Tom Coburn

Thomas Allen Coburn (March 14, 1948 – March 28, 2020) was an American politician and physician who served as a United States Senator for Oklahoma from 2005, until his resignation in 2015. A Republican, he previously served as a United States Representative.
Coburn was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1994 as part of the Republican Revolution. He upheld his campaign pledge to serve no more than three consecutive terms and did not run for re-election in 2000. In 2004, he returned to political life with a successful run for the United States Senate. Coburn was re-elected to a second term in 2010 and kept his pledge not to seek a third term in 2016. In January 2014, Coburn announced he would resign before the expiration of his final term. He submitted a letter of resignation to Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, effective at the end of the 113th Congress.
Coburn was a fiscal and social conservative, known for his opposition to deficit spending and pork barrel projects, and for his opposition to abortion. Described as "the godfather of the modern conservative, austerity movement", he supported term limits, gun rights and the death penalty and opposed same-sex marriage and embryonic stem cell research. Many Democrats referred to him as "Dr. No" due to his frequent use of technicalities to block federal spending bills.
After leaving Congress, Coburn worked with the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research on its efforts to reform the Food and Drug Administration, becoming a senior fellow of the institute in December 2016. Coburn also served as a senior advisor to Citizens for Self-Governance, where he was active in calling for a convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution.
Early life, education, and medical career.
Coburn was born in Casper, Wyoming, the son of Anita Joy (née Allen) and Orin Wesley Coburn. Coburn's father was an optician and founder of Coburn Optical Industries, and a named donor to O. W. Coburn School of Law at Oral Roberts University.
Coburn graduated with a B.S. in accounting from Oklahoma State University, where he was also a member of Sigma Nu fraternity. In 1968, he married Carolyn Denton, the 1967 Miss Oklahoma; their three daughters are Callie, Katie and Sarah, a leading operatic soprano. One of the top ten seniors in the School of Business, Coburn served as president of the College of Business Student Council.
From 1970 to 1978, Coburn served as a manufacturing manager at the Ophthalmic Division of Coburn Optical Industries in Colonial Heights, Virginia. While Coburn was manager, the Virginia division of Coburn Optical grew from 13 employees to over 350 and captured 35 percent of the U.S. market.
After recovering from an occurrence of malignant melanoma, Coburn pursued a medical degree and graduated from the University of Oklahoma Medical School with honors in 1983. He then opened Maternal & Family Practice in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and served as a deacon in a Southern Baptist Church. During his career in obstetrics, he treated over 15,000 patients, delivered 4,000 babies and was subject to one malpractice lawsuit, which was dismissed without finding Coburn at fault. Together Coburn and his wife were members of First Baptist Church of Muskogee.
Sterilization controversy.
A sterilization Coburn performed on a 20-year-old woman, Angela Plummer, in 1990, became what was called "the most incendiary issue" of his Senate campaign. Coburn performed the sterilization on the woman during an emergency surgery to treat a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, removing her healthy intact fallopian tube as well as the one damaged by the surgery. The woman sued Coburn, alleging that he did not have consent to sterilize her, while Coburn claimed he had her oral consent. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed with no finding of liability on Coburn's part.
The state attorney general claimed that Coburn committed Medicaid fraud by not reporting the sterilization when he filed a claim for the emergency surgery. Medicaid did not reimburse doctors for sterilization procedures for patients under 21 and according to the attorney general, Coburn would not have been reimbursed at all had he disclosed this information. Coburn says since he did not file a claim for the sterilization, no fraud was committed. No charges were filed against Coburn for this claim.
Political career.
House career.
In 1994, Coburn ran for the House of Representatives in Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district, which was based in Muskogee and included 22 counties in northeastern Oklahoma. Coburn initially expected to face eight-term incumbent Mike Synar. However, Synar was defeated in a runoff for the Democratic nomination by a 71-year-old retired principal, Virgil Cooper. According to Coburn's 2003 book, "Breach of Trust: How Washington Turns Outsiders Into Insiders", Coburn and Cooper got along well, since both were opposed to the more liberal Synar. The general election was cordial since both men knew that Synar would not return to Washington regardless of the outcome. Coburn won by a 52%–48% margin, becoming the first Republican to represent the district since 1921.
Coburn was one of the most conservative members of the House. He supported "reducing the size of the federal budget," wanted to make abortion illegal and supported the proposed television V-chip legislation.
Despite representing a heavily Democratic district and President Bill Clinton's electoral dominance therein, Coburn was reelected in 1996 and 1998.
In the House, Coburn earned a reputation as a political maverick due to his frequent battles with House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Most of these stand-offs stemmed from his belief that the Republican caucus was moving toward the political center and away from the more conservative Contract With America policy proposals that had brought the Republicans into power in Congress in 1994 for the first time in 40 years.
Coburn endorsed conservative activist and former diplomat Alan Keyes in the 2000 Republican presidential primaries. Coburn retired from Congress in 2001, fulfilling his pledge to serve no more than three terms in the House. His congressional district returned to the Democratic fold, as attorney Brad Carson defeated Andy Ewing, a Republican endorsed by Coburn. After leaving the House and returning to private medical practice, Coburn wrote "Breach of Trust", with ghostwriter John Hart, about his experiences in Congress. The book detailed Coburn's perspective on the internal Republican Party debates over the Contract With America and displayed his disdain for career politicians. Some of the figures he criticized (such as Gingrich) were already out of office at the time of the book's publishing, but others (such as former House Speaker Dennis Hastert) remained influential in Congress, which resulted in speculation that some congressional Republicans wanted no part of Coburn's return to politics.
During his tenure in the House, Coburn wrote and passed far-reaching pieces of legislation. These include laws to expand seniors' health care options, to protect access to home health care in rural areas and to allow Americans to access cheaper medications from Canada and other nations. Coburn also wrote a law intended to prevent the spread of AIDS to infants. "The Wall Street Journal" said about the law, "In 10 long years of AIDS politics and funding, this is actually the first legislation to pass in this country that will rescue babies." He also wrote a law to renew and reform federal AIDS care programs. In 2002, President George W. Bush chose Coburn to serve as co-chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA).
During his three terms in the House, Coburn also played an influential role in reforming welfare and other federal entitlement programs.
"Schindler's List" TV broadcast.
As a congressman in 1997, Coburn protested NBC's plan to air the R-rated Academy Award-winning Holocaust drama "Schindler's List" during prime time. Coburn stated that, in airing the movie without editing it for television, TV had been taken "to an all-time low, with full-frontal nudity, violence and profanity." He also said the TV broadcast should outrage parents and decent-minded individuals everywhere. Coburn described the airing of "Schindler's List" on television as "irresponsible sexual behavior. I cringe when I realize that there were children all across this nation watching this program."
This statement met with strong criticism, as the film deals mainly with the Holocaust. After heavy criticism, Coburn apologized "to all those I have offended" and clarified that he agreed with the movie being aired on television, but stated that it should have been on later in the evening. In apologizing, Coburn said that at that time of the evening there are still large numbers of children watching without parental supervision and stated that he stood by his message of protecting children from violence, but had expressed it poorly. He also said, "My intentions were good, but I've obviously made an error in judgment in how I've gone about saying what I wanted to say."
He later wrote in "Breach of Trust" that he considered this one of the biggest mistakes in his life and that, while he still felt the material was unsuitable for a 7 p.m. television broadcast, he handled the situation poorly.
Senate career.
After three years out of politics, Coburn announced his candidacy for the Senate seat being vacated by four-term incumbent  Republican Don Nickles. Former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys (the favorite of the state and national Republican establishment) and Corporation Commissioner Bob Anthony joined the field before Coburn. However, Coburn won the primary by an unexpectedly large margin, taking 61% of the vote to Humphreys's 25%. In the general election, he faced Brad Carson, the Democrat who had succeeded him in the 2nd District and was giving up his seat after only two terms.
In the election, Coburn won by a margin of 53% to Carson's 42%. While Carson routed Coburn in the generally heavily Democratic 2nd District, Coburn swamped Carson in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area and the closer-in Tulsa suburbs. Coburn won the state's two largest counties, Tulsa and Oklahoma, by a combined 86,000 votes, more than half of his overall margin of 166,000 votes cast.
Coburn's Senate voting record was as conservative as his House record.
Coburn was re-elected in 2010. He received 90% of the vote in the Republican primary and 70% in the general election. While he already planned on not seeking a third term in the Senate due to his self-imposed two-term term limit, on January 16, 2014, Coburn announced he would resign his office before his term ended at the end of the year due to his declining health.
On April 29, 2014, Coburn introduced the Insurance Capital Standards Clarification Act of 2014 (S. 2270; 113th Congress) into the Senate and it passed on June 3, 2014.
Use of Senate hold.
Coburn used the Senate hold privilege to prevent several bills from coming to the Senate floor. Coburn earned a reputation for his use of this procedural mechanism. In November 2009 Coburn drew attention for placing a hold on a veterans benefits bill known as the Veterans' Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act. Coburn also placed a hold on a bill intended to help end hostilities in Uganda by the Lord's Resistance Army.
On May 23, 2007, Coburn blocked two bills honoring the 100th birthday of Rachel Carson. Coburn called Carson's scientific work "junk science," proclaiming that Carson's landmark book "Silent Spring" was "the catalyst in the deadly worldwide stigmatization against insecticides, especially DDT." Democratic Senator Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland had intended to submit a resolution celebrating Carson for her "legacy of scientific rigor coupled with poetic sensibility," but Coburn blocked it, saying that "the junk science and stigma surrounding DDT—the cheapest and most effective insecticide on the planet—have finally been jettisoned."
In response to Coburn's holds, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced the Advancing America's Priorities Act, , in July 2008. S. 3297 combined thirty-five bills which Coburn had blocked into what Democrats called the "Tomnibus" bill. The bill included health care provisions, new penalties for child pornography, and several natural resources bills. The bill failed a cloture vote.
Coburn opposed parts of the legislation creating the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Area, which would add protections to wildlands in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Coburn exercised a hold on the legislation in both March and November 2008, and decried the required $10 million for surveying and mapping as wasteful. The Mount Hood bill would have been the largest amount of land added to federal protection since 1984.
In March 2009, those wilderness areas became protected under the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, which passed the Senate 73–21.
According to the "Boston Globe", Coburn initially blocked passage of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), objecting to provisions in the bill that allow discrimination based on genetic information from embryos and fetuses. After the embryo loophole was closed, Coburn lifted his hold on the bill.
Coburn had initially blocked passage of the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act, which would help to disarm the Lord's Resistance Army, a political group accused of human rights abuses. On March 9, 2010, Coburn lifted his hold on the LRA bill freeing it to move to the Senate floor after reaching a compromise regarding the funding of the bill, and an eleven-day protest outside of his office.
John Ensign scandal.
Coburn was affiliated with a religious organization called The Family. Coburn previously lived in one of the Family's Washington, D.C. dormitories with then-Senator John Ensign, another Family member and longtime resident of the C Street Center who admitted he had an extramarital affair with a staffer in 2009. The announcement by Ensign of his infidelity brought public scrutiny of the Family and its connection to other high-ranking politicians, including Coburn.
Coburn, together with senior members of the Family, attempted to intervene to end Ensign's affair in February 2008, before the affair became public, including by meeting with the husband of Ensign's mistress and encouraging Ensign to write a letter to his mistress breaking off the affair. Ensign was driven to a branch of Federal Express from the C Street Center to post the letter, shortly after which Ensign called to tell his mistress to ignore it.
Coburn refused to speak about his involvement in Ensign's affair or his knowledge of the affair well before it became public, asserting legal privilege due to his separate statuses as a licensed physician in the State of Oklahoma and a deacon.
In October 2009, Coburn did make a statement to "The New York Times" about Ensign's affair and cover-up: "John got trapped doing something really stupid and then made a lot of other mistakes afterward. Judgment gets impaired by arrogance and that's what's going on here."
In May 2011, the Senate Ethics Committee identified Coburn in their report on the ethics violations of Senator John Ensign. The report stated that Coburn knew about Ensign's extramarital affair and was involved in trying to negotiate a financial settlement to cover it up.
Whistleblower rights.
Coburn was involved in the Bush Administration's struggle with Congress over whistleblower rights. In the case of "Garcetti v. Ceballos", the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that government employees who testify against their employers did not have protection from retaliation by their employers under the First Amendment of the Constitution. The free speech protections of the First Amendment have long been used to shield whistleblowers from retaliation.
In response to the Supreme Court decision, the House passed H.R. 985, the Whistleblower Protection Act of 2007. Bush, citing national security concerns, promised to veto the bill should it be enacted into law by Congress. The Senate's version of the Whistleblower Protection Act (S. 274) was approved by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on June 13, 2007. However, that version failed to reach a vote by the Senate, as Coburn placed a hold on the bill; effectively preventing the passage of the bill, which had bipartisan support in the Senate.
Coburn's website features a news item about United Nations whistleblower Mathieu Credo Koumoin, a former employee for the U.N. Development Program in West Africa, who has asked U.N. ethics chief Robert Benson for protection under the U.N.'s new whistleblower protection rules. The site has a link to the "United Nations Watch" of the Republican Office of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs' Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information and International Security, of which he was the ranking minority member. Coburn's website also features a tip line for potential whistleblowers on government waste and fraud.
Council on American–Islamic Relations.
Coburn joined Congressmen Sue Myrick (R-NC), Trent Franks (R-AZ), John Shadegg (R-AZ), Paul Broun (R-GA) and Patrick McHenry (R-NC) in a letter to IRS Commissioner Douglas H. Shulman on November 16, 2009, asking that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) be investigated for excessive lobbying and failing to register as a lobbying organization. The request came in the wake of the publication of a book, "Muslim Mafia", the foreword of which had been penned by Myrick, that portrayed CAIR as a subversive organization allied with international terrorists.
Criticism of the National Science Foundation.
On May 26, 2011 Coburn released his 73-page report, "", receiving immediate attention from such media outlets as "The New York Times", Fox News and MSNBC.
STOCK Act.
Coburn was one of three senators who voted against the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (STOCK Act). On February 3, 2012, Coburn released the following statement regarding the Act:
Committee assignments.
Coburn was a member of the following committees:
Political positions.
Abortion.
Coburn opposed abortion, with the exception of abortions necessary to save the life of the mother. In 2000, he sponsored a bill to prevent the Food and Drug Administration from developing, testing, or approving the abortifacient RU-486. On July 13, the bill failed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 182 to 187. On the issue, Coburn sparked controversy with his remark, "I favor the death penalty for abortionists and other people who take life." He noted that his great-grandmother was raped by a sheriff.
Coburn was one of the original authors of the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act upheld by the United States Supreme Court in "Gonzales v. Carhart". The act relied on an expansive view of the Constitution's Commerce Clause, as it applies to "any physician who, in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, knowingly performs a partial-birth abortion." The Act's reliance on such a broad reading of the Commerce Clause was criticized by Independence Institute scholar David Kopel and University of Tennessee law professor Glenn Reynolds, who noted that "[u]nless a physician is operating a mobile abortion clinic on the Metroliner, it is not really possible to perform an abortion 'in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce.'" When Coburn later called Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan "ignorant" due to her "very expansive view" of the Commerce Clause, his support for the Act was used by Kagan supporters who charged him with hypocrisy on the issue.
On September 14, 2005, during the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts, Coburn began his opening statement with a critique of Beltway partisan politics while, according to news reports, "choking back a sob." Coburn had earlier been completing a crossword puzzle during the hearings, and this fact was highlighted by "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" to ridicule Coburn's pathos. Coburn then began his questioning by discussing the various legal terms mentioned during the previous day's hearings. Proceeding to questions regarding both abortion and end-of-life issues, Coburn, who noted that during his tenure as an obstetrician he had delivered some 4,000 babies, asked Roberts whether the judge agreed with the proposition that "the opposite of being dead is being alive."
Fiscal conservatism.
The best-known of Coburn's amendments was an amendment to the fiscal 2006 appropriations bill that funds transportation projects. Coburn's amendment would have transferred funding from the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska to rebuild Louisiana's "Twin Spans" bridge, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. The amendment was defeated in the Senate, 82–14, after Ted Stevens, the senior senator from Alaska, threatened to resign his office if the amendment were passed. Coburn's actions did result in getting the funds made into a more politically feasible block grant to the State of Alaska, which could use the funds for the bridge or other projects. The renovations for the Elizabethtown Amtrak Station were cited by Coburn as an example of pork barrel spending in the stimulus bill.
Coburn was also a member of the Fiscal Watch Team, a group of seven senators led by John McCain, whose stated goal was to combat "wasteful government spending."
On April 6, 2006, Coburn and Senators Barack Obama, Thomas Carper and John McCain introduced the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006. The bill requires the full disclosure of all entities and organizations receiving federal funds beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2007 on a website maintained by the Office of Management and Budget. The bill was signed into law on September 26, 2006.
Coburn and McCain noted that the practice of members of Congress adding earmarks had risen dramatically over the years, from 121 earmarks in 1987 to 15,268 earmarks in 2005, according to the Congressional Research Service.
In July 2007, Coburn criticized pork-barrel spending that Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson had inserted into the 2007 defense spending bill. Coburn said that the earmarks would benefit Nelson's son Patrick's employer with millions in federal dollars and that the situation violated terms of the Transparency Act, which was passed by the Senate but had not yet been voted on in the House. Nelson's spokesperson said the Senator did nothing wrong. At that time, newspapers in Nebraska and Oklahoma noted that Coburn failed to criticize very similar earmarks that had benefited Oklahoma.
In 1997, Coburn introduced a bill called the HIV Prevention Act of 1997, which would have amended the Social Security Act. The bill would have required confidential notification of HIV exposure to the sexual partners of those diagnosed with HIV, along with counseling and testing.
In 2010, Coburn called for a freeze on defense spending. The following year, along with Democratic Maryland Senator Ben Cardin, he introduced a bill to "get rid of the most venerable big ethanol subsidy: the blenders tax credit." Coburn served on the Simpson-Bowles debt reduction commission in 2010 and was one of the only Republicans in Congress open to tax increases as a means of balancing the budget.
In 2011 Coburn broke with Americans for Tax Reform with an ethanol amendment that gathered 70 votes in the Senate. He said that anti-tax activist Grover Norquist's influence was overstated, and that revenue increases were needed in order to "fix the country."
In 2012, Coburn identified less than $7 billion a year in possible defense savings and over half of these savings were to be through the elimination of military personnel involved in supply, transportation, and communications services.
In May 2013, after tornadoes ripped through his state, Coburn said that any new funding allocated for disaster relief needed to be offset by cuts to other federal spending.
Coburn was a fierce critic of the plan to attempt to defund the Affordable Care Act by shutting down the federal government, saying that the strategy was "doomed to fail" and that Ted Cruz and others who supported the plan had a "short-term goal with lousy tactics".
Gun rights.
In regards to the Second Amendment, Coburn believed that it "recognizes the right of individual, law-abiding citizens to own and use firearms," and he opposed "any and all efforts to mandate gun control on law-abiding citizens." On the Credit CARD Act of 2009, which aimed "to establish fair and transparent practices relating to the extension of credit under an open-end consumer credit plan and for other purposes," Coburn sponsored an amendment that would allow concealed carry of firearms in national parks. The Senate passed the amendment 67–29.
Coburn placed a hold on final Senate consideration of a measure passed by the House in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings to improve state performance in checking the federal watch list of gun buyers. However, after the Sandy Hook massacre in December 2012, Coburn (who had already announced he would not run for re-election) reversed himself and came out in support of universal background checks. Coburn partnered with Democratic members of the Senate such as Charles Schumer and Joe Manchin (to whose re-election campaign Coburn donated money) to determine what a universal background check measure should look like. However, these talks ultimately broke down, and in April 2013, Coburn was one of 46 senators to vote against the amendment in its final form, defeating its passage.
Health care reform.
Coburn voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009, and against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.
Coburn co-authored the Patients Choice Act of 2009 (S. 1099), a Republican plan for health care reform in the United States, which in part 1) Requires the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to convene an interagency coordinating committee to develop a national strategic plan for prevention. The act provided for health promotion and disease prevention activities consistent with such a plan. Secondly it set forth provisions governing the establishment and operation of state-based health care exchanges to facilitate the individual purchase of private health insurance and the creation of a market where private health plans compete for enrollees based on price and quality. Thirdly it intended to amend the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable tax credit for qualified health care insurance coverage. Fourth it sets forth programs to prevent Medicare fraud and abuse, including ending the use of social security numbers to identify Medicare beneficiaries. Fifth it sought to terminate the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Presidential nominations to the Judicial and Executive branches of government.
During the administration of President George W. Bush, Coburn spoke out against the threat by some Democrats to filibuster nominations to judicial and Executive Branch positions. He took the position that no presidential nomination should ever be filibustered, in light of the wording of the U.S. Constitution. Coburn said, "There is a defined charge to the president and the Senate on advice and consent."
In May 2009, Coburn was the only Senator to vote against the confirmation of Gil Kerlikowske as the Director of the National Drug Control Policy.
Same-sex marriage.
Coburn opposed same-sex marriage. In 2006, he voted in support of a proposed constitutional amendment to ban it.
War in Iraq.
On May 24, 2007, the U.S. Senate voted 80–14 to fund the war in Iraq, which included U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007. Coburn voted nay. On October 1, 2007, the Senate voted 92–3 to fund the war in Iraq. Coburn voted nay. In February 2008, Coburn said, "I will tell you personally that I think it was probably a mistake going to Iraq."
On December 15, 2014, Coburn stalled the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act aimed at stemming veteran suicides. The bill would require a report on successful veteran suicide prevention programs and allow the United States Veterans Administration to pay incentives to hire psychiatrists. Paul Rieckhoff, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said that despite his reputation as a budget hawk, Coburn should have recognized that the $22 million cost of the bill is worth the lives it would have saved. "It's a shame that after two decades of service in Washington, Sen. Coburn will always be remembered for this final, misguided attack on veterans nationwide," he said. "If it takes 90 days for the new Congress to re-pass this bill, the statistics tell us another 1,980 vets will have died by suicide. That should be a heavy burden on the conscience of Sen. Coburn and this Congress." Speaking out against the legislation, Coburn said "I object, not because I don't want to save suicides, but because I don't think this bill will do the first thing to change what's happening," arguing that the bill" "throws money and doesn't solve the real problem"
Post-Senate career.
After resigning from the U.S. Senate, Coburn joined Citizens for Self-Governance as a senior advisor to the group's Convention of States project, which seeks to convene a convention to propose amendments to the United States Constitution. In 2017, he authored a book on the subject titled "Smashing the DC Monopoly: Using Article V to Restore Freedom and Stop Runaway Government".
Coburn was affiliated with the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, consulting on the institute's Project FDA, an effort to promote faster drug approval processes. In 2016, he became a Manhattan Institute senior fellow.
Awards.
In 2013, Coburn received the U.S. Senator John Heinz Award for Greatest Public Service by an Elected or Appointed Official, an award given out annually by the Jefferson Awards.
Personal life.
In spite of their ideological differences, Coburn was a friend of President Barack Obama. They became friends in 2005 when they both arrived in the Senate at the same time. They worked together on political ethics reform legislation, to set up an online federal spending database and to crack down on no-bid contracting at the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In April 2011, Coburn spoke to Bloomberg TV about Obama, saying, "I love the man. I think he's a neat man. I don't want him to be president, but I still love him. He is our President. He's my President. And I disagree with him adamantly on 95% of the issues, but that doesn't mean I can't have a great relationship. And that's a model people ought to follow."
Before the 2009 BCS game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida Gators, Coburn made a bet over the outcome of the game with Florida Senator Bill Nelson—the loser had to serenade the winner with a song. The Gators defeated the Sooners and Coburn sang Elton John's "Rocket Man" to Nelson, who had once flown into space.
Illness and death.
In November 2013, Coburn made public that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. In 2011, he had prostate cancer surgery while also surviving colon cancer and melanoma. The results caused Coburn to resign from the senate in 2014.
Coburn died at his home in Tulsa on March 28, 2020. A memorial service to honor his life was held a year later on May 1, 2021, at South Tulsa Baptist Church.


BiFest

A BiFest is a one-day festival celebrating bisexuality, usually with workshops and discussions during the day and social events in the evening, complementing the larger convention BiCon. Currently there have been at least sixteen BiFests around the UK since 1999, with the busiest attracting around 130 people.
The content of each BiFest differs, dependent on the wishes of the organisers. Features that have been consistent so far include a basic introduction to bisexuality, useful literature, people to chat to, arts/crafts and cake. Other sessions such as activism, fun and games and flirting tend to pop up fairly regularly.
Everyone is welcome, whether they are bi, bicurious, partners, friends or allies of bi people provided they are open and accepting of other attendees. Access for those with impaired mobility or with children will differ for each BiFest, so please check in advance.
Past events.
The first BiFest, in 1999, was a "Festival of Bisexuality", and was combined with a bisexual march through London. Similar smaller events were held in Manchester in 2001 and 2002. However, they did not use the "BiFest" branding, and the idea was not taken up again until 2005, when a new organising team stepped forward to create an annual BiFest in London.


National LGBT Cancer Network

The National LGBT Cancer Network (formerly called "The LGBT Cancer Project") is a nonprofit organization launched in September 2007. It is one of the first programs in the United States that addresses the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) cancer survivors and those at risk and the only one founded and directed by members of the LGBT community. The Network was founded by Liz Margolies, LCSW.
Establishment.
There are a number of local lesbian cancer programs and one national lesbian health organization, Mautner Project. The National LGBT Cancer Network contains an online cancer screening and referral program, entitled "Take Care of That Body", original articles on cancer risks and survivorship experiences of the LGBT community, and links to resources for both LGBT people and health professionals.
The Network's goals are
Recent work with the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation.
In 2010, the National LGBT Cancer Network was selected to develop an LGBT cultural competence in healthcare curriculum that became mandatory for all 38,000 employees of the municipal hospital system .
Cancer In The LGBT Community.
Lesbians, gay men and transgender men and women experience disparities in availability of health insurance and are considered to be at increased risk for multiple types of cancer, based on behaviors such as high smoking and drinking rates, high fat diet, receptive anal intercourse and positive HIV status. Increased risks are coupled with decreased screening behaviors, resulting in cancers being detected at a later stage when it is more difficult to treat. Decreased screening is linked to lower insurance rates and perceived homophobia in health care. LGBT people experience extra challenges in cancer survivorship, including acceptance of their families by oncologists and emergency rooms and information about the effect of treatment on sexuality, relationships and fertility.


Sing (Annie Lennox song)

"Sing" is a song recorded by Scottish singer Annie Lennox for her fourth solo studio album, "Songs of Mass Destruction" (2007). It was released as the second single from the album on 1 December 2007 by RCA Records. Lennox was inspired to write the track after seeing South African activist Zackie Achmat at Nelson Mandela's 46664 HIV/AIDS concert. She wanted the track to be a source of empowerment for people without a voice of their own. It also gave rise to her SING Campaign which aimed to raise funds and awareness for issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. "Sing" was produced by Glen Ballard and interpolates the South African tune "Jikelele"; the music was given to Lennox by an activist group called The Generics.
Lennox personally invited other musicians and singers to work on the track. Ultimately 23 singers were enlisted, who recorded guest vocals on the chorus of the song in different locations. Among them, American singer Madonna also sang the second verse. "Sing" was accompanied by a number of remixes released on the same date. A music video was also released to promote the track. Lennox also performed it throughout the United States as part of her SING campaign. Music critics noted the empowering and anthemic nature of the track, recalling Lennox's previous work. It had minor chart placements on the UK Singles Chart, and the US Adult Contemporary and Dance Club Songs charts.
Background and release.
Lennox was attending a benefit held by former South African president Nelson Mandela's 46664 HIV/AIDS campaign in 2003. There she was surprised to see a man wearing a black t-shirt with the message "I am HIV positive" written in capital letters. She found it to be a bold statement and inquired about the man, who turned out to be Zackie Achmat, a South African activist, film director, and co-founder of the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC). Although the singer had been associated with the 46664 campaign, being introduced to Achmat gave her an opportunity to do more for the campaign and the project.
We need people like [Achmat], he fights the fight... He refused to take his anti-retroviral medication unless it was made affordable and available to everyone—a hugely courageous thing to do. Before then, I'd been frustrated because I wanted to be more hands-on. I just feel that TAC are doing it where it needs to happen. It really needed to be given support, and I thought that perhaps I might be well-placed to do it.
Lennox was ultimately inspired to develop "Sing" based on Achmat's activism on behalf of HIV and AIDS afflicted people. A group of activists called The Generics had given her a CD of music, and Lennox combined her inspiration and one of the songs from the CD to compose "Sing". It ultimately became a collaboration between Lennox and 23 prominent female singers. Afterwards, it was included on Lennox's fourth solo studio album, "Songs of Mass Destruction" (2007). "Sing" was released as the second single from the album for digital download on 1 December 2007.
Afterwards, Lennox developed The SING Campaign which aimed to raise funds and awareness for issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. She also wrote on her official website that the song is about raising money and awareness for what she considers to be an HIV/AIDS genocide. Citing Mandela's speech in which he said, "Let us use the universal language of music, to sing out our message around the world", Lennox wanted "Sing" to be an anthem and symbol of unity and empowerment, to help spread awareness in the world. "Because the incidence of HIV AIDS is on the rise for women, especially in the pandemic across the whole of the African continent, I thought perhaps I could be of benefit by writing a song and empowering those women who do not have an international voice," the singer clarified.
Recording and composition.
"Sing" incorporates the South African activist song "Jikelele", which translates into "global treatment". Developed by The Generics, "Jikelele" was used as theme for Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programs across South Africa. After writing it, Lennox wanted to ask other renowned artists to contribute vocals to the song. She wrote a generic letter to many and waited for a response. Although some of the artists were not available, many answered in the affirmative, and ultimately 23 singers were enlisted.
"Sing" features" primary vocals by Lennox and American singer Madonna; the latter sings solo on the second verse. Apart from them, the line-up consists of: Anastacia, Isobel Campbell, Dido, Céline Dion, Melissa Etheridge, Fergie, Beth Gibbons, Faith Hill, Angélique Kidjo, Beverley Knight, Gladys Knight, k.d. lang, Sarah McLachlan, Beth Orton, Pink, Bonnie Raitt, Shakira, Shingai Shoniwa, Joss Stone, Sugababes, KT Tunstall and, Martha Wainwright. Since accommodating all the singers would have posed a scheduling challenge, Lennox asked them to contribute vocals on the chorus of the song. When she received the recorded vocals from Madonna, Lennox found that Madonna had not only sung during the chorus, but also contributed by singing the second verse. She "was really touched – for Madonna is very rigorous in what she gets involved in and for her to do that for me, I was thrilled to bits". Lennox also admitted that featuring Madonna would bring a bigger audience for the song, thereby helping the cause. The refrain consists of an "empowering message" with the group of singers belting the line "Sing my sister Sing! / Let your voice be heard" while interpolating "Jikelele" in between. According to Jon Pareles of "The New York Times", "Sing" consists of a piano played in the background reminiscent of Marvin Gaye's 1968 single, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine".
In an interview with "Performing Songwriter" magazine, producer Glen Ballard recalled that he completed the recording of the featured artists in various locations, conducting the sessions through the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN): "Shakira in Puerto Rico, Pink in Zurich, Madonna in London etc". Lennox contacted British Indian musician Nitin Sawhney to work on an alternate version of the song. Her official website also announced the release of special remixes of the track on 1 December 2007, with contributions from Moto Blanco, Dean Coleman and Harry "Choo Choo" Romero among others.
Reception and promotion.
Thom Jurek from AllMusic described "Sing" as a "huge feminist anthem" and described it as consisting of a "killer hook, a big bad soul/gospel refrain, and a beat that, once it gets into the spine, will not be easily dismissed". "Boston Globe"s Sarah Rodman compared it to the Eurythmics' 1985 single "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" adding that it carried Lennox's characteristic messages of "optimism and empowerment". Liz Hoggard of "The Guardian" called the song a "showstopper" and the collaboration as "incandescent". Sal Cinquemani of "Slant Magazine" also noted the anthemic nature of the track and its "smartly plays more like a broad-spectrum sisters-are-doin’-it-for-themselves" nature, while believing that it would have been better suited as the album's title song than "Songs of Mass Destruction". Similar thoughts were echoed by Chris Jones of BBC News who felt that "Sing" was able to "overcome its weighty agenda to take life as a great song in its own right".
Stephen Errity from "Hot Press" called "Sing" the album's "magnum opus" and a return to Lennox singing torch songs. He described it as a female point of view version of Band Aid's "Feed the World" but felt that the message got lost in the actual "gospel-tinged" composition. A music video for the song was released on the MSN website on 29 November 2007. Lennox toured throughout the United States promoting the SING campaign, and also performed the song.
Credits and personnel.
Credits adapted from CD single liner notes.


Kimberly Bergalis

Kimberly Ann Bergalis (January 19, 1968 – December 8, 1991) was an American woman who was one of six patients purportedly infected with HIV by dentist David J. Acer, who was infected with HIV and died of AIDS in September 1990. This incident is the first known case of clinical transmission of HIV.
Background.
The eldest of three daughters, Bergalis was born in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania in 1968, where her family lived until moving to Florida in 1978. In 1985, she enrolled at the University of Florida and majored in business.
In December 1987, dentist Dr. David Acer removed two of Bergalis's molars. Acer was HIV-positive at the time, having been diagnosed that fall. In March 1989 Bergalis began to show symptoms of AIDS and was diagnosed with the disease in January 1990. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) initial report that she had likely acquired her infection from her dentist prompted Acer to write an open letter requesting that his patients be tested for HIV infection. The Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services tested over 1000 patients, discovering two additional HIV-positive patients. The CDC would eventually identify a total of ten HIV-positive former Acer patients and link the infections of six to Acer.
CDC investigation.
The CDC conducted a phylogenetic analysis of the DNA sequences of the viral "envelope" gene. The analysis revealed that the viral sequences from five patients, including Bergalis, were more closely related to the dentist's viral sequences than to those from local controls. Later analyses identified another HIV-positive patient with a viral sequence closely related to Acer's. Independent review of the CDC tests strengthened the case that Bergalis' HIV infection was linked to Acer.
The time between Bergalis' dental procedure and the development of AIDS (24 months) was short; 1% of infected homosexual/bisexual men and 5% of infected transfusion recipients develop AIDS within two years of infection.
Political reaction.
During the last months of her life, Bergalis' case was cited by some politicians and journalists as an example of a 'blameless' HIV infection that had been allowed to happen due to the CDC and the healthcare industry being overly responsive to the concerns of AIDS activists and the gay community. In an obituary, the "National Review" wrote that Bergalis...
came to feel she had a special calling...to bring a glimmer of truth, however forlorn, into a debate characterized by confusion, denial, smugness, and suicidal self-indulgence... 'No sexual history' is how the jaded describe a chaste woman of 23 who, as Miss Bergalis explained to disbelieving interviewers, 'wanted to wait for marriage.' Marriage and its joys will never come for Kimberly Bergalis, but in her integrity and courage she affirmed that other things were also precious.
Bergalis actively participated in several actions by congressmen to pass legislation restricting the activities of persons infected with HIV. Shortly before Bergalis's 1991 death, despite failing health, she testified before the Congress in support of a bill sponsored by Representative William Dannemeyer mandating HIV tests for healthcare workers, and permitting doctors to test patients without their consent.
Death and posthumous controversy.
On December 8, 1991, Bergalis died of AIDS-related complications at her home in Fort Pierce, Florida. Her funeral was held on December 12 in her hometown of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania after which she was buried in Saints Peter and Paul RC Lithuanian Cemetery.
Shortly after Bergalis’ death, a small park on Hutchinson Island South, Florida was renamed Kimberly Bergalis Memorial Park in her memory.
Nearly three years after Bergalis’ death, in June 1994, CBS aired an episode of "60 Minutes" that included a segment covering Dr. Acer and the patients he infected. The episode alleged that Bergalis, who said she was a virgin, had been treated for genital warts, a sexually transmitted disease, and showed her on videotape allegedly claiming to have had sex with two different men during her life. However, none of Bergalis' former serious boyfriends tested positive for HIV. In addition, the "60 Minutes" anchors argued that the CDC may have botched the genetic tests that proved that Bergalis had the same strain of HIV as her dentist. The television broadcast was dismissed by CDC scientists as misleading and inaccurate. Stephen Barr, a journalist who contributed to the show, rebutted this dismissal.


Cindy Amaiza

Cindy Amaiza is a Kenyan HIV/AIDS activist. She is a student living in Nairobi, and HIV positive. She is associated with Partnership to Inspire, Transform, and Connect the HIV response (PITCH) partner organization Ambassador for Youth and Adolescent Reproductive Health Program (AYARHEP), and is also the founder of KY-PLUS, a national YPLHIV network in Kenya.
Activism.
Soon after founding Y+ Kenya in late 2017, Amaiza, as national coordinator, found that many of her peers were taking expired antiretroviral medications. Y+ Kenya brought the issue to the Kenyan Ministry of Health, which at first denied the existence of an issue. After the network presented testimony from about 40 young people, the Ministry stated that antiretrovirals had a shelf life three months past the expiration date, but under further pressure from Amaiza's group, the Ministry contacted the involved health centers and arranged for fresh replacement medication to be given to those affected.
The group also campaigned for more HIV-positive people to be consulted in decisions by the Ministry of Health and National AIDS Control Council.
As of 2019, Y+ Kenya had six member organizations, all led by and serving people age 10–30. Each focuses on different issues, such as transactional sex, adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights, mental health, young female sex workers, and female drug users.
Amaiza also worked to improve Kenya's planned universal health coverage (UHC). Young people with HIV campaigned against its launch, as the National Health Insurance Fund would have required payments for 6 to 12 months before access to healthcare, and had little coverage. Surveying her community, Amaiza's group collected opinions on improving the UHC plan, and advocated for some of those ideas to be included in the Kenya AIDS Strategic Framework (KASF).


Washington Families Standing Together

Washington Families Standing Together (WAFST) was founded in 2009 to preserve domestic partnerships in Washington State by urging voters to approve Referendum 71.
When Protect Marriage Washington, a group that opposes extending any benefits to same-sex couples, filed a petition to prevent Senate Bill 5688 (as passed by the Washington State Legislature and signed by Governor Christine Gregoire) from going into effect, WAFST sued Secretary of State Sam Reed in an attempt to keep the issue off the ballot. They argued that the Secretary's office had accepted signatures provided by people who were not registered to vote or gathered by people who did not sign their signature sheets, and that the petitions were thus invalid. However, the court declined to block the referendum, which appeared on the 2009 ballot. During the campaign, WAFST also pointed out the benefits of the domestic partnership law to elderly couples - it would have extended benefits to "unmarried heterosexual couples where one partner is at least 62." The referendum was approved, and domestic partnerships went into effect.


Nehirim

Nehirim was a national community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) Jews, families, students and allies that was founded in 2004. The organization ceased operations at the end of 2015.
History.
Nehirim was founded in 2004 by Jay Michaelson. He served as Executive Director until 2010, when Michael Hopkins succeeded him. Rabbi Debra Kolodny assumed the role in 2013. Nehirim's Board of Directors included Corey Friedlander, Rabbi Joel Alter, Rabbi Julia Watts Belser, Rabbi David Dunn Bauer, Dr. Joel Kushner, and Dr. Alyssa Finn.
Nehirim means "lights" in Hebrew. The name comes from the Hebrew word Zohar, referring to the lights of heaven and rainbow colors seen at sunset. Its goal was to create and foster a more just and inclusive world based on the values of the Jewish tradition. Nehirim's primary programs were intensive weekend retreats and service programming promoting LGBT inclusion and equality. It was also a member of the Coalition for Liberty & Justice organized by Catholics for Choice and the National Council of Jewish Women and the National Religious Leadership Roundtable as part of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
Retreats.
Nehirim retreats offered a means for LGBT Jews and their families to connect, learn, and grow together. Retreats have included East Coast gatherings at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Connecticut, a transgender gathering at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, student retreats at Boston University, West Coast gatherings at the Walker Creek Ranch in Petaluma, California, men's summer camps at the Easton Mountain Retreat Center in upstate New York, queer Jewish weekends in New York City at the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan, and women's retreats at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center.
Nehirim's first retreat for LGBT rabbis, rabbinic pastors, cantors, and students was held in 2014 in San Francisco.


Truth Wins Out

Truth Wins Out (TWO) is an organization formed by Wayne Besen to fight what it considers "anti-gay religious extremism", especially the ex-gay movement.
History.
Besen formed Truth Wins Out on June 7, 2006, as a response to the belief that a person's homosexual orientation can change. In particular, TWO is critical of organizations and religious ministries which treat homosexuality as a diseased behavior pattern which can be "cured". Besen later launched the related RespectMyResearch project to document what he views as distortions of science by the ex-gay movement, especially Focus on the Family.
In 2018, Truth Wins Out started a petition urging Apple to remove an app from the App Store which allegedly portrayed homosexuality as an "addiction" and "sickness". Apple removed the app by Living Hope Ministries in December. Amazon later removed the app from their platform, while Google allowed the app to remain on the Google Play store.
As of 2019, TWO's seat has been relocated in Philadelphia.
TWO conducts interviews with experts regarding the etiology of sexual orientation. Featured guests include J. Michael Bailey, Ray Blanchard, Milton Diamond, Dean Hamer, Lisa M. Diamond, Ken Zucker, Erick Jannsen, Eric Vilain, Simon LeVay, and Marc Breedlove.
Protests.
Truth Wins Out conjugates information with advocacy, shows the lies of anti-LGBT organizations, exposing their leaders and defending the LGBT community "against the propaganda campaigns of the religious right".
TWO organizes protests around the country to counter the ex-gay movement. One of TWO's three largest protests occurred on November 4, 2008 at the National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago. The "Dobson" campaign was being held to protest the induction of James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, into the Radio Hall of Fame. On his websites, Besen posts videos of former ex-gays describing their experience with the ex-gay movement.


The Baltimore Waltz

The Baltimore Waltz is a play by Paula Vogel. It revolves around a brother and sister who appear to be taking a European trip and is based on Vogel and her brother Carl's real-life experiences. The play had a workshop at the Perseverance Theatre in 1990, it was first staged at Houston's Alley Theatre in 1992 and made its off-Broadway premiere later than year.
Overview.
Essentially a series of comic vignettes underlined by tragedy, the farce traces the European odyssey of sister and brother Anna and Carl. They are in search of hedonistic pleasure and a cure for her terminal illness, the fictitious ATD (Acquired Toilet Disease) she contracted by using the bathrooms at the elementary school where she teaches. Knowing her life is nearing its end, Anna is driven by a lust that compels her to have casual sex with as many men as possible during their travels, a passion shared by her gay brother. Assisting the pair is the mysterious "Third Man", a reference to the classic suspense film starring Joseph Cotten and Orson Welles, to which Vogel frequently alludes in detail.
The play actually takes place in a hospital room in Baltimore, Maryland, where Carl has a terminal illness, and Anna is imagining the trip that the two never took
Plot.
Anna, a single school teacher in Baltimore, finds out from the doctor that she has contracted Acquired Toilet Disease from the toilet in her classroom. In an attempt to find a cure, she, and her brother Carl, plan a trip abroad to see Dr. Todesrocheln in Vienna. At the airport, on their way to Paris, Carl makes Anna hold his stuffed rabbit as they walk through security.
Once in Paris, the pair visit the Eiffel Tower and Anna notices a man in a trench coat and beret carrying an identical stuffed rabbit that Carl has. She feels convinced they are being followed. Carl waves the suspicions away and they continue to a French bistro. After their meal Anna sleeps with the Garcon, while Carl wanders the Louvre.
Anna spends the rest of their trip in Paris afflicted with the six stages that affect terminal illness patients. It is after Anna reaches the sixth stage, Hope, that she feels the desire to continue their trip to Vienna to see the doctor.
In Holland, Anna sleeps with The Little Dutch Boy at Age 50, a reference to Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates. When Anna returns from her trip, she spots Carl on the Magere Brug. Carl meets the man in a trench coat and sunglasses. Both hold stuffed rabbits. Upon meeting in the middle of the bridge, the two stroke each other's stuffed rabbits before parting in opposite directions. That night, Carl refuses to explain what happened and says that they must leave for Germany immediately.
On the train, on the way to Germany, Anna and Carl show the audience slides from their trip. However, their descriptions of the German countryside are combined with pictures that do not match. For example, when Carl speaks about Neuschwanstein Castle, the slides show a picture of the castle at Disneyland. The pictures are primarily of Baltimore or the Johns Hopkins Hospital. In Germany, Anna continues to sleep around as tensions rise between her and Carl. Carl feels frustrated that Anna is not spending time with him. Once he and Anna make up, Carl convinces her to go to Vienna to meet up with one of his college friends, Harry Lime, because he might be able to get them medicine.
Upon arriving in Vienna, Carl meets Harry on a ferris wheel. Harry Lime sells blackmarket medicine that he makes in his kitchen—he is a self-proclaimed businessman who sells hope. Harry Lime and Carl fight over Carl's stuffed rabbit.
Meanwhile, at the doctor's office, Anna and Dr. Todesrocheln discuss his work with urine. While they speak, Dr. Todesrocheln fights with himself over drinking Anna's urine sample. He drinks it and Anna recognizes him as the Doctor from the first scene. Anna rushes back to the hotel room to find Carl laying stiff in bed with a white sheet over him. She gets him to stand up and they waltz before the Doctor pulls a white curtain across the stage.
Anna stands in the hospital lounge as the Doctor delivers the news that her brother Carl is dead. It is revealed that they did not travel abroad and Anna did not have ATD.
Background.
The play was Vogel's response to the 1988 death of her brother Carl, who died from complications due to AIDS before they were able to enjoy a long planned European vacation.
Vogel wrote the play during summer 1989 at the MacDowell Colony, New Hampshire. The play is dedicated "To the memory of Carl - because I cannot sew." This is a reference to the AIDS quilt. The printed script contains a letter from Carl to Paula, dated March 1987, discussing his funeral ceremony.
Production history.
"The Baltimore Waltz" was first produced in a workshop at the Perseverance Theatre (Molly Smith, artistic director; Deborah B. Baley, producing director) in Juneau, Alaska, in October 1990.
The play was first fully staged in January 1992, in Houston, at the Alley Theatre. The Houston production then transferred to New York.
"The Baltimore Waltz" premiered Off-Broadway at the Circle Repertory Company (Tanya Berezin, artistic director), running from January 29, 1992 to March 15, 1992. It was directed by Anne Bogart, with Cherry Jones as Anna, Richard Thompson as Carl and Joe Mantello as the Third Man. Set design was by Loy Arcenas, costumes by Walker Hicklin, lighting by Dennis Parichy and sound score by John Gromada.
1992 Obie Awards went to Vogel for Best New American Play, Jones for Best Performance, and Bogart for Best Direction.
It was staged at the Yale Repertory Theater, New Haven, Connecticut in May 2003, directed by Stan Wojewodski Jr. By then it had become one of the most popular plays for regional theatres throughout the United States.
An Off-Broadway revival produced by the Signature Theatre Company and directed by Mark Brokaw opened on December 5, 2004 at the Peter Norton Space, where it ran through January 2005. The cast included Kristen Johnston as Anna, David Marshall Grant as Carl, and Jeremy Webb as the Third Man.
Critical response.
Frank Rich noted in his review of the 1992 production in the New York Times that “Ms. Vogel has succeeded in creating that memorial is most apparent when she finally must burst the balloon, turning her enchanted accidental tourist back into a grieving schoolteacher, the rabbit back into a dying man's bedside totem, the mysteries of Vienna back into the cold, clammy realities of a hospital ward in Baltimore.”
J. Wynn Rousuck noted in her review of the 1992 production in "The Baltimore Sun" that "...it becomes clear that the play's overriding -- and saddest -- fantasy is a fantasy of denial. Gradually, the truth about the disease, the European tour and even the identity of the patient begins to impinge on the wacky, offbeat tone..."
Malcolm L. Johnson in his review for the "Hartford Courant" of the 1992 Off-Broadway production wrote: " "The Baltimore Waltz" sounds like one of those cutesy, self-indulgent, even tasteless new plays that can make theater-going a dreaded experience. Yet despite all those things—no, in large part because of them—Vogel's uproarious, searching and finally devastating creation adds up to the very best of theater. Even to say that this is the theater's most deeply felt and richly expressed response to the AIDS plague is to diminish its powers."
Ada Calhoun wrote of the 2004 revival in "The New York Magazine": "...the show succeeds as a loving tribute and political statement, as theater it's stuck in an odd realm between rollicking farce and whimsical melodrama."
Beatrice Loayza noted in her review of the 2019 revival production in the DC Metro Theater Arts that the play is “an ambitious piece of theater, fusing melodrama with farce and wish fulfillment with stark reality, in an impressively short length (the play runs 90 minutes). With work so dense and conceptually challenging, and with a payoff after the final twist that will melt your heart…”


Jarl Alfredius

Jarl Martin Alfredius (3 January 1943 – 31 March 2009) was a Swedish journalist and newsreader at Swedish Television. Alfredius started his career on the radio news show "Dagens Eko", and was recruited to television news show "Aktuellt" in 1986. Alfredius also did TV shows for the "Kunskapskanalen" in 2004. He remained a news presenter at SVT until July 2008, when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Alfredius died aged 66 on 31 March 2009 in Stockholm, due to complications from his disease.


Streets of Philadelphia

"Streets of Philadelphia" is a song written and performed by American rock musician Bruce Springsteen for the film "Philadelphia" (1993) starring Tom Hanks, an early mainstream film dealing with HIV/AIDS. Released as a single in 1994, the song was a hit in many countries, particularly in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, and Norway, where it topped the singles charts. In the United States, the single peaked at number nine on the "Billboard" Hot 100.
The song received acclaim and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song and four Grammy Awards: Song of the Year, Best Rock Song, Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo, and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television. In 2004, it finished at number 68 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs survey of top tunes in American cinema.
The song is listed among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
History.
In early 1993, "Philadelphia" director Jonathan Demme asked Springsteen to write a song for his film, adding "I want it to play in the malls." Springsteen replied, "Well, I'm interested, so I'd like to come up with a song for you. If you give me some time, I'll see, but I can't promise." Springsteen recalled adding, "I'm not very good at scores". In late August, after the conclusion of the "Other Band" Tour, he recorded a demo of his completed song at Thrill Hill Recording, Beverly Hills, California (his home studio), supplying all of the instrumentation. He mailed the tape to Demme, who later said, "my wife and I sat down and listened to it, and we were literally weeping by the end". Meanwhile, background vocals were added by Tommy Sims (from the "Other Band"). In October, Springsteen recorded it at A&M Studios in Los Angeles, with Sims, Ornette Coleman on saxophone, and vocals by "Little" Jimmy Scott. It was mixed by Bob Clearmountain, included in the soundtrack, and the video was shot. However, in mid-December, Springsteen suddenly replaced it with his home demo from August, re-shooting some video scenes to eliminate Scott. The four-man combo version can be heard in a brief scene in the film when Tom Hanks exits Denzel Washington's office, but it was Bruce alone playing over the opening credits. "Streets of Philadelphia" was released on February 2, 1994, as the first single from the film's original soundtrack, with Springsteen singing and playing all the instruments and Tommy Sims on background vocals, and became a chart success worldwide.
"Streets of Philadelphia" achieved greater popularity in Europe than in the United States. While it peaked at number nine on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, it became a number-one single in Germany, France and Austria. It peaked at number two in the United Kingdom, becoming Springsteen's highest charting hit in Britain, and number four in Australia. , "Streets of Philadelphia" ranks as his most recent top ten hit. The song was included on the album "All Time Greatest Movie Songs", released by Sony in 1999.
Critical reception.
Larry Flick from "Billboard" wrote, "Springsteen's empathetic lyrics and performance zoom straight for the heart, traveling atop a slow
and sturdy beat and pillowy synths. A powerful song with or without the image of the film to support it." Robert Hilburn from "Los Angeles Times" deemed it "a moving ballad about a man whose body is being destroyed by AIDS" and "a work that shows Springsteen, despite all the questions raised by changes in his life in recent years, can still write purposeful songs that connect on a deeply emotional level." He added, "Springsteen sings in a voice that expresses the helplessness and heartache of someone dying of AIDS as convincingly as Springsteen once conveyed the dreams and aspirations of youth." "Music & Media" commented, "The man who used to walk upon E-Street, now roams the Philly lanes. This synth-dominated track from the "OST Philadelphia" revives the "etherealism" of "Tunnel Of Love"."
Music video.
The music video for the song, directed by Jonathan Demme and his nephew Ted Demme in December 1993, begins by showing Springsteen walking along desolate city streets, followed by a bustling park and schoolyard, interspersed with footage from the film. After a quick shot of Rittenhouse Square, it ends with Springsteen walking along the Delaware River, with the Benjamin Franklin Bridge in the background. Tom Hanks is also visible as the lead character he plays in the film, looking on as Bruce begins the final verse. One newspaper review called it "the saddest track cut this decade".
The vocal track for the video was recorded live with a hidden microphone, to a pre-recorded instrumental track. This technique, appropriate for emotionally intense songs for which conventional video lip-syncing would seem especially false, was used by John Mellencamp in part on his 1985 "Rain on the Scarecrow" video, and by Springsteen, in his 1987 "Brilliant Disguise" video, singing the song directly into the camera as he sits on the edge of his chair on a Sandy Hook, New Jersey sound stage.
Live performance history.
Because of the song's sterling achievements in the awards world, Springsteen played the song live in three high-visibility, prime-time awards show broadcasts: at the 66th Academy Awards in March 1994, at the MTV Video Music Awards in September 1994, and at the Grammy Awards of 1995 in March 1995. Between this, "Philadelphia"'s strong box office performance, and the single being a Top 10 pop hit, "Streets of Philadelphia" became one of Springsteen's best-known songs to the general music audience.
Nonetheless, Springsteen went on to perform the song only sparingly in his own concerts. In solo guitar form and missing the song's trademark synthesizers-and-drums feel, it was performed semi-regularly on the solo and stark 1995–1997 Ghost of Tom Joad Tour. After that, the song became a rarity, only appearing a dozen times on the 1999–2000 E Street Band Reunion Tour, and, as of January 2016, only a few times across the nine tours after that.
Cover versions.
The song has been covered live by Tori Amos, Melissa Etheridge, David Gray, Waxahatchee and Lonely the Brave. Recorded covers have been released by Ray Conniff (on his 1997 album, "I Love Movies"), Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Marah, Liv Kristine, Molly Johnson, Bettye LaVette, SALEM, Gregorian and I Muvrini with Anggun. Philadelphia rappers, Cassidy & the Larsiny Family have made a cover of this song on the "Put Ya L in the Sky" mixtape, in an effort to stop crime in the city. French artist Patrick Bruel and U2 covered the song, translating the lyrics into French while retaining the music.
After the movie "Philadelphia" was released, many artists covered it. In 1993, when Rhino Records assembled its box set, "Academy Award Winning Songs (1934–1993)", the same year, it was unable to license the Springsteen track and instead commissioned Richie Havens to record a cover version.
In 2010, the French string quartet Quatuor Ébène recorded a version on their album "Fiction", with drummer Richard Héry, sung by the quartet's violist Mathieu Herzog.
The song is also covered by The Fray on their album "Scars and Stories", released in 2012.
In 2011, the German group Gregorian released a Gregorian chant version of the song in their album "Masters of Chant Chapter VIII".
Also in 2011, Idols South Africa season seven winner Dave van Vuuren performed the song on the show and recorded it on his album "Free the Animals".
In 2009, it was covered by Luis Eduardo Aute in Catalan as "Els carrers de Philadelphia", for the CD of TV3's telethon "La Marató".
In February 2013, Sir Elton John performed the song at the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences tribute concert honoring Bruce Springsteen as the 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year.
Fat White Family's Saul Adamczewski and Childhood (band)'s Ben Romans-Hopcraft covered the song on their 2018 album Karaoke for One: Vol 1 under the band name Insecure Men.
Waxahatchee covered the song in 2021 for the deluxe issue of her 2020 album Saint Cloud.
Track listings.
The B-sides were selected from the previous year's live album "In Concert/MTV Plugged".


HIV/AIDS in Tanzania

Tanzania faces a mature, generalized HIV epidemic. In 2011, an estimated 1.6 million Tanzanians were living with HIV/AIDS, with 1.3 million being age 15 or older. Based on 2011 data, AIDS has resulted in an estimated 1.3 million orphaned children.
Origins and spread.
There is a widespread conception among Tanzanians and among some health workers that the 1979 Uganda–Tanzania War contributed to the spread of AIDS across the country. AIDS was first identified in Tanzania in 1984.
HIV testing under the auspices of a 2011–12 government survey.
The Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) and the Zanzibar AIDS Commission authorized the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics to conduct the "Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey 2011–12". The survey was conducted in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Government Statistician (Zanzibar) and was funded by the United States Agency for International Development, TACAIDS, and the Tanzania Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. ICF International provided technical assistance during the survey.
The survey covered both mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. Its objectives were to collect data on knowledge and behaviour regarding HIV/AIDS and measure HIV prevalence among women and men age 15–49. The data was collected 16 December 2011 to 24 May 2012.
Results for all those tested.
The survey tested 9,756 women and 7,989 men in the 15 to 49 age group from every administrative region of Tanzania for HIV infection.
Overall, the survey found that 5.1 percent of those tested were HIV positive. There was no statistically significant difference between this result and the result from the previous survey in 2007–08.
Stratified by gender, 6.2 percent of women were HIV positive, which was significantly higher than the 3.8 percentage rate for men. These results were not statistically different from the results of the previous survey in 2007–08. Njombe region had the highest rate of positive women, 15.4 percent (240 tested), and men, 14.2 percent (200 tested). The rate for men was higher than for women in only two of Tanzania's 30 regions. The rate for both men and women was highest for people in the highest wealth quintile.
The HIV positive rate for uncircumcised men was higher than for circumcised men in every five-year age group except for the 15–19 age group. This was also true when the survey results were stratified by urban versus rural areas instead of by age group.
Among couples living in the same household (married or not), 4.6 were serodiscordant, where one was HIV positive and the other was negative. The Njombe region had the highest rate, 16.2 percent. The only other region above 10 percent was the Dar es Salaam region.
Results for the 15 to 24 age group.
The survey tested 3,852 women and 3,393 men in this age group from every administrative region of Tanzania for HIV infection. The survey found that 2.7 percent of women were HIV positive, which was significantly higher than the 1.2 percentage rate for men. Njombe region had the highest rate of positive women, 8.6 percent (75 tested), while Kigoma region had the highest rate for men, 3.6 percent (153 tested). The rate for men was higher than for women in only six of Tanzania's 30 regions. The rate for both men and women was highest for people in the highest wealth quintile.
Results for the 25 to 49 age group.
The survey tested 6,072 women and 4,209 men in this age group from every administrative region of Tanzania for HIV infection. The survey found that 7.5 percent of women were HIV positive, which was significantly higher than the 5.2 percentage rate for men. Njombe region had the highest rate of positive women, 18.6 percent (199 tested), and men, 21.4 percent (149 tested). The rate for men was higher than for women in only four of Tanzania's 30 regions.
High risk groups.
Populations at high risk for HIV infection include sex workers, miners, police officers, prisoners, people in the transport sector, and the military. Injecting drug use is also increasing, highlighting the need to improve prevention efforts and expand access to treatment and care.
Health sector challenges.
The greatest challenge facing the health sector is inadequate human resources to deliver quality health services to the Tanzanian population. Since the 1990s, structural adjustment policies and HIV/AIDS have greatly reduced the health-sector workforce. A second challenge is poverty, important because the cost of drugs and health services has constituted a financial barrier to access. Tanzania has formulated its second "Poverty Reduction Strategy" paper to reinforce its commitment to overcoming poverty. Tanzania also continues to struggle with the issue of corruption, with the health care sector being ranked as the second most corrupt sector in the country by the country's Economic and Social Research Foundation. Due in part to the vast size of the country, health services do not currently meet acceptable quality standards, and access to voluntary counseling and testing services varies greatly. Overall, while services may be available, the human and physical infrastructure is in need of improvement to allow for better quality patient care.


AIDS in Brazil


Bat Kol (organization)

Bat Kol (Hebrew בּת קול: lit. 'daughter of a voice' meaning 'echo') is an Israeli organization for lesbians who are Orthodox Jews.
The organization was founded to provide a home for religious women struggling to reconcile their traditional religious ways of life and their sexual orientation. In July 2008, Bat Kol held its first elections and entered a new phase in its development by becoming an official organization. Bat Kol is a growing community building new pathways for fulfilling and celebrating both religious and lesbian identities, making it possible for women to live in loving relationships and raise children within the context of traditional Judaism and the larger religious community. Working in collaboration with a diverse group of Orthodox Rabbis, Professors, community members and friends, Bat Kol aspires to promote and sponsor education for tolerance and the acceptance of difference within the religious community and society at large.
History.
Bat Kol was founded by ten women in the winter of 2004 and as of January 2010 includes about 300 women whose ages range from 19 to sixty plus. Members of Bat Kol come from various religious backgrounds and include graduates of prominent religious schools in Israel.
Activities.
Bat Kol hosts a range of various programmes, activities and meetings throughout the year. Bat is represented in both the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Gay Pride Parades.
Bat Kol is involved in many efforts to promote dialogue about homosexuality between the many factions of the Orthodox community and encourage Rabbinic engagement with the issue at the Halachic level. Bat Kol also engages in outreach and supports dialogue with the non-orthodox Jewish communities in both Israel and the Diaspora.


Stephen Gendin

Stephen Gendin (February 20, 1966 – July 19, 2000) was an American AIDS activist in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, whose advocacy is credited for having promoted constructive changes in government policy that would improve the lives of HIV-positive people. Gendin was involved with ACT UP, ActUp/RI, "Sex Panic!", Community Prescription Service, POZ Magazine, and the Radical Faeries. Gendin, who himself was HIV-positive, dedicated the last fifteen years of his life to help care for those also living with HIV/AIDS. He was a founder and the chief executive of the Community Prescription Service, a mail-order pharmacy service that also distributes information designed to help people with HIV and AIDS.
Early life.
Gendin was raised in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He was Valedictorian of his high school and then attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he learned that he was HIV positive as a first-year student in 1985. He aggressively experimented with new medications for HIV and maintained a healthy and active lifestyle for many years until his death.
AIDS Activism.
Gendin, despite not having a medical degree, had already been recognized as a genius and was offered membership into Mensa. After learning at age 19 that he was infected with HIV, Gendin quickly became at least as well informed about the latest HIV medical research as many leading HIV specialists, and remained so until his death. Gendin understood (as few others do to this day) that HIV diagnostic tests detect not the HIV virus but HIV's human antibodies, which do not exist in sufficient quantity for a "positive" HIV test result until between two and twenty-four weeks after HIV infection. During this immensely variable "window period," people infected with HIV test "negative" because they have very few antibodies fighting the virus, as a direct consequence of which they also have very high levels of HIV in their bodies. These recently infected persons are usually unaware that they are infected at all, and firmly though wrongly believe that recent "HIV-negative" test results "prove" that they are not infected and cannot infect others.
During his lifetime, Gendin was largely ignored in warning about the high risk of transmission from persons testing negative during this time period which researchers have dubbed the "window period". Medical science has since confirmed that those recently infected with HIV, who still test "HIV-negative," are most highly contagious for HIV, because of their much higher HIV viral levels compared to persons outside the "window period," The latter group's "positive" HIV test results indicate that HIV antibodies are suppressing (though never eliminating) HIV levels in their bodies, therefore reducing their infectiousness, reduced still further when patients commence antiretroviral treatment.
Columns.
Gendin also became regular columnist for the magazine "POZ". In the column, he discussed in graphic detail the toll AIDS took on his body, his fantasies of political assassination and his deeply conflicted feelings of guilt and pleasure from having unprotected sex. Although the latter article incited outrage among many gay men at the time, after his death, many recognized that his controversial disclosures provoked life-saving awareness among gay men of the risks involved in increasingly widespread but rarely discussed practices of unprotected intercourse, especially among persons who incorrectly presumed (as many still do) that a "negative" HIV test result demonstrated the absence of infection when tested.
Death and legacy.
Gendin died July 19, 2000, from AIDS-induced lymphoma at the age of 34. In the summer of 2000, Gendin's death was eulogized in a widely-reprinted speech by Larry Kramer. The chemotherapy he was receiving to treat the disease put him into cardiac arrest. His activism was pivotal in reforming the FDA drug approval process to expedite HIV and AIDS patients' access to more effective anti-retroviral treatments. Because of his efforts, some people living with HIV today believe Gendin was a "superhero".