Helping Feet Real Pennsylvanians will benefit from this weekend's AIDS Walk Philly by Ronda B. Goldfein Aaron went to work and was greeted by a sign: AIDS BOY GET ANOTHER JOB. After Mary’s landlord learned she has AIDS, she was forced to live in her car. Scheduled for shoulder surgery, James was refused when his surgeon found out he has HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. These three stories were not found in dusty files from the early days of the AIDS epidemic. Incredibly, they all happened recently in Pennsylvania. I know, because I run the nation’s only free-standing public-interest law firm representing people with HIV/AIDS. For more than 16 years, the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania has been on the frontlines fighting discrimination and stigma through direct representation and public-policy advocacy. We’ve come a long way from the cramped Chinatown office that was our home when I joined as a volunteer 12 years ago. We are now a staff of 15 and have provided free legal services to more than 20,000 Pennsylvanians. And the fight continues. Across the state, we provided free legal assistance on more than 2,200 matters last year. Our clients have experienced hatred and bias from all areas of society. Much of it stems from ignorance and the fear of getting AIDS and of what it may say about the person who has it. As we enter the third decade of AIDS, statistics show that more people now live with AIDS than have died from it. Since 1985 in Pennsylvania, 14,265 people have died from AIDS, and another 15,178 are alive. In the Philadelphia region alone, an estimated 25,000 people are living with HIV or already have developed AIDS. Aaron found a maintenance job in the food court of a Bucks County shopping mall. He was uncomfortable disclosing that he has AIDS, but he wanted to be honest on his application form. In the first week, he got along fine with everyone. Then things began to change. People started staring, pointing and talking about him. By the second week, his co-workers had placed that sign in his locker. Our mission is to seek justice for those who’ve been treated unfairly and to educate the public so that the same type of harm won’t be repeated. Change will occur only when we as a society no longer fear AIDS. Only when people with AIDS are treated fairly and humanely will they feel safe to seek care, treatment and AIDS-prevention information. Mary was desperate for a place to live in Columbia County. All she had was her dog and a few belongings that fit in her car. A landlord allowed her to move in if she got rid of the dog, so Mary had to give the pet away. Then, the landlord learned Mary has AIDS. He refused to give her the apartment key. Now Mary is living in her car again, alone. The new face of AIDS reaches across neighborhoods, races, genders and age groups. According to the Philadelphia Health Department, as of September 2003, almost one-third of Philadelphia’s AIDS cases were female. Among races, more than two-thirds of the cases were blacks. At 41.8 percent, heterosexuals accounted for the largest sexual preference. Nor does growing older offer protection: Nine out of 10 cases were above age 30. While the faces change, the stories remain the same. People with AIDS still struggle to keep their lives together while encountering bigotry and prejudice. Attitudes like those of Aaron’s co-workers, Mary’s landlord and James’ doctor are not rare. James was laid off from his job at a Washington County airport. While looking for work, he damaged his shoulder. His HIV specialist referred him to a surgeon, who scheduled the operation for a week later because the need was acute and James had only a week left on his employer-provided health insurance. But after reading the medical records, the surgeon abruptly called James, berated him for not disclosing his HIV during the office visit, and refused to perform the surgery. James’ health insurance expired three days later. Aaron, Mary and James are real Pennsylvanians struggling to move forward with their lives. AIDS Walk Philly, which will be held this Sunday, raises vital operating dollars so that the AIDS Law Project can concentrate on helping Aaron, Mary, James and dozens more like them and less on having to raise the money to do their work. Funds raised will go to help the AIDS Law Project and dozens of other organizations continue their work in HIV-prevention education, public awareness and HIV-care services in the Philadelphia region. You can make the difference by participating in AIDS Walk Philly. Please register online and get additional information at www.aidswalkphilly.org, or call 215-731-WALK, or stop by a Blockbuster or Starbucks to get your sponsor form. Ronda B. Goldfein, Esq. (goldfein@critpath.org) is the executive director of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania. If you would like to respond to this Slant or have one of your own (800 words), contact Brian Hickey, City Paper interim editor, 123 Chestnut St., third floor, Phila., Pa., 19106 or e-mail hickey@citypaper.net