Next Thursday the San Francisco Planning Commission will take up the issue of AIDS Healthcare Foundation's conditional use application for a formula retail pharmacy at 518A Castro Street.
San Francisco remains a one of a kind community, despite the gentrification and housing challenges of the Peninsula. Planning regulations seek to preserve San Francisco's unique character by barring chains to overtake the city, but when it comes to sexual health and HIV, an issue our city has always been a progressive leader on, why would we ever oppose an HIV nonprofit pharmacy to open in the Castro?
The devil is in the details, and once you know the details you are likely to feel the same way as the Castro Merchants and many other San Francisco-based associations did who voted to oppose AHF's plan with an overwhelming majority.
Big business is not something we usually associate with nonprofit organizations, and much less so HIV nonprofits. AHF, however, has developed into an organization with an annual budget of hundreds of millions of dollars and a CEO who earns approximately $400,000 per year, an unimaginable amount of money to many people who live with HIV. We know by experience that AHF uses its financial superiority against smaller organizations by leading excruciating lawsuits; advertising and lobbying against the community's best interest, HIV vaccine research, and HIV prevention methods like PrEP; perpetuating fear and stigma toward people living with HIV; and recently launching this campaign to expand in San Francisco following a model that has already destroyed local nonprofits in Ohio, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Los Angeles, and elsewhere.
It's important for all of you to understand who is knocking at your door.
AHF crusaded to end the "hold harmless" provision of the Ryan White Treatment Modernization Act, resulting in a $3 million loss of federal funding for services in San Francisco, while simultaneously extracting revenue from San Francisco via its Out of the Closet consignment stores.
AHF refused to pay rent to San Francisco's Maitri Hospice, totaling about $160,000 and therewith a large chunk of the hospice's annual budget.
AHF tried to skirt our SF formula retail rules and sued Supervisor Scott Wiener when he asked them to follow the rules.
In Los Angeles County, AHF overbilled the already scarce public funding by $5.2 million and entered a legal battle that has cost the county more than $1.8 million to date.
Also in LA County, AHF's attorney, Samantha Azulay, argued to invalidate county funding contracts for REACH LA, an organization with specific focus on HIV-affected African-American, Latino, and transgender youth with the words: "... You know, there might be some impact on these contracts, but maybe you've got to cut up a couple trees to save the forest." Consequently, REACH LA lost $100,000 in funding.
In Florida, a whistleblower lawsuit against AHF charged the agency with 10 counts of defrauding the government, conspiracy, and a "multi-state kickback scheme" �" an abuse of more than $100 million in funding.
In Atlanta, AHF is opening a thrift store to compete with an existing community thrift store next door, which raises funds to support a much-needed LGBT homeless youth shelter and health program.
Additionally, AHF spent millions to block the Food and Drug Administration's approval of Truvada, a drug that is proven up to 99 percent effective in preventing HIV transmission when taken as prescribed. AHF President Michael Weinstein last year sparked nationwide outrage by calling it a "party drug" and the people who use it reckless and irresponsible.
AHF spent almost $4 million on trying to mandate condom use in porn, which threatens medical record privacy and personal rights, perpetuates HIV discrimination and will allow uninvolved third parties to sue anyone who doesn't use a condom; a huge issue in a country where HIV is still criminalized.
In response to a labor dispute and an attempt by AHF employees to unionize citing unfair working conditions, overspending on political campaigns and underspending on client services, AHF threatened legal actions against its staff and responded: "We have created the largest and most successful AIDS organization in the world. We make no apologies for our success."
AHF's service model targets clients on public assistance so it can capture reimbursement revenue from public programs like Medi-Cal while delivering substandard patient care, no hospital privileges and no referral network for marginalized patients.
AHF fights to eviscerate Title I funding (i.e. meals, legal services, emergency financial assistance, housing, etc.) in favor of primary care. It has actively crusaded against HIV vaccine and cure research in favor of federal funds for its nationwide medical model.
AHF's legislative allies are the same U.S. senators that opposed repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," supported removing protections for same-sex couples and their children and have promoted passing a ban on gay marriage and defunding Planned Parenthood.
Every community member I have spoken to about AHF has responded with the same message: "Keep your cookie-cutter medical model and sex-shaming, fear-based politics out of San Francisco. You're not welcome here. This is our community, and we will not let you defile it."
What is your take?
Eric Paul Leue is the director of sexual health and advocacy for http://www.Kink.com in the San Francisco Armory. He is a commissioner on the Los Angeles County Commission on HIV, a Ryan White planning body, and a well-known HIV/LGBTQQI advocate. He splits his time between LA and San Francisco and works closely with approximately 50 HIV organizations nationwide. He was recognized for his untiring advocacy and exemplary service to the community by LA's mayor.