Consistency in HIV Information Across Public Resources:
A Nonpartisan Strategy to Improve Public Health & HIV Knowledge.

About

The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) was founded in 1987 in New York City. Our mission statement says ACT UP is "a diverse, nonpartisan group of individuals, united in anger, and committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis." We have always been a 100% volunteer-run organization, with a flat democratic structure, and no employees or barriers to membership. ACT UP has no shareholders or sponsors, and is therefore completely free to choose which goals to pursue.

Many current and former members of ACT UP are involved in HIV/AIDS work in the larger community, and we collaborate closely with a network of local groups, nonprofits, and coalition partners to achieve specific goals, as needed.

The City Council Working Group was formed in the Winter of 2021 to survey City Elections candidates on common-sense HIV policy positions, and to advocate for changes to local law that will more quickly end the HIV epidemic in New York. We aim to do this by correcting the divergence between medical and legal accuracy that has been allowed to occur over the last three decades, and by prioritizing legal asks that data suggest are relatively common-sense, uncontroversial, and bipartisan. Data we consider comes from various organizations, including, but not limited to, the New York State AIDS Advisory Council, the U.S. government, the Guttmacher Institute, SIECUS, the Kaiser Family Foundation, and the Center for HIV Law and Policy. We also consider information we receive from public employees, such as teachers, and from people who receive services, such as HASA clients. The results of our 2021 Primary Candidate Survey may be found here.

Email education@actupny.com for more information.