Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1998 22:44:52 -0700
From: Eros Publishing <aubrey@wolfenet.com>
Subject: Press Release

RESIST THE LIST PRESS RELEASE

OCTOBER 15, 1998
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


RESIST THE LIST TO OPPOSE
KING CO. BOARD OF HEALTH RESOLUTION

Contacts: Bill Lake: (425) 823-9715
Michael McAfoose: (206) 624-2303

     On October 16, 9:30 A.M. at the Seattle City Council Chambers,
the King County Board of Health is expected to pass a resolution in
favor of a name-based system of HIV surveillance in Washington
State.
     This meeting comes on the heels of a meeting in Leavenworth
where the WA State Board of Health stunned community members by
voting to direct the State Department of Health to write up regulations
for a name-based system, after hearing only a single afternoon of
testimony. This action was not indicated on the agenda, and is of
questionable legality.
     RESIST THE LIST, a new grassroots organization formed to
oppose HIV names reporting, is calling for all people concerned
about HIV/AIDS to come to the October 16 meeting in Seattle and
voice their opposition to this ill-conceived plan.
     A Centers for Disease Control study showed that names
reporting discourages people from being tested. Any system that
discourages testing and treatment is bad public health policy.
Michael McAfoose, a 29-year-old member of RESIST THE LIST
said, "If names reporting is implemented I will not get tested and all
the friends I have talked to said the same."
     The impact in rural Washington would be even more profound.
An October 11 New York Times article ["AIDS presents a new set
of hardships"] showed that public disclosure of HIV-positive people
in rural areas is devastating. "Rhonda Elliot's 6-year-old daughter
often comes home in tears after fending off taunts on the school bus.
Her 10-year-old son got so fed up with being picked on he got into
a brawl. And the man who owned the trailer Ms. Elliot was living in
abruptly told her to find a new home."
     Mandatory partner notification, which is often coupled with names
reporting, poses additional problems. In the latest issue of Ms
magazine, Nancy MacNeil of the New York support group Women
Alive said, "A couple of women served by our agency had to move
because they were threatened by their notified partners." She
believes women are being targeted to name their partners because
they are perceived as more vulnerable and willing to do so than men.
And contrary to the claims of the Department of Public Health, partner
notification has not helped contain the spread of other sexually
transmitted diseases like chlamydia.
     RESIST THE LIST is dedicated to stopping HIV names reporting
rom becoming public health policy, dedicated to preventing its
implementation, dedicated to undermining it if it is implemented,
and finally, dedicated to overturning it. We will use whatever
nonviolent means we have to do this. We will testify, demonstrate
and agitate. We do not know if we will win. But we will not lose
without a bitter fight.
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