The week before Thanksgiving 2010 has been a busy one for NJWAN supported NJ legislators. First the state assembly pushes to restore life saving family planning funds and then NJ legislators pass an anti-bullying bill. This bill would require schools to have a zero-tolerance policy for bullying and harassment. What makes this bill a potential success, compared to the ambiguous 2002 anti-bullying law, is this bill outlines what it means to not tolerate bullying and the processes involved in ensuring all students feel safe and free from harassment. A zero-tolerance policy for harassment is key to promoting one of NJWAN’s favorite traits…tolerance.
This bill was introduced late the week of November 15th and quickly moved through both NJ state houses, passing 71-1 in the Assembly and 35-0 in the Senate. The bill now moves to Governor Christie’s desk where legislators are unsure of his intentions. If this bill is approved by Governor Christie, it will give NJ the strictest anti-bullying laws in the nation. This anti-bullying/anti-harassment measure is intended to fill the gaps of a 2002 law that encouraged NJ schools to have policies surrounding repercussions for bullying but did not require them. The new anti-bullying law mandates that public high school employees be trained to identify bullying and properly address complaints. The NJ State Board of Education will play a significant role in ensuring schools do not tolerate harassment by grading school districts on how they handle incidents of bullying, all of which must be reported by the school’s superintendents.
Fortifying anti-bullying policies has garnered increasing support in NJ after Rutgers University freshman, Tyler Clementi, committed suicide in September. Clementi’s death was in response to homophobic cyber bullying and was not addressed by the existing Rutgers policies and support systems. The Clementi family released a statement of support for this bill stating that it “reflects the public's increased awareness of the need for a renewal of values of respect for human dignity and personal privacy, particularly for young people in this time of rapidly evolving technology.”
While this bill will create a more secure environment in NJ’s elementary, middle and high schools, it does little for higher education institutions, like Rutgers where Clementi experienced harassment. Public colleges and universities will only be required to have an anti-bullying policy written into their code of conduct. While this is a step in the right direction, there is a great difference between stating that there is a zero-tolerance policy in place and enforcing that policy. Without actual support from university staff and student leaders, homophobic, racist, sexist and classist bullying can continue to plague adolescents and young adults. A quick glance at the comments below any online news coverage of this bill (http://www.northjersey.com/news/112210_Both_houses_to_vote_on_NJ_anti-bullying_bill.html?c=y&page=2 ) demonstrates the intolerance that perpetuates bullying.
Intolerant rhetoric furthers the need for anti-bullying policy, but it does not build confidence for us at New Jersey Women and AIDS Network in the efficacy of such measures. Schools are limited to preventing and punishing bullying that occurs on school property. While NJWAN understands it would be unconstitutional to prosecute bullying that occurs elsewhere, in this age of technology bullying is pervasive and can occur on our phones, computers and personal networking sites, as well as our classrooms.
NJWAN’s hopes that a zero-tolerance for bullying bill can shape younger generations to be more tolerant but remains concerned about other pervasive and intolerant influences. Stigma, whether towards people living with HIV or based in homophobia, is toxic and is killing people. As the holiday season approaches, please keep in mind those suffering from stigma and intolerance and be mindful of your own biases. We hope for younger generations to be more tolerant but the burden does not fall entirely on them.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Soap Box Ramblings of Monique
I am about to climb on my soap box. I won’t be long, but alas here I am. Today is World AIDS Day. Quite a significant day for a woman who is the executive director of the only female specific AIDS service organization in NJ, the New Jersey Women and AIDS Network. An organization that has been around since 1988: an organization that is still very small and exists under the radar of those in need. Many who need our services still do not know that we are around. That is because we are continually challenged by the economic downturn of funding agencies (even before the so-called recession) - it makes it challenging for NJWAN to grow and increase its services.
Let me tell you why I am on my soap box. I am very frustrated and I dare to say angry beyond belief. Today my office telephone did not ring, there were no camera crews outside the office building waiting to interview me or the staff. Once again, the issue of HIV as it relates to women has gone unnoticed, swept under the carpet like dust bunnies. NJWAN used to receive at least one inquiry from someone in the media, but today, nothing. Where is the outrage? NJ has the highest proportion of women living with AIDS in the nation and the only female specific AIDS service organization did not receive an inquiry from the media? I attended a Worlds AIDS Day Event in Trenton this evening: it was a great event. But there were very few new faces. I call it preaching to the choir. No new questions, no new issues, no real challenges. I challenged the group to bring two new people each next year. I hope it works. The mayor of Trenton didn’t even stay for the entire event: the state capital, where according to one Trenton journalist’s suggested T-Shirt campaign. “In Trenton, every black person does not have HIV/AIDS — but we’re working on it”. Where is the political attention to HIV? It has fallen off like the media attention. Occasionally HIV receives some media attention, however, the attention usually is focused on the global issue not the domestic crisis. As we move closer to healthcare reform, it appears that HIV will be considered a chronic manageable disease. Is it really a chronic manageable disease? What other chronic manageable diseases are infectious? Which chronic manageable diseases can you contract from engaging in unprotected sex or can be passed from mother to child? Which others carry the stigma that HIV carries? Which chronic manageable diseases have a treatment regimen that involves such significant side effects?
Why are we being quiet as HIV ravishes our families and communities? Why, after 30 years of living with HIV do most individuals only talk openly about HIV one day a year? How long did it take to move from saying “The Big C” to actually saying Cancer? Was it 30 years? When will we realize that silence and shame truly do result in death? When will we move from using terms like high risk behaviors to describe the specific behaviors that place an individual at risk of contracting HIV: anal, oral vaginal sex and needle sharing. When is sex a high-risk behavior? How many people assess their behaviors as high-risk? If you do not assess your behaviors accurately then you will never realize your risk of contracting HIV.
What are the solutions? What are the answers to my questions? I have no idea what your answers are but this day is about recommitment. Today, December 1 2010, I will commit to NJWAN continuing to work hard to address the negative stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. NJWAN will continue to try to mobilize communities around HIV issues. NJWAN will continue to address the social justice and reproductive issues that are the foundation of HIV infection. Finally, I will continue to lead NJWAN and make as much noise as possible about the impact of HIV in our lives. What will you do? Won’t you join us?
Here I am, stepping off my soap box…..for now.
Monique
Let me tell you why I am on my soap box. I am very frustrated and I dare to say angry beyond belief. Today my office telephone did not ring, there were no camera crews outside the office building waiting to interview me or the staff. Once again, the issue of HIV as it relates to women has gone unnoticed, swept under the carpet like dust bunnies. NJWAN used to receive at least one inquiry from someone in the media, but today, nothing. Where is the outrage? NJ has the highest proportion of women living with AIDS in the nation and the only female specific AIDS service organization did not receive an inquiry from the media? I attended a Worlds AIDS Day Event in Trenton this evening: it was a great event. But there were very few new faces. I call it preaching to the choir. No new questions, no new issues, no real challenges. I challenged the group to bring two new people each next year. I hope it works. The mayor of Trenton didn’t even stay for the entire event: the state capital, where according to one Trenton journalist’s suggested T-Shirt campaign. “In Trenton, every black person does not have HIV/AIDS — but we’re working on it”. Where is the political attention to HIV? It has fallen off like the media attention. Occasionally HIV receives some media attention, however, the attention usually is focused on the global issue not the domestic crisis. As we move closer to healthcare reform, it appears that HIV will be considered a chronic manageable disease. Is it really a chronic manageable disease? What other chronic manageable diseases are infectious? Which chronic manageable diseases can you contract from engaging in unprotected sex or can be passed from mother to child? Which others carry the stigma that HIV carries? Which chronic manageable diseases have a treatment regimen that involves such significant side effects?
Why are we being quiet as HIV ravishes our families and communities? Why, after 30 years of living with HIV do most individuals only talk openly about HIV one day a year? How long did it take to move from saying “The Big C” to actually saying Cancer? Was it 30 years? When will we realize that silence and shame truly do result in death? When will we move from using terms like high risk behaviors to describe the specific behaviors that place an individual at risk of contracting HIV: anal, oral vaginal sex and needle sharing. When is sex a high-risk behavior? How many people assess their behaviors as high-risk? If you do not assess your behaviors accurately then you will never realize your risk of contracting HIV.
What are the solutions? What are the answers to my questions? I have no idea what your answers are but this day is about recommitment. Today, December 1 2010, I will commit to NJWAN continuing to work hard to address the negative stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. NJWAN will continue to try to mobilize communities around HIV issues. NJWAN will continue to address the social justice and reproductive issues that are the foundation of HIV infection. Finally, I will continue to lead NJWAN and make as much noise as possible about the impact of HIV in our lives. What will you do? Won’t you join us?
Here I am, stepping off my soap box…..for now.
Monique
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