AIDS czar faces tough crowd.Four months after being appointed director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy The Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) coordinates the continuing domestic efforts to reduce the number of new infections in the United States. In addition, the Office works to coordinate an increasingly integrated approach to the prevention, care and treatment of , Scott Evertz made his first public speech at the 2001 National HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. Prevention Conference in Atlanta August 14. Judging from the confrontational and openly skeptical reaction from the crowd, the AIDS czar has a long, uphill battle ahead of him if he wants to convince the public that HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is a priority for the Bush administration. Evertz, who is openly gay, was interrupted repeatedly as he spoke to an audience of about 3,000. "There really is no room for inequality or disparity in our work," he told the crowd. "If we can't talk about men who have sex with men Men who have sex with men (MSM) is a term used mostly in the United States to classify men who engage in sex with other men, regardless of whether they self-identify as gay, bisexual, or heterosexual. , sex workers and their clients, transgenders, and injecting drug users, we can't do our jobs." "Does your boss know that?" an attendee shouted, referring to President Bush. "Yes, my boss does know that," Evertz replied. "My presence [here] really is the best way to convey to you that the Bush administration really does care about AIDS." Though catcalls cat·call n. A harsh or shrill call or whistle expressing derision or disapproval. v. cat·called, cat·call·ing, cat·calls v.tr. To express derision or disapproval of with catcalls. v. from the audience continued, Evertz seemed determined to make some inroads, deflecting jeers with "I need your feedback." |
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