Pelosi Defends San Francisco Group’s ‘Explicit’ HIV Prevention Workshops as ‘Heroic’
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) has written a letter to HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson defending the "sexually explicit" HIV prevention workshops run by the San Francisco-based Stop AIDS Project, calling the organization's work "heroic" and "deserving" of government funding, the Washington Times reports. An HHS Inspector General's report released last month said that the workshops, which feature names such as "Booty Call," are "obscene" and in violation of federal guidelines for HIV/AIDS prevention materials (McCain, Washington Times, 12/21). In her letter, Pelosi asked that "potential punitive measures against Stop AIDS Project be set aside," saying that the CDC should instead provide "better assistance" to ensure that groups comply with federal guidelines. "The federal government has a responsibility to support the difficult, and often heroic, work of these organizations. Through innovative approaches that include neighborhood outreach, community forums and workshops, Stop AIDS Project provides vital health information to gay and bisexual men in my community," Pelosi wrote, adding that the group has served as "an example for HIV educators nationwide" for 20 years (Bajko, Bay Area Reporter, 12/20). Congress this week passed a Labor-HHS appropriations bill that includes language requiring the HHS Inspector General to conduct an audit of all federally funded HIV/AIDS prevention programs and report its findings to Congress. The language states that federal money should be used only to provide "resources, training, technical assistance and infrastructure to national, regional and community-based organizations" working in AIDS prevention (HR 3061 text, 12/21).