New Members Packet

You are a member of ACT UP

You became a member by showing up at an ACT UP general meeting, committee meeting, or an action. We welcome you to participate in discussions at any meeting and encourage you to be part of the non-violent demonstrations organized by ACT UP.

ACT UP, AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power, is a diverse, non-partisan group of individuals, united in anger and committed to direct action to end the AIDS crisis. We meet with government officials, we distribute the latest medical information, we protest and demonstrate. We are not silent.

We are loud as we confront those who stand in the way of the fight against AIDS. We've told Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the person responsible for overseeing the government's AIDS clinical trials that many of these trials are unethical, fraudulent, and misdirected. We told Mario Cuomo that inadequate funding for AIDS services is killing us and that it is unacceptable to balance the state budget with people's lives. We took on the pharmaceutical industry for attempting to make profits at the expense of the lives of people with AIDS. We made AIDS an issue in the 1992 Presidential elections and held President Clinton responsible for the promises he made as a candidate. We are committed to protecting the lives and well-being of people living with AIDS.

We challenge anyone who, by their actions or inaction, hinders the fight against AIDS. This includes:

• anyone responsible for inadequate funding for AIDS research, healthcare, or housing for people with AIDS.
  
  
• anyone who blocks the dissemination of life-saving information about safer sex, clean needles, and other AIDS prevention, and
  
  
• anyone who encourages discrimination against people who are living with AIDS.

 

ACT UP's accomplishments include:

• a radical change in the procedures used by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the release of experimental drugs;
  
  
• developing a condom distribution plan that was approved by the NYC Board of Education in February 1991 and defending that program from subsequent attacks;
  
  
• distributing thousands of clean needles to intravenous drug users, along with information about safe injection techniques and safer sex. This program directly challenged the law that makes needle possession a criminal offense;
  
  
• forcing the Center for Disease Control to expand the definition of AIDS to include opportunistic infections common to women;
  
  
• significantly lowering the outrageous prices of pharmaceuticals through campaigns of direct action.

There is a great deal to do in the fight to end the AIDS crisis. It is up to you to decide where you fit into that fight and how much time you have to commit. We encourage you to start a new group within ACT UP if there is no committee or working group that addresses your concerns and interests. ACT UP is in a state of constant evolution. Your skills and experiences are valuable in the fight against AIDS.

More information is in the following sections:

• The Monday Night General Meeting Order and Terms
  
  
• Actions and Zaps
  
  
• ACT UP Glossary
  
  
• Committees, Caucuses, and Working Groups
  
  
• Chants