The editor of the Bay Area Reporter, Cynthia Laird, and her writer Bob Roehr have performed a very necessary function for the community, one that is all too lacking in the mainstream media.
They approached the filing of a lawsuit this week by an AIDS service provider against the maker of Pfizer with proper balance to all sides of the story, and, perhaps more importantly, a degree of skepticism to the claims made in the suit.
It also is good to see the BAR questioning the role of SF DPH's STD control chief Jeffrey Klausner in the lawsuit and how he contributes to the stigmatizing of gay men and PWAs. We would be wise in San Francisco to demand accountability from Klausner's boss, Dr. Mitch Katz, about his many statements and proposals that have needlessly divided the community.
Who will ever forget Klausner floating the idea in 2001 to quarantine HIV poz people? That is just one of his crazy ideas during his tenure that have inflamed the community and increased stigma.
From the Washington Monthly:
[Klausner] has suggested a number of measures, some coercive,which he thinks would slow the increase of new HIV infections among gay men. Among them: closing sex clubs and adult bookstores; enforcing no-sex ordinances in bars and clubs; enforcing no-drug policies in bars and clubs; and Internet-based outreach and education, particularly in chat rooms where many gay men meet new sexual partners.
Putting aside political realities when brainstorming on this subject, Klausner also raised the possibility of quarantining those who cannot control their infectivity---e.g., those barebackers who've infected 20 different people and still refuse to use condoms.
But I digress. Let's come back to today's concerns.
I highly recommend you compare a lame story from the AP about the lawsuit, a story that could have been written by the PR department of the AIDS agency that filed it, with the BAR article, which gives a much-needed larger frame to the story among other good journalistic attributes. The Roehr story for the BAR is head and shoulders above the AP's, which closely resembles a recycled news release from the AIDS group.
From the BAR news article today:
[AIDS Healthcare Foundation executive director Michael] Weinstein said, "We estimate that a majority of new infections in this country are related to the use of crystal meth, and the majority of crystal meth users are also using Viagra." He called AHF "a victim of Pfizer's irresponsibility." [...]
When pressed during a telephone conference call Monday to back up his assertion with data, Weinstein mentioned recently speaking with a group of black youth who said crystal meth "use is rampant" within their community.
Pfizer spokeswoman Shreya Prudlo said that AHF recently approached the Pfizer marketing team "with a multimillion-dollar funding request for a crystal meth educational program." [...]
Also participating in the news conference was Dr. Jeffrey D. Klausner, who was introduced as director of STD prevention and control services for the city of San Francisco. However, when asked, Klausner said that while his superiors knew of his participation, he was speaking only as an individual and not as a representative of any city agency.
Health department spokeswoman Eileen Shields said in an e-mail to the B.A.R. that Health Director Dr. Mitch Katz was on vacation this week and unavailable to comment on the department's position regarding the AHF lawsuit. She said that no one else at the department was in a position to comment. [...]
Klausner has long been a critic of Viagra, and at one time filed a citizens complaint with the FDA to have erectile dysfunction drugs classified as a controlled substance.
Former San Francisco AIDS policy adviser Jeff Sheehy was highly critical of Klausner when that happened; this week, he questioned AHF's decision to file the lawsuit against Pfizer.
"The idea that people on speed are having wild sex with Viagra because they saw a halftime commercial during the Super Bowl is ridiculous," Sheehy told the B.A.R. "I don't like direct to consumer TV ads, but the rest [of the suit] is just extortion." [...]
I would wager money that the leaders at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation are very displeased with the BAR story and may even need to take an aspirin or two to deal with the headache of the BAR's forthright editorial, which squarely calls into question Klausner using his perch at SF DPH to advance what is probably a personal agenda:
An excerpt from the editorial:
For his part, Klausner's participation in Monday's call is questionable. He was identified by his health department job title in AHF's media materials, yet when pressed on the conference call, he said he was taking part as an individual. We tried to find out whether Health Director Dr. Mitch Katz was aware beforehand that Klausner would be participating in the call, but coincidentally, Katz is on vacation this week. We were told that not one single person in the sprawling DPH would be able to comment on the AHF lawsuit or Klausner's connection with it.
Also, Klausner's claim that he was taking part as an individual is problematic – for over a year he has waged a one-man war against Pfizer, even going so far as to petition the federal Food and Drug Administration to make ED drugs controlled substances.
Many gay AIDS activists have major issues with Klausner's repeated attempts to stigmatize gay men with leading irresponsible sex lives. And by extension, AHF and Klausner's position is patronizing to gay men by implying – incorrectly – that gay men who use Viagra somehow can't put on a condom.
What's most disturbing about AHF's lawsuit is the complete lack of hard data to support its contention. In fact, a recent review of published studies showed no convincing evidence to support Klausner's claims that use of Viagra leads to HIV infections.
In conclusion, I want to say Roehr's story shows the importance of having reporters covering a beat over an extended period of time, and Laird's editorial will go far in launching a valuable public debate about Klausner's STD control agenda and his relationship with the gay male and AIDS communities.
Good job, Bob and Cynthia!
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