Woman loses suit against ActionAIDS
An HIV-positive woman who claimed an ActionAIDS receptionist disseminated her HIV status without her permission has lost her case against the AIDS-services agency.
On March 2, after a 45-minute hearing, a three-member arbitration panel unanimously denied the woman’s request for up to $50,000 in monetary damages.
The woman, identified as G.C. in court papers, has been HIV-positive for 22 years.
G.C. never had a problem keeping her serostatus private until she encountered an ActionAIDS receptionist during an office visit in June 2009, she testified.
G.C. knew the receptionist outside the agency and, after the office visit, mutual friends began expressing sympathy to G.C. about her HIV status, G.C. testified.
G.C. testified she has no direct proof that the receptionist breached her confidentiality, but attributed the alleged breach to the receptionist because of what other people said.
Jocelyn L. Calloway, Kim N. Nguyen and Douglas T. Ominsky served as arbitrators at the hearing.
They didn’t specify a reason for ruling against G.C., but their questions during the hearing indicated that G.C.’s personal belief wasn’t enough to prove a breach occurred.
After the hearing, Kevin Burns, executive director of ActionAIDS, expressed mixed feelings about the case.
“I feel really bad for the woman, but I’m also glad that our name was cleared,” Burns told PGN. “It’s unfortunate that, this far into the epidemic, people still feel that they have to keep their diagnosis a secret. An internal investigation of the incident was done, and no breach was found.”
Burns said all ActionAIDS staffers and volunteers are trained about HIV-confidentiality issues. The receptionist no longer works at ActionAIDS, and her departure was unrelated to the incident, he added.
Graham F. Baird, an attorney for G.C., had no comment about whether his client will appeal. G.C. has until April 2 to challenge the ruling.
— Tim Cwiek
Craigslist trial delayed
The trial for a man accused of posing as a police officer to defraud several gay men has been delayed again, this time until the summer.
Michael Daniels is scheduled to stand trial at 9 a.m. July 18 in Room 502 of the Criminal Justice Center, 1301 Filbert St.
His trial, originally set for October, has been postponed a number of times and most recently had been scheduled for March 8, when Judge Genece Brinkley approved a motion to again continue it.
Daniels is accused of responding to Craigslist sex advertisements posted by gay men and arriving at their scheduled meetings dressed as an officer, then threatening to arrest the men for not verifying his age unless they paid him.
HRC holds local dinner
The Human Rights Campaign will host its 15th annual Philadelphia Region Dinner March 19 at the Hyatt Regency Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing, 201 S. Columbus Blvd.
The event includes a VIP reception at 5 p.m., then dinner and a silent auction.
Out stylist and author Carson Kressley will host, with the keynote speech by HRC associate director Allyson Robinson and a performance by Niki Haris.
Tickets are $175 or $225 for VIP.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.philadelphia.hrc.org.
GALAEI to honor youth
The Gay and Lesbian Latino AIDS Education Initiative is calling for submissions for outstanding youth for its David Acosta Revolutionary Leader Award.
Youth between the ages of 13-21 in the five-county region are eligible for the honor, named after GALAEI’s founder.
Nominees should have a passion for improving the community, dedication to community projects, exhibit integrity in all of their activities and possess excellent leadership skills. Youth can nominate themselves or be nominated by someone else.
The nomination form can be found at www.galaei.org.
Nominations are due March 25.
The awardees will be honored in a ceremony from 5-7 p.m. April 15 at City Hall.
HEROES in spring
The Delaware Valley Legacy Fund last week announced it was moving its annual HEROES event from the fall to the spring and is seeking nominations for honorees.
HEROES will be held from 7-9 p.m. May 6 at PNC Center, 1600 Market St., on the third floor.
The LGBT-grantmaking agency’s annual awards presentation honors individuals and organizations that have worked to advance LGBT equality. This year, in addition to its recognition of an individual, a business and a nonprofit agency, DVLF will also honor an outstanding youth and national figure.
Nominations must be received by March 18. For more information or to access a nomination form, visit www.dvlf.org.
— Jen Colletta