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| Abner Mason, who is a member of the Presidential Advisory Commission
on HIV/AIDS, plans on staging the largest inauguration event in which gay Republicans
will play a prominent role when President Bush is sworn in for a second term.
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Abner Mason, AIDS Responsibility Project
Marsha Martin, AIDS Action
Rich Tafel, former executive director of Log Cabin Republicans
Kevin Ivers, former political director of Log Cabin
Bob Kabel, gay chair of D.C. Republican Party
Bryan Pruitt, president of D.C. chapter of Log Cabin
Margaret Parker, ARP board member
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HOME > NEWS > LOCAL
By: LOU CHIBBARO JR. COMMENTS
 
continued...
Bush’s endorsement of a constitutional ban on gay
marriage.
Log Cabin spokesperson Christopher Barron said Log Cabin is holding two small-scale
inaugural related events. One, on Jan. 21, will be a reception at the Log Cabin
offices near Dupont Circle for Log Cabin members attending the official Bush
inaugural events.
The second, to be held Jan. 22, will be a reception honoring Bob Kabel’s
election as the nation’s first openly gay chairman of a state-level GOP
committee.
The ARP dinner will honor four Bush administration officials who have been
involved in AIDS related issues: Carol Thompson, director of the White House
Office of National AIDS Policy; Dr. Joe O’Neill, deputy Global AIDS Coordinator;
Dr. William Steiger, special assistant for international affairs to the Secretary
of Health & Human Services Tommy Thompson; and Adolfo Franco, assistant
administrator for Latin American Affairs at the U.S. Agency for International
Development.
Mason came under criticism by some AIDS activists earlier this year when he
become an outspoken opponent of the use of foreign made, generic HIV drugs for
the president’s global AIDS relief program, which calls for providing
millions of dollars in AIDS drugs to poor nations in Africa and the Caribbean
basin.
Critics noted that U.S. pharmaceutical companies, which stood to lose contracts
to foreign drug manufacturers for supplying drugs to the AIDS relief program,
were major donors to the AIDS Responsibility Project.
Mason serves as executive director of the group. According to critics, Mason’s
dual role as a member of the presidential HIV/AIDS advisory panel and head of
a group accepting drug company money created a conflict of interest.
Mason said his objections were based solely on the fact that the generic AIDS
drugs had not been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, the
same position taken by U.S. drug companies. He said citizens of poor nations
should receive the same assurances of safety and drug effectiveness that U.S.
citizens receive through the FDA approval process.
Supporters of the generic drugs say they have been proven to be safe and effective
and would save U.S. taxpayers millions of dollars.
However, news surfaced earlier this month that the World Health Organization
— a United Nations entity — removed 18 drugs previously approved
from its certification list because of violations in its application process
prompted Mason’s supporters to say his position had been vindicated. Backers
of the generic drugs said WHO’s action was based on technical violations
of application forms.
But the development was viewed by some in the AIDS community as confirmation
that the more stringent FDA approval process should be used for the global AIDS
relief program.
Lou Chibbaro Jr. can be reached at
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