For Immediate Release
June 18, 2007
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Media Contact:
Noel Alicea, 212.367.1216
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FIRST DO NO HARM
Gay Men's Health Crisis Calls Surgeon General Nominee a Danger
President Bush announced Dr. James Holsinger as his nominee for United States Surgeon General on the Thursday afternoon before the long Memorial Day weekend. Given Dr. Holsinger's history, it is no wonder the President timed the announcement to attract as little media attention as possible.
Dr. Holsinger's record reveals a physician who is committed not to science, but to ideology. His well-documented enmity toward lesbians and gays (except those struggling to 'overcome' their homosexuality) makes him unfit to carry out the mission of the Surgeon General's office: to protect and advance the health of the nation. His nomination poses a grave danger to our communities.
"We need a Surgeon General who will tear down the stigma that fuels the AIDS epidemic, not one who has made a career of bolstering it," says Dr., Marjorie J. Hill, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC). "Homophobia has no place in public health. We need leaders who understand that so-called privately held prejudices, such as the virulent homophobia that Dr. Holsinger has repeatedly displayed, have dire consequences for our community and our country."
Dr. Holsinger helped established the Hope Springs Community Church which operates a program for gays and lesbians who "seek to walk out of that lifestyle." The American Psychological Association and the American Medical Association have rejected so-called reparative therapy (also known as conversion or reorientation therapy). Countless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who have been subjected to such measures can testify to the damage it has done.
In 1991, Holsinger authored Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality, a paper prepared for the Committee to Study Homosexuality of the United Methodist Church. In it, he compared the "human sexes" to male and female "pipe fittings" and argued that homosexuality ran counter to anatomical and physiological truths. "When the complementarity of the sexes is breached," Holsinger stated, "injuries and diseases may occur."
Supporters say that Dr. Holsinger's perspective has evolved in the sixteen years that have passed since penning this work, but he has yet to disavow his thesis. Furthermore, just three years ago, as one of nine members of the Judicial Council of the United Methodist Church, he voted to expel a lesbian associate pastor from the clergy. In 2006, as president of the council, he voted to support a pastor who blocked a gay man from joining his congregation.
The Surgeon General serves a four year term. The health of people living with HIV and AIDS could rest in Dr. Holsinger's hands for three years after President Bush leaves office. His confirmation, particularly at this moment in the epidemic, will turn back the clock on HIV treatment and prevention efforts.
"The Holsinger nomination signals the White House's ongoing contempt for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community as well as people living with HIV/AIDS," Dr. Hill stated. "We urge our Senators to send a different message and reject this nominee."
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Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) is a not-for-profit, volunteer-supported
and community-based organization committed to national leadership in the
fight against AIDS. Our mission is to reduce the spread of HIV disease,
help people with HIV maintain and improve their health and independence,
and keep the prevention, treatment and cure of HIV an urgent national and
local priority. In fulfilling this mission, we will remain true to our
heritage by fighting homophobia and affirming the individual dignity of
all gay men and lesbians. We provide services and programs to over
15,000 men, women and families that are living with or affected by
HIV/AIDS in New York City. For more information, please visit www.gmhc.org.
© 2007 Gay Men's Health Crisis
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