that will guarantee health care for everyone. Health care must be accessible to all people, regardless of income. We are not fooled by pledges to provide “universal health care” that are actually “mandatory insurance programs” in disguise.

2. $50 Billion Over 5 Years to Fight Global AIDS
There are approximately 40 million people around the world living with HIV/AIDS. Most of these people do not have access to prevention tools or to life-saving medications, despite the fact that these get cheaper and cheaper. The US must increase funding to stop AIDS around the world.

3. Accurate HIV Prevention
We need HIV prevention that works. Abstinence-only prevention has been repeatedly disproven. It actually results in more HIV infections! Similarly, syringe exchange programs are proven to decrease the rate of HIV infections, and do not increase drug use. Let’s put our money to good use!

4. Address Health Disparities in Communities of Color
People of color represent 25% of the US population, but make up 70% of new HIV infections. Deaths among whites decreased 19% from 2000-2004, while deaths among African-Americans have only gone down 7%. The next President must have a plan to end AIDS that addresses racial disparities.

If you are interested in getting involved in the work of ACT UP Philadelphia, you can email us or visit our website, where you can find more contact information, and info about upcoming events (after we catch our breath from this event).