Action Equals Life - The Series!'s Page

Episode #1
Sunil Babu Pant, Openly Gay Member of Nepal's Constituent Assembly

Episode #2
His Royal Highness Manvendra Singh Gohil, the Yuvraj of Rajpipla, Gay Royalty in India

Episode #3
Vivek Anand, Chief Executive Office of the Humsafar Trust, India

FEATURED REPORT

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Tuesday, May 26, 2009, sent state lawmakers a plan to reduce more than $5 billion in spending, including significant cuts to HIV/AIDS services.

The proposal slashes $55.5 million from California's AIDS Drug Assistance Program and other state Office of AIDS programs. Schwarzenegger's plan would make HIV-positive people pay more for drugs, while HIV/AIDS programs such as counseling, monitoring and education would be reduced or eliminated altogether.

The budget cut proposals come at a time when the federal government is instituting a National AIDS Strategy in recognition of the imperative to reinvigorate the fight against HIV in the United States.

In California, an estimated 20% of HIV-positive Californians are unaware of their HIV status. Of those who know their status, approximately 20% are not in care. The health of 150,000 Californians living with HIV as well as the lives of those at risk of infection would be seriously endangered by these cuts. It is no exaggeration to say that these proposed budget cuts are life-threatening for thousands of people.

From David Brinkman, MBA, Executive Director, Desert AIDS Project:

I am deeply concerned about the Governor's May budget revision proposal which would, if passed, end HIV/AIDS treatment for nearly 35,000 Californians, our neighbors who rely on the AIDS Drug Assistance Program for life-saving medication, eradicating years of progress against HIV and putting lives at risk.

I'm also alarmed by the Governor's plan to remove State support for HIV prevention including HIV testing, AIDS education in schools, rural HIV programs, and funds that provide housing to people living with AIDS. His proposed budget will also slash health insurance for low-income families, devastate family planning, and terminate in-home supportive services for the elderly and disabled.

The budget is woefully short-sighted, robbing the State of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal support. As you know, if California fails to deliver on its commitments, Washington, D.C. will deny our matching funds, jeopardizing virtually every federal benefit that supports the health of people living with HIV and irrevocably altering our capacity to prevent new infections.

This budget will have an unimaginable effect on the health of hundreds and thousands of Californians. Preserving HIV funding is good health policy, responsible fiscal stewardship, and compassionate leadership at a time when the populations living with and at the highest risk of HIV infection need your help the most. Please demonstrate your compassion and fiscal responsibility by protecting HIV prevention, care, and treatment funding in the upcoming budget revision debate in Sacramento.

Click here to take action!


Find more photos like this on ActionEqualsLife.com

SEVEN Videos Follow:

(Apologies to anyone not featured...camera ran out of memory).

Intro Video From Nicholas Snow

Part 1 of 6:

Part 2 of 6:

Part 3 of 6:

Part 4 of 6:

Part 5 of 6:

Part 6 of 6:

Please join ActionEqualsLife.com!

Nicholas Snow, a journalist, actor and activist who came out in the media as an HIV positive person in October of last year while simultaneously launching the community service web site ActionEqualsLife.com, has announced the debut of Action Equals Life: The Series, the companion to the web site. Action Equals Life: The Series is available worldwide through a variety of channels to any video-enabled internet-connected device, and is designed to create synergy with the web site, ActionEqualsLife.com

"The common theme of both the series and ActionEqualsLife.com is that we are ''Expressing the truth of our lives and transforming the planet,'" explains Snow, the Executive Producer and Host of the new program. ActionEqualsLife.com is an online community uniting its members and visitors "who share the common goals of creating HIV/AIDS Awareness; supporting the worldwide fight for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people; and supporting human rights in general." Action Equals Life: The Series! is spotlighting individuals and organizations involved in the pursuit of these goals and objectives.

About Nicholas Snow