At the annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in February, HIV activism icon Peter Staley delivered much more than a history lesson on the impact of HIV activism back in the day. He called the thousands of researchers and scientists gathered there to continue actions to fight authoritarianism in all its forms, most especially in regards to the dismantling of public health under the Trump regime.
Along the way, Peter offered fascinating insight into his relationship with figures such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, an early adversary who has become a close friend and ally, and beseeched the attendees to stand strong until this public health nightmare fades into history itself while voters turn out the fascist strongmen ruining the country.
Peter’s speech was titled, “‘Annus Horribilis’ and The War on Science: Thoughts on Resisting and Rebuilding,” and you can read the full transcript here.
“I really struggled with this speech,” Peter told me. “What do you say to over 3,000 HIV researchers and scientists after the year they’ve just been through? Given how hard things will likely remain, it would be disingenuous to just cheerlead for 25-minutes. So I stuck to what I felt in my bones – our shared shock and pain from Trump’s war on science, and our power, as activists and scientists, from decades of working together.”
The speech was met with applause throughout, most especially each time Peter thanked the researchers and CDC employees who have withstood the whims of this government or resigned in protest.
Response to the speech was immediate.
“The reaction has been overwhelming, in a good way,” Peter said. “As soon as I got off the stage, Dr. Wafaa El-Sadr, a huge hero of mine who had almost all of her studies disrupted by cancelled grants last year, grabbed me in her arms, with tears in her eyes, and said, ‘you have no idea how much I needed to hear that.’”
