AP/Charleston Post and Courier Profiles Chinese AIDS Advocate Gao Yaojie
The AP/Charleston Post and Courier on Thursday profiled Chinese HIV/AIDS advocate Gao Yaojie, who is "moving in from society's margins, connecting with new audiences and being featured in national magazines." Gao said that in the past Chinese officials have treated her as a "tool of anti-China forces," opening her mail, tapping her phone and harrassing her family and friends, the AP/Post and Courier reports. However, the country's "gradually increasing openness about AIDS" has afforded Gao access to officials and the media -- "no small matter in a country where those who dare to speak out politically are often harassed or arrested," according to the AP/Post and Courier. The "changing attitude" toward the country's epidemic also means increased attention to HIV/AIDS, after "years of inaction and denial," the AP/Post and Courier reports. Gao said, "This is an opportunity right now, and I'm going to grab it and do as much as possible." But Gao also said she is "unconvinced" that the country's new attitude about HIV/AIDS will "provoke the action needed," according to the AP/Post and Courier. She added, "I'm not concerned about what they do to me. But they really need to treat the victims better, especially the children" (Bodeen, AP/Charleston Post and Courier, 4/1).
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