Thursday October 9 1:15 PM EDT
Company Press Release
Miss America 1998 Launches AIDS Prevention Platform on Capitol Hill
Kate Shindle takes a stand on condom distribution, needle exchange and open communication
between parents and children about sex
WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Miss America 1998 Kate Shindle called upon all Americans to ''stop the
rhetoric and start taking action'' to stop the spread of HIV when she officially launched her AIDS prevention platform at a
Capitol Hill press conference here today.
Standing against a backdrop of a panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt she had previously helped to display, Shindle addressed
a rare gathering of legislators, policymakers, leaders of national AIDS organizations, Clinton Administration officials and
AIDS researchers. The all-inclusive event was so well attended that it had to be relocated from a senate meeting room to the
outdoor grounds of Capitol Hill.
''The decision to confront our inhibitions head-on is never an easy one, but while we bide our time and weigh our options,
people are dying,'' said Shindle, a 20-year-old Northwestern University senior who is majoring in sociology and theater. ''As
I travel the country as Miss America, I will focus my energies where the virus is spreading fastest - among racial minorities,
women and especially among young people. I will actively promote all elements of the prevention equation, including sexual
abstinence, monogamous relationships, safer sex, clean needles, testing and treatment.''
White House AIDS Policy Director Sandra Thurman, who participated in the Capitol Hill event, said in a statement issued
today, ''I believe Kate's profound understanding of the issues and her high visibility will allow her to reach people who have
otherwise not gotten the word on how HIV is spread and how the risk of infection can be sharply reduced. She is a Miss
America who is truly worthy of the title.''
A copy of the full platform statement is attached.
On the Way to a Cure: Preventing HIV Transmission in America
Platform Statement of Kate Shindle, Miss America 1998
Every year, thousands of Americans with their whole lives before them are told they will have to fight for every tomorrow.
They are all ages, all races. They are female, they are male. They are gay, they are straight. Hundreds of them are beautiful
newborn babies. They have all been diagnosed with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
I don't even remember the first time I heard about AIDS. As a child who grew up with it as part of our society, I only knew it
was something that killed people. As a university student involved in theater and the arts, suddenly it was all around me, and
my knowledge grew. But when a close family friend was diagnosed, the epidemic was given a human face and the war on
AIDS became a personal crusade.
Two roads in my life met this year. As an AIDS volunteer pursuing the title of Miss America, I recognized the possibility for
my personal commitment to touch the lives of young people nationwide. I also saw an opportunity to turn the spotlight where
I felt it was needed most -- on HIV prevention.
We have within our power the ability to stop HIV in its tracks. The answer is prevention, and it is the only solution to this
deadly epidemic until a vaccine and a cure can be found. Without question, prevention is wholly effective in stopping the
spread of HIV, and its power must not be ignored.
As we work toward a cure, current treatments are extending people's lives and a variety of prevention programs exist in our
schools, our communities, our nation. But something is wrong. Although fewer people are dying from AIDS-related illnesses,
the number of HIV infections is ever growing. Not only do two American teenagers contract HIV every hour, but 8,500 new
infections occur worldwide every day.
We need to stop the rhetoric and start taking action. Whether it's condom distribution, needle exchanges or just talking to our
kids about sex, the time is long past for us to stop waiting passively for one solution. The decision to confront our inhibitions
head-on is never an easy one, but while we bide our time and weigh our options, people are still dying.
As I travel the country as Miss America, I will focus my energies where the virus is spreading fastest -- among racial
minorities, women and especially among young people. I will actively promote all elements of the prevention equation,
including sexual abstinence, monogamous relationships, safer sex, clean needles, testing and treatment.
To parents, educators, spiritual leaders, community activists, government officials and business people, I say set aside your
biases, open your minds, and use your power to take an active role in preventing HIV transmission. Whether large city or
small rural community, I ask you to accept the facts of the epidemic, understand that it affects all people, and fight to engage
whatever strategy is most appropriate and effective in saving your children, your families and your neighbors.
I will support AIDS organizations and all those who educate people and arm them with practical prevention skills. I will
encourage additional funding for prevention programs. I will endorse affordable, accessible and quality care for those who are
already infected and sometimes forgotten. And I will actively promote the availability of free and anonymous testing, so that
all Americans will be able to determine their HIV status and take appropriate action.
But most importantly, I will speak to my generation. I will direct the Miss America spotlight away from myself and toward
their overwhelming need for HIV prevention. I will work to ensure that all young people can confidently make educated
choices, and empower them to respect themselves, believe in themselves and protect themselves. I will use both my age and
my position as Miss America to reach my peers and all young people as never before.
And because I understand the AIDS epidemic is as complex as it is catastrophic, I will listen as much as I speak, so that the
voices and needs of the individuals affected by HIV and AIDS will be heard across our nation.
These promises I make today, the 9th day of October, 1997.
SOURCE The Miss America Organization |
