AIDS activists Madison Wisconsin Bob Bowers
AIDS activists, youth HIV/AIDS educators, long-term survival with HIV/AIDS-Bob Bowers' www.onetoughpirate.com

AIDS activists/activism, youth HIV/AIDS educators, long-term survivors-Bob Bowers-Madison, Wisconsin-United States

AIDS activists, long-term HIV/AIDS survivors, Youth HIV/AIDS educators-Madison, Wisconsin-United States-Live to tell the tale!
 

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.
-- Elie Wiesel

 

AIDS activism-AIDS activists Bob Bowers and Jennie Grimes protesting in Washington DC

AIDS activists Jennie Grimes and Bob Bowers protesting in Washington D.C.

 

History of AIDS Activism

By: Cassy Boff

According to Brett C. Stockdill, the AIDS movement, particularly in the late 1980s and continuing through the early 1990s, is characterized as a movement “because it was composed of a diverse set of peopleAIDS activism in Wisconsin-United States whose needs were not being met by existing dominant institutions, such as the government, the medical establishment, and pharmaceutical corporations, and who used ‘politics by other means’ to further their collective interests” (2003: 20). For my discussion of AIDS activism, I will be focusing primarily on the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, otherwise known as ACT UP. Influenced by the African American Civil Rights Movement, ACT UP is a grassroots organization which uses nonviolent civil disobedience. At its peak, the organization stood up to protest indifference to the AIDS epidemic by both the government and society at large (Smith 1998: 36). Commenting on the direct action tactics of the organization, ACT UP/Chicago member Janet explains, “Instead of ‘Oh we didn’t get this grant, so we can’t do this,’ it’s ‘You slammed the door in our face—we’re gonna come kick it down.’ I like the attitude” (Stockdill 2003: 108). Basically, as Janet seems to explain, ACT UP did not take no as an answer. The organization was determined to see change and was not afraid to take direct action to be sure its goals were met.

The movement’s origins can be traced back to playwright and AIDS activist Larry Kramer. In March of 1987, Kramer addressed the crowd in New York at the Lesbian and Gay Community Service Center where he asked “Do we want to start a new organization devoted solely to political action?” ( Smith 1998: 36). This question inspired another meeting at the NY center just a few days later where over 300 people attended and this event is considered the beginning of ACT UP. From then on, ACT UP/New York held weekly meetings whose attendance numbered over 800 people per meeting, making NY the leading chapter. By 1988, many other chapters had sprung up across the country in places like Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco. ACT UP had reached a total of more then 100 chapters worldwide by 1990. The original goal of the organization was to insist on the release of experimental AIDS drugs (Smith 1998: 36-37). As taken directly from the ACT UP Website, “ACT UP, or the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power is a non-partisan group of individuals united in anger and commitment to direct action to end the AIDS crisis” (ACT UP). These central goals are stated at the commencement of every meeting.

Emerging partly as a response to the gay and lesbian movement, ACT UP had no elected leaders or appointed spokespersons because the group believed that no one member had the right to speak onAIDS activist Bob Bowers-Madison, Wisconsin-United States behalf of the entire group. Therefore, there was really no formal structure to the organization. In this sense, all members were seen as equal; however there was not extreme diversity among the people of the group. For example, as Marcia C. Inhorn’s review of Stockdill’s book explains, “Namely, activists of color were generally discouraged from ACT UP-style disobedience because of their communities’ histories of government repression, including police brutality, grand juries, FBI surveillance, violence, and assassinations.” She continues saying, “Similarly, homophobia in communities of color, including many black and Latino churches preaching that homosexuality is a sin, led to the invisibility of gays and lesbians of color and lack of interest in AIDS activism in these communities” (2004: 276). Overall, although there was a sense of equality among members of the organization, it was very much dominated by Caucasians and therefore did not have a very equal representation.

Over time, the organization expanded upon its original goals and begun to make a number of more specificAIDS activist Bob Bowers demands. Firstly, the organization has “demanded that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) release AIDS drugs in a timely manner by shortening the drug approval process” (Smith 1998: 37). It also urged private health insurance companies and Medicaid to pay for experimental drug therapies. In addition, they have petitioned for the “creation and implementation of a federal needle-exchange program, called for a federally controlled and funded program of condom distribution at the local level, and asked for a serious sex education program in primary and secondary schools to be created and monitored by the Federal Department of Education” (Smith 1988: 37). ACT UP also exposed the high prices and the large profits earned by Pharmaceutical companies for AIDS medication to show that the companies often pursued profits at the expense of lives. Members urged companies to lower prices so that the drugs would be readily available to people with HIV/AIDS from various background and classes (Smith 1998: 37).

In an attempt to gain media coverage to draw support for their cause, activists often used slogans such as SILENCE=DEATH. By using popular phrases like these, activists hoped people would realize that if the message about the AIDS epidemic was not spread, people would continue dying. Also, political art was often used to help convey their message to larger society. One memorable artistic contribution to the activist movement came with the premiere of the AIDS Quilt Songbook at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall on June 4, 1992. Yet, the goal of gaining media coverage was soon met when ACT UP held its first demonstration on Wall Street, New York’s financial center, on March 24, 1987. Members felt that the FDA, AIDS activists Bob Bowers and Jennie Grimeswhich is responsible for ensuring that our drug supply is safe and effective, was taking far too long in its approval process while people with AIDS were dying in the meantime. The main purpose of the demonstration was to “heighten awareness of the FDA’s inability to overcome its own bureaucracy and release experimental AIDS drugs in a timely fashion” (Smith 1998: 38). As a result, 17 people were arrested but overall it was successful because shortly after, the FDA agreed to shorten its drug approval process by two years. Not long after, on June 1, 1987, a coalition of activists assembled at the White House to demand real action against AIDS in response to Ronald Reagan’s first public address about the epidemic (Smith 1998: 37-38). Reagan felt that the government should not provide sex education information. Although the first AIDS case had been publicly recognized in the media by 1981, it was not until October 1987 that Reagan mentioned the word “AIDS” on public television. On April 2, 1987, Reagan gave a speech saying: "How that information is used must be up to schools and parents, not government. But let's be honest with ourselves, AIDS information cannot be what some call 'value neutral.' After all, when it comes to preventing AIDS, don't medicine and morality teach the same lessons?” By the closing of that year 59,572 AIDS cases had been reported and 27,909 of those cases had resulted in death (ACT UP NY).

However, ACT UP did not stop there, but rather continued fighting to make its voice heard. Just a few days later another demonstration took place at the NY office of Northwest Airlines in response to their refusal to seat a man with AIDS. Because of this demonstration, two suits were brought against the airline and the policy was eventually reversed. But the action of ACT UP did not stop here. On June 21, 1987 a round the clock, four day long protest was held at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital of New AIDS activists Bob Bowers and Chris PoslerYork calling for an increased amount of anti-HIV drug trials and demanding that more people with AIDS be involved in them. The following year on January 15, a group of 500 protestors challenged an article from Cosmopolitan magazine which claimed that heterosexual women who had unprotected vaginal sex with HIV+ males were safe and would not contract the disease. This 1988 protest marked the first action taken by ACT UP which primarily concerned women and HIV. On October 11 of that same year, the organization was joined by the national ACT NOW organization to surround the FDA building in Maryland. Together, the total number of activists exceeded 1,000 and the demonstration resulted in over 180 arrests and worldwide media coverage (ACT UP NY). “Admittedly, the FDA protests staged by ACT UP do not qualify as defining moments in the same sense, say, as Stonewall did for the gay rights movement or the Greensboro lunch counter sit-in did for civil rights. Nevertheless, the FDA actions have great symbolic meaning for the AIDS movement” (Jennings and Andersen 2003: 191). This statement holds very true because the focus of much of the work ACT UP did was an attempt to challenge the FDA process and demand change.

Just like the previous years, 1989 displayed a wide array of action by the ACT UP organization. AAIDS activist Bob Bowers in Washington D.C. demonstration was held at the U.S. Civil Rights Commission’s AIDS hearing. Later in the year, ACT UP joined with WHAM (Women’s Health Action and Mobilization) to hold the “Stop the Church” demonstration. Together, over 4,500 members of both organizations disrupted a mass being given by Cardinal O’Connor at St. Patrick’s Cathedral to protest his opposition to safer sex education, violent homophobia, and his attempts to block access to safe and legal abortions. When all was done, 111 arrests were made, and many began to claim that ACT UP had simply gone too far (ACT UP NY). Another widely publicized event took place on January 20, 1991 when ACT UP members overran the studio of the MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour and chained themselves to Robert MacNeil’s desk during an on-air broadcast. The public could clearly see the sign which members flashed stating “The AIDS Crisis is Not Over.” By 1992, as a result of the negative criticism, divisions over what should be appropriate political strategy had begun to arise and in turn began to undermine the solidarity of the movement (Smith 1998: 39).

Conflicting ideologies within the AIDS movement were often the causes of internal clashes. For instance, within ACT UP, two distinct perspectives lead to frequent conflict. One perspective, which incorporated partial oppositional consciousness, framed AIDS as “a discrete social problem unrelated to sexism,AIDS activist Bob Bowers with ACT UP members in Washington DC classism, and racism” (Stockdill 2003: 149). This idea was typically supported by white, middle-class, homosexual men who had very little prior activist involvement. Opposition consciousness in this perspective focused on homophobia/AIDSphobia and excluded other types of domination. For this reason, the strategies employed usually centered on searching for “a cure to HIV/AIDS, access to clinical drug trials, speedier government approval of promising treatments, reduction of the cost of antiviral medications, and other related issues” (Stockdill 2003:150). As a result, many significant gains in the areas of AIDS treatment and research were made. However, there was a great lack of understanding to how these issues affected the poor, women, and people of color (Stockdill 2003: 149-150).

The counter perspective within ACT UP instead illustrated that AIDS is a collaboration of homophobia, AIDS activists in Washington D.C.racism, classism, and sexism. In contrast to those of the other perspective, these members were generally women and people of color, most who had previous activist experience. Overall, this perspective gave more attention to social groups that are often ignored by mainstream activists. In making demands, members of this perspective fought for a wider range of approaches which focused on the impact of AIDS on drug users, prisoners, women of color, and the poor. Divisions over these views even lead certain ACT UP chapters to split into two separate groups. Overall, these conflicts reduced the effectiveness of the AIDS movement (Stockdill 2003: 149-150). The group of activists who enforced a political strategy of emphasizing the treatment of individuals with HIV/AIDS branched off to form the Treatment Action Group (TAG). This organization accepted members only by invitation, and unlike ACT UP, some members even received salaries (Smith 1998: 39).

ACT UP boldly confronted many forms of inequality including homophobia, and as a result, they were the target of brutality from the police force, surveillance by the FBI, and even criminal prosecution. Because AIDS activists arrive in Washington D.C.the militant politic of ACT UP was frowned upon by mass media, the police, and the government alike, many other sections of the AIDS movement began to distance themselves from the organization, leading to a break down of the coalition that had been building across the movement as a whole. Moreover, the fear and difficulty of living with HIV also served to inhibit many people from action. It was not until around 1995 that protease inhibitors were readily available, which made it very difficult for many to participate in the movement before that time. When they did participate, fatigue lead to relatively quick burnouts. “The targeting of ACT UP by the FBI, police, and courts was one important factor in the decline of street-level AIDS protest in the mid-1990s” (Stockdill 2003:156). By 1996, the organization was largely broken by these internal divisions. ACT UP’s use of direct action showed how effective unconventional politics could be in spite of unresponsiveness from policy elites. “In this and in other ways, ACT UP has made an invaluable contribution to saving people’s lives in the face of government and societal indifference” (Smith 1998: 40).

All things considered, ACT UP made several important accomplishments, one large one being the “parallel AIDS activists at Anacostia Park in Washington D.C.track” proposal under which people with AIDS can receive medication even before it is approved through the FDA process. Also, as a result of ACT UP protest, the pharmaceutical company Burroughs Welcome drastically reduced the price of AZT, and other companies have followed by reducing their cost of AIDS related medicine. Another accomplishment by ACT UP was its alteration of the definition of AIDS to include women and guarantee that they be included in drug trials and received disability benefits. In addition, the organization also established needle-exchange programs which are believed to have contributed to a reduction in the rate of HIV infection amongst injecting drug users and their partners (Smith 1998: 40).

Although criticized for its lack of organization, chaotic meetings, and the sometimes over the top direct action taken, ACT UP has been an important part of the activism against AIDS movement raising awareness about AIDS, getting the government more involved in stopping its spread, and sending the message of acceptance rather then discrimination of those who have the disease. “AIDS is an epidemic that not only drastically affects individual lives but one that also became politically charged because of the controversy surrounding the nature and suppression of its transmission, its concentration inAIDS activists rally in Washington D.C. identifiable population segments, the high cost of medical care, and the priorities to be assigned to seeking a cure” (Jennings and Andersen 2003: 179). Even though AIDS was a controversial issue of the time, AIDS activists disregarded this notion and continued to fight for social change. Working alongside other organizations like the People With AIDS (PWA) Self Empowerment Group, United for AIDS Action (UAA), and Women's Health Action and Mobilization (WHAM!), ACT UP can be credited with making an invaluable contribution to the AIDS movement. Just as the AIDS Quilt aimed to visually show the immensity of the epidemic, various activist groups worked together in action to raise awareness and demand assistance. “At its most radical points, ACT UP worked to expose how the devastation caused by the AIDS epidemic has been fueled by systematic oppression. In doing so, the organization moved beyond more moderate movement organizations that have typically worked within the system rather than challenging it” (Stockdill 2003:156). Even though the movement died out for the most part by the mid 1990s, today activism against AIDS still exists and organizations like ACT UP still thrive, although to a much lesser degree then during the AIDS movement.

AIDS activists in Cleveland Ohio for The Campaign to END AIDS
AIDS activist Bob Bowers and friends on the Campaign to END AIDS in Cleveland, Ohio

Click here for more photos from The Campaign to END AIDS

References

“ACT UP: AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power.” Retrieved Oct. 2, 2006

(http://www.actupny.org/).

“The AIDS Memorial Quilt.” 2005. The NAMES Project Foundation. Retrieved Nov. 12,

2006. (http://www.aidsquilt.org).

Grmek, Mirko D. 1990. History of AIDS. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Inhorn, Marcia C. 2004. “Book Reviews.” American Journal of Sociology 110(1): 275-277.

Jennings, M. Kent and Ellen Ann Andersen. 2003. “The Importance of Social and Political

Context: The Case of AIDS Activism.” Political Behavior 25(2): 177-199.

Smith, Raymond A., Ed. The Encyclopedia of AIDS: A Social, Political, Cultural, and

Scientific Record of the HIV Epidemic. 1998. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers.

Stockdill, Brett C. 2003. Activism Against AIDS: At the Intersections of Sexuality, Race,

Gender, and Class. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.

 

"Friends are quiet Angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly..."
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Learn more about my good friend Rebekka Armstrong
 

Dearest Bob,

You take every life experience and seem to be fully affected by it. You allow yourself to learn, grow, feel and express. So far you have called from camp sobbing with such real tears and sorrow about the tribute ceremony for campers-children-who have died. Then, you call with a smile so bright and a pride and joy from achieving your 'tight rope' adventure. My point being you take risk and you're real. I am so happy for your summer experience. Especially the mutual benefits and gifts you will bring to the campers and they will surely bring to you. I am blessed to know you, to care about you and to be amazed, impressed and idolize-in the most normal sense-you! You must know you're the source of my inspiration, my passion and life's work.

All My Love,

Erin Michelle

 

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AIDS activist Bob Bowers with EG Daily
Bob,

Its really incredible what you are doing. You are a blessing!   -EG Daily

 
 
 

I just wanted to say thanks for coming and speaking with our class. You just told it how it was and never hesitated to say anything and I admired that about you. I think that you related to us well and were able to educate us better then our teacher. You are brave for being outspoken about HIV and AIDS. I’ve never really had any family members or friends who have been infected by this disease but I think it will be easier to talk to them when that situation does come along because you spoke to us. You definitely are very inspiring and I wish I was as strong as you. I think everything that you’re doing is wonderful and I hope that you keep speaking and educating kids because you’re really good at it. Well good luck in life. ~Amber

 
 

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Good Grief - sounds like you've been a Busy Bob! I'm always so happy to hear things are good for you - but, they usually are, even when you have your not-so-sunny days.  Most of anyone's attitude is in their mindset and they don't seem to realize that each day they wake up, that day is a brand new day for them to do with whatever they want.  You make the very most of your time and energy and not only do you benefit, obviously, from that, but so many others around you and who know you absorb that from you, as well.  Love and Friendship, Jeannie

Never surrender Da Pirate Bob Bowers www.onetoughpirate.com

 
 

Da Pirate Bob Bowers AIDS activist/survivor with friends at Camp Heartland

Da Pirate with friends at Camp Heartland
Click here for mugshots of Da Pirate and friends

 
 
 

 

Bob Bowers Milwaukee Brewer Hall of Famer Paul Molitor and Neil Willenson Founder/CEO of Camp Heartland

Bob Bowers "Da Pirate" w/ Milwaukee Brewer Hall of Famer Paul Molitor and my incredible friend Neil Willenson Founder/CEO of Camp Heartland

 
 

 

AIDS activism in Washington D.C.

 

AIDS activists carrying the ACT UP banner in front of the White House in Washington D.C.

AIDS activists carrying the ACT UP banner and demonstrating in front of the White House

 
What Makes an Activist?
By Jeromy Dunn

Over the past several years, the word ‘activist’ has been used in a disparaging light. Being labeled an activist as of late, brings with it some negative under tones that makes one think that being an activist is ‘bad thing’.

If it weren’t for activists, women may not have the right to vote, segregation would still be law of the land, or the United States could still be under British rule.

I am an activist. I am proud to call myself an activist. I am a gay rights activist, cause I believe so strongly that everyone in the United States has the unalienable right to be treated equally and with out prejudice under the law. I am an HIV/AIDS activist, because living with this disease carries with it a stigma that can sometimes be so damaging that I waited years to be tested; I was simply too afraid of how people would have treated me if I tested positive.

Well I did test positive, and thankfully, for the most part I have been treated well by most people. This isn’t to say there are not people out there who think that my having HIV is my punishment for being gay.

I speak out, simply because there are those who are living with HIV/AIDS who can’t speak out for themselves. I speak out because I believe that just because I am living with this virus doesn’t mean that I can’t make a difference, it’s because I know I can make a difference.

If I am able to get just one person to see me as a person first and HIV second, then I have done my job.

Activism comes in all shapes, styles and people. I am proud to be an activist, and I gladly accept that label.

I want to thank a couple of people, who have inspired my activism:

Bob Bowers, aka One Tough Pirate founder of HIVictorious.org, for not only fighting this fight against AIDS but for encouraging me to do my part to end the stigma of HIV/AIDS to educate people on the facts of AIDS, and mostly I am proud to call him my friend.

Peter Staley, founder of AIDSmeds.com, for creating a space that allowed me to fuel my fire to fight AIDS, who was there at the beginning when I found out I was positive. He showed me that I have many more years left to fight on, and make some change in this world. I am also very proud to call him my friend with the deepest admiration.

I will gladly stand with you both, arm in arm, and continue this fight against HIV/AIDS.

Please visit www.pozitivelyspeaking.com to learn more about our friend Jeromy Dunn
 

AIDS activist Bob Bowers a.k.a. Da Pirate

 

 

 

 

 

Bob Bowers and Annie OTP One Tough Pirate www.onetoughpirate.com Never Surrender!
Da Pirate's dear friend Annie

CLICK TO VIEW MORE MUGSHOTS OF DA PIRATE & FRIENDS

  Bob Bowers was by far one of the most amazing speakers I have ever heard in my life. No words can describe the respect I have for him, and how much I look up to him. My sister went to Africa and worked in an orphanage. When she arrived back home again, and I heard her stories of interacting with kids who have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, I wanted to go back or do something to help so badly. Now that I have heard Mr. Bowers speak, and heard his stories, that urge is even worse. I want to do as much as I can to help. I can guarantee that I will go home tonight after school and the first thing I will do is visit his website and find out what I can do to help. It amazes me how high his spirits are in times like these and his perseverance and his hopefulness. I especially like how he is willing to share his story with people like me and inform us so that we become aware. I learned many things from Bob.

~Jennifer B.
 
 
AIDS activists Bob Bowers www.onetoughpirate.com At such moments, you realize that you and the other are, in fact, one. It's a big realization. Survival is the second law of life. The first is that we are all one.”

~Joseph Campbell

 

 

 
   
"I can't even begin to put to words what it is like to be on the other side ofaids documentary film/movie-the fire within on long term HIV/AIDS survivor bob bowers the camera when someone you have grown to love and care about is puking for 40minutes straight and you can't put the camera down to rub their back or get them water...Bob knew I had fought my own mental, emotional and physical war so he trusted me and he let me in...I have grown as a human being in ways I could have never imagined in the last three years. My heart and soul have been ripped wide open and I am so grateful to the Bowers for teaching me so much. I hope this documentary film will not only educate but also inspire people around the world to look openly at whatever challenges they face and to appreciate every day-for life is a gift."
 
 

AIDS activist Bob Bowers-Long-term HIV/AIDS survivor-Madison, Wisconsin-United States

 

eric b designing blind a&e

A&E television

Eric B AIDS Project Los Angeles-www.apla.org Hello Bob,
 
Thank you for your love and support. You are and always have been an inspiration for me. I feel that we both have continuously been fighting a difficult war and are finally seeing some results. Keep up the wonderful work as you make a huge difference. This world is better with you in it.
 
Eric B.

Please take a moment to visit my friend and Hero, Eric B's site. He is a most amazing human being and I'm proud to know him!

Please visit AIDS Project Los Angeles

 

"Friendship is a single soul living in two bodies."
 
A note from my friend and mentor, retired Los Angeles Police Officer Clark Baker, who nicknamed me Da Pirate. I can't tell you what an incredible impact Mr. Baker has left on my heart, life and mission. I am forever grateful to him and no, not just for the 'nickname':

"Your spirit and soul constantly remind Carol and I of what is truly important in life. I suspect that the rest of your friends feel this as well. It tears my heart to see the thousands of healthy self-destructive assholes in the world who make life so miserable for others when people like you must suffer so completely. If only we could issue health to deserving people who wouldn't squander it.

I think I've told you that I loathe religion and all of it's trappings. I am, however, convinced of God's existence. I believe that he has something wonderful in store for you and that, whatever it is you are enduring, you are doing so for some great purpose. I'm not certain that you see it - I'm not sure I would understand it myself. In any case, whatever purpose you have in this trial will be made to you one day. I imagine that you will appreciate Paradise more than any of us... Yours is a precious life and I'm grateful for the reminder that each moment of every day counts...

Clark Baker

PS: Want me to kidnap a kindergartener for breakfast?

 

Bob Bowers has been living with HIV/AIDS for 25 years & is an AIDS activist & youth HIV/AIDS educator
Bob Bowers aka Da Pirate has been living with HIV/AIDS for 25 years

 

 

HIV/AIDS survivors Bob Bowers Da Pirate Jake Glaser and Kalee Garland

SURVIVORS rule!!!!
Friends Jake Glaser, Kalee Garland and Da Pirate showin how we survivors do!
We have a combined 64 years of living with HIV/AIDS!
Malibu, California-2006

 
 
 

Wisconsin AIDS Ride ACT Ride Madison benefitting AIDS Network

 

Bob Bowers, Teresa and Della on the Wisconsin AIDS Ride

Da Pirate showin da guns with Teresa and Della on the Wisconsin AIDS Ride

 

 
eg daily bob bowers kalee garland

With Friends Kalee Garland and EG Daily
Los Angeles, August, 2006

Click to learn more about Kalee
Click to learn more about EG
  Dearest Bob:

So here I am jammin' to get ready for the big interview and I couldn't help but read your stories. You are something else. Yup, you had me in tears several times. YOU put me into perspective with my own medical challenges. How can I complain about the debilitating joint disease and degenerative osteoarthritis when I have friends like you suffering through the anguish of HIV. How you keep the spirit and delightful sense of humor is enlightening. You really are a beam of light and hope. How blessed I am that you and Shawn are now a significant part of my life and a driving force for my indefatigable commitment against HIV/AIDS. How blessed I am that you have so strongly reinforced my goal of elevating the care, compassion and hope for our friends with HIV/AIDS. You personify the entire mission of PEP/LA, PEP/INTERNATIONAL and all of our PEP "satellites". You are behind the true passion that motivates Wendy to continue to fight even if it means living in the bush of Africa as I did in Zimbabwe and will presumably do in the dirt of Uganda in January.

Stay strong, my angel, you are our inspiration.

Very sincere love,
Wendy Arnold

 
Bob,

Thank you so much for your inspiration. You are a gift for being able to spread your positive vibrations like no other. Next to Bob the great Marley, you are someone amazing. You touch so many people, never stop!!!
One Tough Pirate OTP clothing and merchandise to support HIVictorious' efforts of youth HIV/AIDS prevention through education

My dear friend Lora Wilkinson representin OTP wear!

CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR COMPLETE ONLINE MERCHANDISE

 
 

In memory of my dear friend Mike McKinney

 
 
HIV positive speaker and AIDS activist Bob Bowers, One Tough Pirate, also known simply as "Da Pirate," has been living with and surviving HIV/AIDS for 25 years. Bob started as a youth HIV/AIDS educator  with peer education programs in Los Angeles shortly after his diagnosis. To broaden his personal message of prevention through education, hope and awareness of the disease, Bob founded the nonprofit HIV/AIDS educational organization, HIVictorious, Inc. in 2005. HIVictorious addresses youth HIV/AIDS education and prevention and provides AIDS awareness in Madison, Wisconsin and throughout the United States through Bob's public speaking and it's AIDS awareness poster contest, "What if it Were You?" Mr. Bowers long-term survivor of HIV/AIDS, and someone who has lost dozen of friends to AIDS, Bob is wholeheartedly committed to educating today's youth and young adults, about the realities of HIV/AIDS as well as living with AIDS long-term. Mr. Bowers is a champion for hope and survival despite some of the difficult circumstances that we ALL face in life.
 

 "Compassion is our cure." ~Bob Bowers

 

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AIDS activists, youth HIV/AIDS educators, long-term survival with HIV/AIDS-Bob Bowers' www.onetoughpirate.com