How to Kill a Book About AIDS

Or at least try to.

This post aims to provide a historical record of the attempts from many fronts to burn The Real AIDS Epidemic. Every quote or twitter thread is linked within the body of this post.

On January 13, 2023, I was alerted to the following piece in TheBody.com by Jason Rosenberg, member of ACT UP New York and co-founder of PrEP4All, AIDS Denialism is Still Deadly in 2023, which specifically targets my book, The Real AIDS Epidemic:

Yesterdays I saw that major publishing company Simon & Schuster will be distributing a book on March 28, 2023 called, The Real AIDS Epidemic: How the Tragic HIV Mistake Threatens Us All, by known AIDS denialist Rebecca V. Culshaw, whose previous works include, Science Sold Out: Does HIV Really Cause AIDS?, which she published back in 2007.

In response to this discovery, I tweeted, “@simonschuster really has some nerve distributing an AIDS denialist book in 2023.”

He continues in this vein, boasting that he is not “new to deplatforming dangerous ideas.” Indeed, he brags about the successful censorship of ads for the Truvada lawsuits on Facebook, which amounts to a denial of informed consent to the potential customers of Gilead Pharmaceuticals and similar companies. Why would AIDS activists not want people to be aware of the potential debilitating adverse effects of the medications they so enthusiastically promote?

Note that one of the organizations he is involved in, The AIDS Vaccine Initiative or AVAC, “does not accept funding from pharmaceutical companies,” but is perfectly happy to accept money from donors such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Note also that AVAC’s focus appears to have shifted from the thus far unsuccessful attempts to produce an HIV vaccine to promoting PrEP, in an attempt to recycle HIV drugs as, effectively, HIV vaccines. The body.com is also heavily funded by pharmaceutical companies selling antiretrovirals, which is clear upon merely opening their web page.

Before COVID-19–related news flooded our timelines in 2020, I’ll never forget the sponsored posts that read, “Breaking News, Truvada Side Effects: Compensation for Truvada Victims.” These were anti-PrEP ads, promoted mostly via Facebook and Instagram, targeted disproportionately toward people who would benefit most from PrEP.

As a member of ACT UP New York and co-founding member of PrEP4All―both organizations that fight to protect people from acquiring HIV―I talked with my colleagues about the harm this would have on new PrEP initiations but didn’t know what steps to take next. That changed after TheBody’s then-editor Mathew Rodriguez showed the real danger of misinformation for our community in his story, “Those Truvada Lawsuit Ads You See Everywhere May Hinder Public Health Efforts.” As Rodriguez revealed, alarmist language and the rampant spread of misinformation can, will, and does deter progress in HIV prevention.

Months later, a coalition of over 50 LGBTQ+ groups penned an open letter to Facebook urging the $320 billion dollar company to take down these ads. We wrote, “The advertisements are targeting LGBTQ Facebook and Instagram users, and are causing significant harm to public health. … By allowing these advertisements to persist on their platforms, Facebook and Instagram are convincing at-risk individuals to avoid PrEP, invariably leading to avoidable HIV infections. You are harming public health.”

Weeks later, it was reported that Facebook removed “some—but not all—misleading preventive HIV drug ads.”

In addition to his article in The Body, there is a long Twitter thread started by Mr. Rosenberg. You can find it here; I’ll include a few quotes below.

“bro she’s literally been saying ‘hiv doesn’t cause aids’ for over a decade, the time for grace has passed, it is time for wrath cause this shit gets people killed”—@reluctantlyjoe

“We need to stop mathematicians.”—@the_damn_muteKi

“ ‘[The] toxic drugs foisted on Black and Gay communities’ is particularly Twilight Zone-ish considering how the collision of racism and homophobia has functioned to stoke medical mistrust and keep people *out* of care.”— @TacitTaciturn

“As a librarian this disgusts me.”—@morolianlament

“Honestly, @simonschuster there’s debunk papers on her numbers/methods written by *actual* scientists in as early as 2006; are editors vetting their authors at all anymore or nah? This is truly beyond horrible and (at best) incredibly embarrassing… pull this, like… yesterday.”—@ADHDandPhD

“Ugh, these denialists have been around from the start. HIV deniers tend to be people with problems with retroviruses, ones who will do anything to not wear a condom, or hate gays. Culshaw got the denial idea in her head and then cherry picked data and did bad math to make it fit.”—@GayGeekSF

“The “AIDS establishment”?!?!?! What in the actual disinformation is this?!?!?!”—@discursivespace

“The fucking gall to use the Tuskegee experiments to invoke fake outrage is sickening.”—@ralis_waller

“This seems like the sort of ideas that Twitter's new owner laps up eagerly.”—@1stClef

Okay, that last one was funny, I’ll admit. Also, I certainly do not hate gay people, nor do I have any issues with condom use to prevent pregnancy and STIs. (On the contrary, condoms are highly effective when used correctly and are far safer than PrEP, latex allergies notwithstanding.) Ask anyone who actually knows me.

I also argue that the Black community—for very valid historical reasons—is wise to the systemic racism that has historically tried, and continues to try to entrap them into ethically dubious medical experiments. This may be at least part of why they are reluctant to embark on a lifetime of antiretroviral therapy. Don’t underestimate them.

Mr. Rosenberg’s piece and Twitter thread proved to be only the first in a long line of attacks on this book—many of which were made before anyone had a chance to read it. The following blog post by Mark S. King appeared on March 20 at My Fabulous Disease , in which Mr. Rosenberg is hilariously quoted as stating that “the rights of freedom of speech are paramount,” although it would appear that this is only the case when Mr. Rosenberg happens to agree with whomever is speaking. He certainly does not support MY right to freedom of speech. Note also that the writer refers to me not by my title but as “Ms. Culshaw.”

We all know the saying about freedom of speech. It doesn’t mean you have the right to yell “fire!” in a crowded movie theater. That kind of speech can risk lives.

But what if the theater is already burning on all sides, and someone tries to convince people not to find a safe exit, that the approaching flames can’t possibly harm them, or that the fire itself is a myth or a conspiracy?

Clearly, this is just as dangerous, and the very reason that a group of HIV activists and public health experts are moving to halt the publication of a book set to be released next week by a subsidiary of Simon & Schuster.

The Real AIDS Epidemic: How the Tragic HIV Mistake Threatens Us All, by HIV denialist Rebecca Culshaw, is the latest in decades of wacko musings from those who would have us believe that HIV doesn’t cause AIDS.

AIDS denialism took hold nearly as soon as HIV was identified in 1984, when our understanding of the roots and causes of AIDS were still in their infancy. It was fertile ground for people distrustful of science or government.

There were a lot of people living with HIV back then who became AIDS denialists. They’re dead.

The COVID fiasco has led to a resurgence of those same misgivings. Enter Ms. Culshaw and her new book, which reportedly covers the same ludicrous territory as so many AIDS denialists before her. These half-baked theories are not simply unsound. They can be disastrous to public health and to the need for HIV testing and treatment.

Today, a large group of activists, organizations and public health experts released a letter to Jonathan Karp, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simon & Schuster, urging him not to publish the book and outlining its dangers to the public (I signed the letter).

[omitted is an excerpt from the original petition]

“The rights of freedom of speech are paramount,” Jason Rosenberg, a member of ACT UP NY and one of the letter’s organizers, told me, “but when bad actors take advantage of that right and lead with science denialism and health misinformation—especially through the channels of a major publication, it is important that we fight it and deplatform these bad actors with every opportunity. We’ve seen it recently from the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is true with HIV/AIDS, racism, transphobia, fascism, and every public health threat.”

Shame, shame, on Simon & Schuster and their subsidiary Skyhorse Publishing for, at the least, not doing their homework, and at worst, willfully perpetuating dangerous messaging that runs counter to the facts.

It might be argued that the best plan of action would be to simply ignore the book and let it join the junkheap of similarly outrageous notions in HIV/AIDS history. But that runs counter to the very foundation of HIV activism.

We don’t ignore dangerous developments. We fight back.

The aforementioned petition was circulated, which I will reproduce in its entirety at the end of this post, signed by “over 30 organizations and 70 public health advocates,” demanding that Simon & Schuster, the distributor for The Real AIDS Epidemic, immediately halt its distribution. Among its complaints:

As a robust and comprehensive coalition of HIV/AIDS advocates, organizations, and public health experts, we are writing to you with an urgent concern. Simon & Schuster (by subsidiary Skyhorse) has plans to distribute a book called, The Real AIDS Epidemic: How the Tragic HIV Mistake Threatens Us All by recognized AIDS denialist Rebecca Culshaw on March 28, 2023. In the midst of coexisting pandemics and public health outbreaks, we know the dire and deadly consequences of spreading misinformation and denialism. It is disappointing that a book like Culshaw’s is on a roster of your releases in 2023, but you still have a chance to reverse this decision. We are asking you to reconsider this book deal and stop its distribution.

[…]

Furthermore, research has shown that AIDS denialism poses real health risk to people living with HIV and their sexual partners. We know that patients who fall into AIDS denialism are more likely to experience HIV-related symptoms of illness and have higher, detectable viral loads, meaning the virus (which is real) can be transmitted to their sexual partners. By releasing an AIDS denialist book, Simon & Schuster would be encouraging vulnerable people to ignore medical directions and to stop their medications, which is dangerous to their health and is likely to lead to a higher amount of virus in their bodies.

Note the conclusion here—stopping or not initiating antiretroviral therapy is “likely to lead to a higher amount of virus in their bodies.” Any adverse effects of these drugs, as well as their non-specificity to HIV, are swept under the rug.

Salon.com also covered the petition, which included demands of Simon & Schuster such as that they “create a public health working group to assure members of the community that this will not happen again.” (The horror! Information available and not suppressed by censors and gatekeepers!)

An alliance of more than 30 organizations and 70 public health advocates are urging Simon & Schuster to stop the distribution of a book pushing both AIDS denialism and HIV/AIDS misinformation.   

Called "The Real AIDS Epidemic: How the Tragic HIV Mistake Threatens Us All" by Rebecca Culshaw, the book "explains how the current, government-based structure of scientific research has corrupted science as the search for truth," per its synopsis. It also challenges the reporting in journalist Randy Shilts' 1987 book "And the Band Played On," which chronicles the emergence and spread of HIV/AIDS. 

Furthermore, Culshaw — who is a mathematician and HIV researcher — "offers not only scientific reasons for HIV/AIDS being untenable, but also sociological explanations as to how the theory was accepted by the media and the world so quickly."

"In particular, this book offers a scathing criticism of the outrageous discriminatory measures that have been leveled at HIV-positives from the inception. She also warns that the toxic drugs being foisted on the Black and gay communities constitute one of the worst medical violations of human rights since the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment."

In a letter penned by members of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP NY), the coalition demands Simon & Schuster "immediately end plans for distribution of the book," "reassess other future releases to ensure that other books won't assist similar damage to public health" and "create a public health working group to assure community members that this will not happen again.”

On March 20, the following piece appeared in Literary Hub, written by a Janet Manley:

A petition organized by advocacy group AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) has been delivered to publisher Simon & Schuster. The petition alleges that the forthcoming The Real AIDS Epidemic: How the Tragic HIV Mistake Threatens Us All (March 28) by Rebecca Culshaw is factually incorrect and carries a risk to public health.

The ACT UP statement read in part:

The thesis of Culshaw’s book is that HIV does not conclusively cause AIDS, but that this was a ‘mistake’ made in the 1980s and never amended or corrected. To the contrary, that HIV causes AIDS was demonstrated first in the 1980s, when the virus was discovered, and subsequently research has only strengthened that causal link in the subsequent decades, including via in vitro systems, in animal models, including non-human primates, via molecular phylogenetics, and in human samples.

The statement called for the publisher to “create a public health working group to assure community members that this will not happen again” and also characterized Culshaw as a “recognized AIDS denialist.”

The United Nations estimates that around 650,000 people died in 2021 from AIDS-related illnesses, and that more than 40 million people have died since the beginning of the epidemic. There were 38.4 million living with HIV in 2021. The National Institutes of Health notes that antiretroviral drugs have increased the lifespan of people living with HIV from one year in the 80s to a normal life span today.

As of Monday morning, March 20th, the book’s page was missing from the Simon & Schuster website.

This follows the withdrawal by Simon & Schuster of the forthcoming The Book of Animal Secrets earlier in the month after the author acknowledgedaccusations of plagiarism.

The petition itself was apparently insufficient, as plans to distribute the book were not halted, so ACT Up New York staged a protest on March 27, 2023, in front of the offices of Simon & Schuster. Here is a video of Mr. Rosenberg and another protester:

And here is my response:

The protest received some attention by outlets such as Publisher’s Weekly and The Daily Kos. According to Publisher’s Weekly, in an unusually balanced review:

The letter, written by ACT UP NY members, says that the book pushes AIDS denialism and misinformation about HIV/AIDs and that the such misinformation does “material harm to “HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, and treatment.”

Culshaw is a mathematician who has published several journal articles regarding mathematical modeling of HIV immunology, and The Real AIDS Epidemic is an updated version of a book she first published in 2007. In the book, Culshaw “focuses on the politics of the changing definition of AIDS and the flaws in all HIV testing,” according to a description of the book, which adds that those flaws have led to “a mistaken understanding of AIDS.” She also warns, the description continues, "that the toxic drugs being foisted on the Black and gay communities constitute one of the worst medical violations of human rights since the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment.”

[…]

In addition to stopping the distribution of the book, the coalition wants S&S to reassess “other future releases to ensure that other books won’t assist similar damage to public health” and to “create a public health working group to assure community members that this will not happen again.”

In a post, Culshaw said her book doesn't deny the AIDS epidemic, but is rather "a plea to return informed consent to patients."

Skyhorse publisher Tony Lyons also said the book doesn't deny AIDS, but "analyzes issues that have been raised by many prominent scientists, including Nobel Prize winners Kary Mullis and Luc Montaigner." He said doubted that the people who are signing the letter to S&S have even read the book. "Real science requires ongoing dialogue and debate and people who believe genuinely that they have better, stronger, more convincing arguments don't need to stoop to cancel culture or censorship. Censorship, at its core, is anti-science," Lyons said.

The protest was also covered by GLAAD on March 27:

On March 27, GLAAD, in partnership with ACT UP NY, descended on the New York headquarters of Simon & Schuster in opposition to the March 28 distribution of "The Real AIDS Epidemic: How The HIV Tragic Mistake Threatens Us All," by author Rebecca V. Culshaw. A digital billboard with the messages "Shame on Simon & Schuster," "HIV Is Real. Treatment & Prevention Saves Lives," and "ACT UP! FIGHT BACK! FIGHT AIDS!" is displayed on the truck parked at 1230 Avenue of The Americas (6th Avenue entrance) of Simon & Schuster. Employees and spectators first caught a glimpse of the truck at the start of the work day, where it will remain until the close of business.

"We want everyone to know that AIDS denialism exists in 2023 and is just as deadly in 2023," said Jason Rosenberg, a member of ACT UP NY and one of the protest's lead organizers. "We have so many needless deaths from HIV AIDS due to pharmaceutical greed, stigma, and misinformation such as this. And it's a shame," he added. 

Rosenberg tells GLAAD that Culshaw's book and Simon & Schuster's decision to distribute it facilitates misinformation and HIV stigma. 

"We want the public to know, and we want Simon & Schuster to know that AIDS denialism kills," said Rosenberg. 

Anthony Feliciano, Vice President for Advocacy and Mobilization at Housing Works, tells GLAAD that Simon & Schuster has a moral obligation to present the truth about HIV in the books the company distributes. 

"You [Simon & Schuster] have not only a professional but moral obligation as a publisher to verify facts," Feliciano said. "And you don't need to read a book. You don't need to go to a website. It is clear this is an outright denial of HIV/AIDS. Words kill. And when words kill, policies end up being created around those words that kill people."

The in-person protest by members from ACT UP NY follows an open letter to Jonathan Karp, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simon & Schuster, released on March 20. A coalition of over 500 organizations and notables have signed the letter demanding that Simon & Schuster stop the distribution of Culshaw's book.

According to The Advocate on March 27:

Protesters organized by GLAAD and ACT UP New York demonstrated Monday at Simon & Schuster’s headquarters in Manhattan to demand that the publisher cease distributing a book that questions if HIV causes AIDS.

The Real AIDS Epidemic: How the Tragic HIV Mistake Threatens Us All by Rebecca Culshaw is coming out Tuesday from Skyhorse Publishing, a distribution client of Simon & Schuster. That means Simon & Schuster is responsible for shipping the book and other functions.

An open letter led by ACT UP NY and signed by more than 500 organizations and individuals was delivered to Simon & Schuster last week. It’s addressed to the company’s president and CEO, Jonathan Karp.

“In the midst of coexisting pandemics and public health outbreaks, we know the dire and deadly consequences of spreading misinformation and denialism,” it reads in part. “It is disappointing that a book like Culshaw’s is on a roster of your releases in 2023, but you still have a chance to reverse this decision. We are asking you to reconsider this book deal and stop its distribution.

[…]

For instance, the letter notes, there is great reluctance among Black Americans to use HIV prevention medication in a strategy known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. “While 67 percent of white people recommended for PrEP have access to the drug, astonishingly, only 8 percent of Black people eligible – who also disproportionately make up a majority of new HIV transmissions – are currently using the medication,” it says. [emphasis mine]

Yes, how dare I remind the Black community of the fact that they are being targeted to be customers of the pharmaceutical industry for life, given toxic drugs whose side effects are only relieved by even more toxic drugs? A new generation of AIDS activists may well be wise to brush up on the finer details of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment, if for no other reason than to gain an understanding of why the Black community might be understandably reluctant to be “retained in care” for life.

Gay City News also chimed in on March 28:

ACT UP and GLAAD teamed up on March 28 for a public demonstration to condemn Simon & Schuster in response to the publishing company’s plans to distribute a book by an author who has been widely criticized for engaging in AIDS denialism.

The book at the heart of the issue is “The Real AIDS Epidemic: How the Tragic HIV Mistake Threatens Us All,” by Rebecca V. Culshaw.

“This book follows the blueprint of decades of AIDS denialism that has spread HIV misinformation and stigma while undermining efforts toward HIV education and ensuring that people with HIV lead long and healthy lives,” Brandon Cuicchi of ACT UP said in a written statement.

ACT UP and GLAAD teamed up on March 28 for a public demonstration to condemn Simon & Schuster in response to the publishing company's plans to distribute a book by an author who has been widely criticized for engaging in AIDS denialism.

The demonstration, held outside Simon & Schuster headquarters at 1230 Sixth Avenue in Manhattan, came a week after dozens of organizations and hundreds of people voiced similar concerns in a letter by ACT UP that was addressed to the publisher and president of Simon & Schuster, Jonathan Karp. Advocates held signs such as “AIDS denialism kills” and “drop AIDS denialism,” while a truck with digital billboards was also stationed at the demonstration.  

“The thesis of Culshaw’s book is that HIV does not conclusively cause AIDS, but that this was a ‘mistake’ made in the 1980s and never amended or corrected,” the letter stated. “To the contrary, that HIV causes AIDS was demonstrated first in the 1980s, when the virus was discovered, and subsequently research has only strengthened that causal link in the subsequent decades, including via in vitro systems, in animal models, including non-human primates, via molecular phylogenetics, and in human samples.”

Advocates say they never received a response to their letter, but a curious development emerged thereafter when Simon & Schuster removed the book from an online webpage. Regardless, the letter demanded that Simon & Schuster halt plans to distribute the book, reassess other future releases, and establish a public health working group to show people in the community that the same situation does not happen in the future.

“While this is a good sign, there is no indication as to what this actually means regarding their plans for distribution,” ACT UP’s Leah Hollander said before the demonstration.

Kate Ellis, president of GLAAD, issued a written statement saying it “is unimaginable” that Simon & Schuster would “distribute a book by an author with a history of spreading false and scientifically disproven beliefs regarding HIV.” Culshaw previously published a book called “Science Sold Out: Does HIV Really Cause AIDS.”

“In an era where misinformation spreads faster than truth, Rebecca V. Culshaw’s rhetoric has the potential to result in devastating consequences for people living with HIV,” Ellis said. “While HIV is now manageable, it is still an epidemic, particularly in the South, where racism, homophobia, HIV stigma, and the lack of access to high-quality healthcare continue to fuel an HIV crisis in communities of color. With the release of Culshaw’s book, Simon & Schuster is choosing profit over public health in an alarming partnership that should concern us all.”

Simon & Schuster did not immediately respond to a request for comment on March 28.

The Body chimed in as well on March 29, with this very detailed piece, the beginning of which I will reproduce unchanged (the last few paragraphs are redundant and have appeared elsewhere), although I take the liberty of deleting the advertisements for anti-HIV drugs that appear in between lines of text.

Hilariously, they quote me out of context, but do not provide substantive rebuttal to any point I make. They also take aim at a Democratic presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

On the chilly morning of March 27, about 15 members of longtime HIV/AIDS activist group ACT UP-NY and the LGBTQ media watchdog group GLAAD marched outside the New York City headquarters of esteemed publisher Simon & Schuster (S&S), carrying signs that read “AIDS Denialism Kills,” “The Real Epidemic: Misinformation...Simon & Schuster, Do Better!,” and “HIV Causes AIDS...Misinformation Causes Death.” Nearby on the street was a truck with a large digital billboard on its side reading: “AIDS Denial...Shame on Simon & Schuster...Selling conspiracy theories about HIV is dangerous and unethical...Stop making money off of malpractice.”

The protest was aimed at the fact that S&S is the distributor (not the publisher) of the 2023 reboot of the 2007 book The Real AIDS Epidemic: How the Tragic HIV Mistake Threatens Us All by Rebecca V. Culshaw, a mathematician. The book repeats the familiar AIDS denialist mantra of the past many decades―refuted by nearly all HIV experts worldwide and mountains of research―that HIV is not the cause of AIDS. The slim, highly unsubstantiated volume, which TheBody spent time reading over the weekend, includes claims that experts and people living with HIV/AIDS alike know to be untrue, including (and we quote verbatim):

• “people who test positive for HIV antibodies can live long, healthy lives—if they don't take toxic anti-HIV drugs” (xiii)

• “My primary goal...is to exonerate HIV of any culpability in causing any disease.” (xvi)

• “The HIV-causes-AIDS paradigm is at its heart racist and anti-gay.” (xxiii)

• “I contend that HIV testing and the use of AIDS drugs, especially the push for widespread use of PrEP, is a colossal and dangerous scam.” (xxiii)

• PrEP advertisements “are no better than the promotion of the Tuskegee syphilis experiment. They...target the African-American population.” (xxii)

• “The end point that I hope readers take away from this modest volume, is that HIV is not necessary to explain any case of AIDS.” (xli)

• “...the only effective way of transmitting HIV-positivity is perinatally, from mother to child.” (xlii)

• “...even in unmedicated people, HIV-positivity is barely (if at all) transmissible...” (xlii)

• the “surrogate marker" [of viral load] "has not been shown to have any correlation with health.” (xlvii)

• “AIDS is real. HIV is not.” (xlviii)

The book has been endorsed by vaccine denialist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and a familiar litany of longtime AIDS denialists including Celia Farber, John Lauritsen and Joan Shenton. Its publisher, Skyhorse, also publishes science denialism titles including Kennedy’s “The Real Anthony Fauci: Bill Gates, Big Pharma and the Global War on Democracy and Public Health,” and “Lies My Gov’t Told Me,” also with a foreword by Kennedy.

In addition to the protest, opponents of the book have organized an open letter to S&S president and CEO Jonathan Karp demanding that S&S stop distributing the book. (A book distributor, even if not its publisher, shares in its profits.)

Out Front Magazine joined the fray on April 13 with a provocatively titled piece, “News: GLAAD and ACT UP NY Protest Simon & Schuster over HIV/AIDS Denier’s Book,” narrowly avoiding mischaracterizing me by not referring to me as an “AIDS denier,” which I provably am not.

Simon & Schuster say they have no say in the distribution of a book accused of HIV/AIDS denialism. Public health advocates say they’re responsible. On March 27, a partnership between GLAAD and ACT UP NY began a protest of Simon & Schuster New York headquarters, according to a news release on GLAAD’s website. The demonstration follows an open letter sent by ACT UP to Jonathan Karp, President and CEO and Simon & Schuster, calling on him not to distribute a book called The Real AIDS Epidemic: How the Tragic HIV Mistake Threatens Us All by Rebecca Culshaw on March 28 through a company called Skyhorse. The letter refers to Skyhorse as a subsidiary of Simon & Schuster.

[…]

In a statement made to Salon for an article on the subject, Simon & Schuster’s communications department denied the characterization of Skyhorse as a subsidiary. The company insisted that Skyhorse is simply a third party that S&S handles certain functions for including warehousing and shipping. They claim to have no say in any editorial decisions at the publisher that will be carrying the embattled book. They also said that they have no freedom to decide which titles they will and will not distribute.

The activists behind the protest and letter disagree. They ended their letter with a call for the big-name publisher to not only refuse to distribute the book but to make sure that they aren’t contributing to misinformation with any other books. “As a major publishing house, Simon & Schuster has a duty to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS misinformation and denialism,” the letter reads in its closing paragraph. “Every occurrence adds needless life to an epidemic that has persisted for far too long. These concerns listed from HIV/AIDS advocates, organizations, and public health experts must be prioritized and taken seriously by Simon & Schuster.”

It’s unclear how long the protest has gone on for or will continue on for. But it does not seem that the publisher has agreed to halt distribution of the book.

Hang on, we’re almost done. According to Xtra Magazine’s piece on March 22, it is an “established medical truth” that HIV can lead to AIDS. (Wait a second—are they agreeing that “untreated HIV” is not sufficient for the development of AIDS? These people need to watch their language.) They also quote Dr. Robert Gallo, whose own scientific past is shrouded in controversy—possibly resulting in the fact that he was passed over for the Nobel Prize in favor of the late Dr. Luc Montagnier.

(There is also an inaccuracy in the quote that follows. I had no email communication with Xtra. They must have pulled my statements from elsewhere. They also conflate PrEP use with non HIV AIDS, in a paragraph that sounds like it was written by AI because it is nonsensical.)

It’s an established medical truth that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), if untreated, can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). While the virus was initially guaranteed to be deadly when the epidemic began in the 1980s, current antiviral treatments can give those who contract the virus long life expectancies—and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can lower users’ viral loads to the point where they are unable to transmit the virus to others.

Despite these facts, conspiracy theories surrounding life-saving antiviral medicines and the origins of the virus have continued to swirl. One particular book, by mathematician Rebecca Culshaw Smith, which advances such theories, is set to be released in just one week.

Scores of signatories have signed a letter to the publisher demanding the book’s publication be stopped; the publisher responded with accusations of censorship.

Titled The Real AIDS Epidemic: How the Tragic HIV Mistake Threatens Us All, the book argues that HIV was falsely identified as the cause of AIDS in the 1980s, and makes the claim that antiviral medications are a health risk to those taking them. An earlier version of the book, titled Science Sold Out: Does HIV Really Cause AIDS? and published in 2007, previously faced criticism for “egregious errors” from leading infectious disease scientists Kenneth Whitaker Witwer, associate professor of molecular and comparative pathobiology and neurology at John Hopkins School of Medicine, and Ruy Ribeiro, assistant professor of biology at the University of New Mexico.

Individuals and organizations have responded to news of Smith’s update  with outrage; a coalition of more than 30 organizations and 70 public health advocates and writers penning a letter to publishing house Simon & Schuster on March 20, urging them to drop distribution of the book before its imminent release. Signatories include GLAAD, ACT UP and PrEP4All; and individuals including AIDS activist and novelist Alexander Chee and artist Nan Goldin.

“Research has shown conclusively that misinformation and denialism do material harm to HIV/AIDS prevention, testing and treatment,” the letter reads. “With new prevention tools on the market, as well as revolutionary treatment options […] misinformation, which helps exacerbate stigma, discrimination and medical distrust should not be an added barrier to accessing life-saving drugs.”

The letter also emphasizes the years of scientific research that prove the causal link between HIV and AIDS, contrary to the argument put forward in Smith’s book. 

[…]

That the causal link is provable is something that Dr. Robert Gallo feels strongly about—he is an individual with some authority on the matter, given he co-discovered HIV as the cause of AIDS in 1984.

“There is no infectious disease in the history of medicine with anywhere near this amount of evidence,” Gallo said in a recent article from USA TODAY, fact-checking the idea that HIV causes AIDS. “It is conclusive. Anyone saying differently is ignorant.”

So, what does Smith argue? 

In an email statement to Xtra, Smith said that “the history of AIDS medicine and activism has an ugly underbelly,” claiming that patients have been denied informed consent. She stated that patients have also been misled “regarding the deficiencies in the lab tests used to diagnose them and measure their disease progression,” as well as arguing that the medical field and activists have “attempted to censor and suppress examples of the manifest harm that has been done to patients who were far too trusting.”

Notably, Smith also claims that PrEP is a danger to people’s health, stating that there is a “continual gaslighting of non HIV/AIDS patients into believing that they aren’t seriously ill despite being demonstrably so.” Contrary to Smith’s claims, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of getting HIV through sex by around 99 percentwhen taken as prescribed, and continued innovations around the drug promise increased accessibility and efficacy in the future. [Ed: What does PrEP have to do with non HIV AIDS? This paragraph makes no sense.]

President and publisher of Skyhorse Publishing, the group publishing the book (and a distribution client of Simon & Schuster) Tony Lyons, stood by his decision to publish the book. In an email statement to Xtra he said: 

“The people signing this letter are demanding that Simon & Schuster cancel a book that they haven’t even read. If they believe it makes flawed arguments, they should read it and then explain where the author gets it wrong,” he said. “Real science requires ongoing dialogue and debate and people who believe genuinely that they have better, stronger, more convincing arguments don’t need to stoop to cancel culture or censorship. Censorship, at its core, is anti-science.”

The publishing house also noted that Smith’s argument explores issues raised by “many prominent scientists,” including Nobel Prize winner Luc Montagnier, who was one of the co-discoverers of HIV. Before his death last year, Montagnier faced criticism from the scientific community for promoting alarmist conspiracies against COVID vaccines. He was the subject of an open letter from his peers, criticizing his stanceon vaccination and stating that he was “using his Nobel Prize status to spread dangerous health messages outside of his field of knowledge.”  

Though Smith told Xtra that her book “does not state that AIDS patients [should] not be allowed to access treatment at their discretion,” signatories of the letter to the publishers argue that the book could influence vulnerable populations. 

[…]

With only a matter of days remaining until Smith’s book hits the shelves, the activists who signed on to the letter are demanding that the publishers immediately end plans for distribution and reassess future releases to ensure that other texts won’t assist similar damage to public health. The individuals and organizations also noted that major publishing houses have a duty of care to their potential readers. 

“Simon & Schuster has a duty to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS misinformation and denialism,” their letter concludes. “Every occurrence adds needless life to an epidemic that has persisted for far too long.”

Well, we can agree on one thing. The AIDS epidemic has indeed persisted for far too long, and as long as we maintain a narrow focus of research only on HIV, while ignoring the massive non HIV AIDS epidemic, it will only get worse.

Let’s finish off with some more recent tweets, shall we? (Links are provided with the date of the tweet.)

“If she doesn’t believe HIV causes AIDS maybe she will consent to getting infected with HIV to really prove her point. [image removed] What is with the crazies wanting to deny pretty much anything and everything??”—@BelovedWitch March 21

“I can't believe that we're still dealing with these AIDS deniers *decades* later. I had to listen to their shit in the 80s and 90s. With all of the conclusive science, you'd think their traps would be sewn shut, but with the rise of paranoid anti-vaxxers, et al, here we are.”—@chapps March 30

“Logical debate is only possible with people who think logically. This lady is obviously not one of them. Someone who is making claims that can endanger people’s lives to the point of causing death, doesn’t deserve respect IMO. Why are you choosing to not focus on the real issue?”—@BelovedWitch (Sonali Warrick) May 3

I could go on in this vein, but you get the point I’m certain. “Infected” with HIV? You’ll have to isolate and purify it first, then we can talk. I’m not holding my breath.

As if this were not enough, once the book was published, a number of unverified one-star reviews began to appear on Amazon, many of which were published far too quickly post-publication for the authors of said reviews to have possibly read the book. By contrast, verified five star reviews such as this one by Matt Irwin, MD, mysteriously took over a week to be approved by Amazon. This review didn’t even make it to Amazon.com, but does appear on Amazon.ca, luckily for my Canadian family and friends. Who knows how many verified reviews are still pending?

Why might these activist organizations be so concerned with words? Consider the following, written in 1990 and now more relevant than ever, by Academy Award winner Elinor Burkett:

The Worst Possible News

What is AIDS? According to the federal government, it is a 10-page single-spaced collection of diseases, conditions under which the diseases must occur, test parameters and pure deduction. The only thing that holds this mind-numbing definition together is: HIV. If you have certain kinds of pneumonia and HIV, you have AIDS. If you have those kinds of pneumonia and you don't test positive for HIV, you're just a poor slob who has been around too many people spewing pneumonia germs.

If HIV is not the sole cause of AIDS, then the effort to fight the disease is in chaos. In fact, we wouldn't even know what disease-or how many different diseases-we are fighting. HIV is the glue that holds together an amorphous syndrome of usually common and nonlethal ailments that are hitting uncommon groups of people or becoming strangely lethal.

If HIV is not the sole cause of AIDS, then five years of desperate searching for a way to kill a virus in already infected people-a feat that has never been accomplished with any virus-might have been spent more productively on another course of research.

For scientists, the idea at this late date that HIV is not a lone assassin is the worst possible news. In the bars outside medical conferences and in off-the-record conversations, dozens of AIDS researchers admit they are disturbed by the persistent failure of the most monumental medical research effort in the nation's history to yield clear proof that HIV is a lone assassin.

Yet in public, and on-the-record, few will express those doubts. "I'd bet my professional reputation that something more than HIV is involved in this disease," said one federally funded AIDS researcher. "But I wouldn't bet my grants, my ability to work."

If there is fear about questioning the established line of thought, it is not because there is any conspiracy against skeptics: It is the intuitive understanding that the last thing anybody wants to hear is what the skeptics are saying. It is just too scary.

"What epidemiologist or federal official wants to admit that the entire thrust of research and education might be misguided?" asks Robin Haueter, an AIDS activist in New York City. "What person with AIDS wants to consider the horrendous thought that we have wasted five years of research, that the end might not be anywhere in sight?"

Indeed, what person with AIDS, what AIDS researcher, what infectious disease specialist, what AIDS activist, would want to consider the horrendous truth that we have wasted not five, but forty years of research? Yet the laundry list of failed predictions and the continuing elusiveness of any disease-causing mechanism for HIV strongly indicates that we are on the wrong path, and we remain on this path because the more time passes, the harder it is to admit one’s mistake. Indeed, the longer this continues, the more catastrophic the reckoning will be when it comes.

You knew this was coming. Fight the censors by purchasing The Real AIDS Epidemic on Kindle or in hardcover.

******************

Endnote: Here is the entire text of ACT UP’s letter to Simon & Schuster, with the full list of signatories (some of whom are known by only one name, like they’re Elvis or Madonna):

Jonathan Karp
Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020

March 20, 2023

To the attention of Jonathan Karp, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simon & Schuster,

As a robust and comprehensive coalition of HIV/AIDS advocates, organizations, and public health experts, we are writing to you with an urgent concern. Simon & Schuster (by subsidiary Skyhorse) has plans to distribute a book called, The Real AIDS Epidemic: How the Tragic HIV Mistake Threatens Us All by recognized AIDS denialist Rebecca Culshaw on March 28, 2023. In the midst of coexisting pandemics and public health outbreaks, we know the dire and deadly consequences of spreading misinformation and denialism. It is disappointing that a book like Culshaw’s is on a roster of your releases in 2023, but you still have a chance to reverse this decision. We are asking you to reconsider this book deal and stop its distribution.

The thesis of Culshaw’s book is that HIV does not conclusively cause AIDS, but that this was a ‘mistake’ made in the 1980s and never amended or corrected. To the contrary, that HIV causes AIDS was demonstrated first in the 1980s, when the virus was discovered, and subsequently research has only strengthened that causal link in the subsequent decades, including via in vitro systems, in animal models, including non-human primates, via molecular phylogenetics, and in human samples.

Research has shown conclusively that misinformation and denialism do material harm to HIV/AIDS prevention, testing, and treatment. For example, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved oral PrEP over a decade ago in 2012. However, this drug, which is 99 percent effective in preventing HIV, has been woefully underutilized, especially in the communities that would benefit from it the most. While 67 percent of white people recommended for PrEP have access to the drug, astonishingly, only 8 percent of Black people eligible – who also disproportionately make up a majority of new HIV transmissions – are currently using the medication. With new prevention tools on the market, as well as revolutionary treatment options (people living with HIV who are on effective medication with their HIV viral load undetectable cannot transmit HIV to their sexual partners, known as undetectable = untransmittable, or U=U), misinformation which helps exacerbate stigma, discrimination, and medical distrust should not be an added barrier to accessing lifesaving drugs.

Furthermore, research has shown that AIDS denialism poses real health risk to people living with HIV and their sexual partners. We know that patients who fall into AIDS denialism are more likely to experience HIV-related symptoms of illness and have higher, detectable viral loads, meaning the virus (which is real) can be transmitted to their sexual partners. By releasing an AIDS denialist book, Simon & Schuster would be encouraging vulnerable people to ignore medical directions and to stop their medications, which is dangerous to their health and is likely to lead to a higher amount of virus in their bodies.

In late 2019, weeks prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic which is still disproportionately deadly to people living with HIV, HIV/AIDS advocates raised the alarm about inaccurate Truvada lawsuit ads promoted on social media and allowed by platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. In response, advocates penned a letter to Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook executives to take down the ads knowing that they would heighten fears about taking PrEP. Since then, Facebook has taken down a majority–if not all–anti-PrEP ads. Now Simon & Schuster faces the time and obligation to do the same.

Rebecca Culshaw’s book Science Sold Out: Does HIV Really Cause AIDS? tipped off veteran HIV/AIDS advocates and leading doctors in the infectious disease space back in 2007. Dr. Kenneth Whitaker Witwer of John Hopkins Medicine and Dr. Ruy Ribeiro of University of New Mexico break down Culshaw’s “egregious errors” in this four-page critique. They both also co-authored this critical response of her paper titled Mathematical Modeling of AIDS Progression: Limitations, Expectations, and Future Directions in 2006. Advocates time and time again have tried to warn educators and publishers the dangers of platforming someone like Rebecca Culshaw. It is important that Simon & Schuster apply this thorough and science-backed guidance and put an end to the distribution of Culshaw’s HIV/AIDS denialism and misinformation.

The co-signatories of this letter demand that:

• Simon & Schuster immediately end plans for distribution of the book, The Real AIDS Epidemic: How the Tragic HIV Mistake Threatens Us All by Rebecca Culshaw.

• Simon & Schuster reassess other future releases to ensure that other books won’t assist similar damage to public health.

• Simon & Schuster create a public health working group to assure community members that this will not happen again.

As a major publishing house, Simon & Schuster has a duty to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS misinformation and denialism. Every occurrence adds needless life to an epidemic that has persisted for far too long. These concerns listed from HIV/AIDS advocates, organizations, and public health experts must be prioritized and taken seriously by Simon & Schuster.

Signed,

Organizations:

above/ground press
Act Now: End AIDS (ANEA) Coalition
ACT UP London
ACT UP NY
ADAP Advocacy Association
African Services Committee
Albany Damien Center
All Kinds Accessibility Consulting
Arsenal Pulp Press
AVAC
Botton, Ink.
Cascade AIDS Project
Community Access National Network
Crip News
CRISPR for Cure Collaboratory
Dibby Theatre
Disability in Publishing
ElderPride Inc.
Familia:TQLM
FATCAMP Party Collective
Fonograf Editions
Foundation for Integrative AIDS Research (FIAR)
GLAAD
GMHC
Hacking//Hustling
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
Health Justice
Het HEM
HIV and Aging Research Project | Palm Springs
HIVForum.info
Indivisible Activate NYC
Housing Works
iHealth
JournalsAndBooks.com, Inc.
Jug Run Press LLC
Kate Martin Therapy
Lambda Independent Democrats of Brooklyn
LGBT Center of Greater Cleveland
Long COVID Justice
Loyalty Bookstores
My Fabulous Disease
NAM aidsmap
New York City AIDS Memorial
One More Page Books
Pink Oracle
Plus Life Media
PlusInc
Positive Women’s Network – USA
PrEP4All
Queer Crime Writers
Queer Palestinian Empowerment Network
Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT and Harvard Strategies for High Impact (S4HI)
Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.
Seven Stories Press
Southern Tier AIDS Program/Southern Tier Care Coordination
The Paperback Exchange Bookstore
The Well Project
Trans Equity Consulting
Treatment Action Group (TAG)
U=U Plus
What Would an HIV Doula Do?

Individuals:

Ariel Aberg-Riger
Paul Adamson MD MPH
Dahlia Adler
Hillel Adler
Sarah Ahiers
Bradley Ahlström
Jessica Alamo
Alex
ALKS
Eyad Alkurabi
Lily Alvarado
Carmen Alvarez
Jennifer Alvarez
Grace Ambrossi
Laura Amos
Joshua Anderson
Andrew
Jen Appell
Ivy Arce
Arden
Diana Arterian
Aimée Argote
Sam Armbruster, MPH
Jareth Arnold
Jason Arnold
Wendy Ashmun
Z Aung
Andrés Alvarado Avila
Angel Avina
Jennifer Avril
Aysha
Corey Baesler
Jennifer Baker
Thom Baker
Robert Ballantyne
Awura Ama Barnie-Duah
Gwenn Barringer
Devin Barrett
John J Barry
Laura Beal
Katie Beasley
Liz Bell
Matt Bell
Beau Belle
Rakie Bennett
Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
Jeff Berry
Finnegan Bevilacqua
Marke Bieschke
Oni Blackstock, MD, MHS
Paul Blore
Dr Robert Bohan
Rob Bokkon
Caroline Boll
Marianne Boll
Christine Bollow
Margot Bonner
David Bontumasi
Cheriko A. Boone
Erik Bottcher
Sari Botton
Albert Bowes
Christopher Bram
Wendy Brandes
Katie Breck
Keegan Brewster
Eva Brotslaw
Hanna Brown
Yharnet Browne
Drew Broussard
Becky Brunton
Brenda Buchanan
Kitty Buehler, MS
Mark Burdett
Kate Wilson-Burnett
Gabriella Cabrera
Corey Campbell
James Carey
Cynthia Carrera
Will Carson
George M. Carter
Julianna Catania, MPH
Heather Cathers
Jessica Cawley
Matthew B. Chambers
Alexander Chee
Sherman Chen
Alexander Cheves
Jason Cianciotto
Joelle Circé
Taylor Clarke
Audrey Class
Claudia
Zachary Clemente
Paul Clift
Rebecca Cohen MD, MPH
Samuel Cohen
Shauna Colbath
Emerson Collins
Blake Colton
Jennifer Cooper
John Copenhaver
Malia Cordel
Randall Correia MD ScM
Andy Corren
Rachel Vorona Cote
Isa Cote-Lalumiere
Courtney Cross
Eliza Coviello
Chris Cowden
Daniel Allen Cox
Maxe Crandall
Eliel Cruz
Jay D
Angela Dallara
Isabel DaSilva
Ellen Datlow
Rosie Dauval
Paul A. D’Avanzo, PhD
JD Davids
Mr. H O Davies
Clara Davis
Alexondra De La Rosa
Shawn Decker
Dee
Rosalyn DeMattia
David Demchuk
Wouter DenHaan
J. Michael Denton, PhD
Virginia Diaz
Nikki Dolson
Amanda Doyle
Faith Drucker
Ace Dufresne
Jace Eaton
Akwaeke Emezi
Jessi Eoin
Samuel Ernest
Brooke A. Evans
Kenyon Farrow
Lane Fields
Audra Figgins
Dr João Florêncio
Jason Fluegge
Brian T. Foley
Pete Forester
Dr. Mark Foster
Jaime Fountaine
Aldy Fourcade
Megan Frampton
ChaeRan Freeze
Cameron French
Jessica Fuller
Tyler Fuller, MTS, MPH, CHES
Alyssa Furukawa, MPH
Patricia Gallagher
Kelly Gallucci
Eddie Gamboa
Robert Gamboa
Christopher Garcia
Christopher Garcia-Wilde, MD, MPH
Mallory Garrett, LMFT
Stephanie Gayle
Amelia Rose Gearhart
Lisa Geiszler
Cecilia Gentili
Michael Gifford
Morgan Glass
Sam Glatt
Eric Gold
Nan Goldin
Carlos Gomez
R Gonzales
Janeway Granche
Howard Grossman MD
Kevin Gotkin
Allison Grunwald
Stephanie Guerdan
Dom Guida
Jennicet Gutiérrez
Joshua Gutterman Tranen
Mandie Guy
Stephen Guy-Bray
Anne Hagan
Amanda Hager, MA LPC
Zaki Hagins
Andrew Hahn
Cammie Hall
Nathaniel Hall
Russell S Halley
Sarah Hamburg
Shannon Hardy
Dave Harper
Mark Harrington
Reginald Harris
Christopher Heizer
Tomas Hemstad
Alex Henkel
Linda Herard
Ailsa & Kate Hermann-Wu
Martin Hernandez
Diane Herrig
Christopher Herrmann
Stephen A Hicks
Nels Highberg, Professor
Chelsie Hinds
Mary Hoag
Matthew Hodson
Leah Hollander
Becket Honeycutt
Trevor Hoppe
Gregory Howard
Heather C. Huber
Tabitha Huizinga
Hunter
Manuel Hurtado
Viola Hyland
Meredith Ireland
Ellen Isaacs, MD
Mark J
Richard Jackman
Avery James
Carrie James
Deepta Janardhan
Foxy Jazzabelle
Richard Jefferys
Ren Jender
Joan
Sarah Johnson
Kyle Jozsa
Perry Junjulas
Tom Kalin
Colin Kasl
Hallie Katherine
Morgan Kee
Noam Keim
Dharma Kelleher
Marilyn “The Fat Britney” Kelly
Whitney Kemble
Emma Kennedy
Maia Kenney
Louise Kenward
Michael J Kerr
Theodore Kerr
Kevin
Thomas Keyton
Naina Khanna
Ken Kidd
Paul Kidd
Charles King
Dave King
Mark S. King
Kerry Kissinger
CK Klein
Wendy Kloiber
Richard Klos
Graham Kolbeins
Dave Kopka
Peter B Kostrobala

Dennis D Kovanda
Megan Kramer
Steven F. Kruger
Andrea Kszystyniak
Melissa L
Brian LamEmily Landry
Russell (Pinky) Lash
Kayla Latta
Kallen Law
Jen Laws
Chris Lawson
De’Ashia Lee
Isaac Lee
Max Lee
Michelle Lee
Kira Leigh
William M Lenihan
Zachary Lennon-Simon
Nicole Leo
Matthew Lesieur
Cassandra Leveille
Shai Levene-Watkins, LCSW
Amy Li
Andrew Li
Michelle Li
Victor Li
Ezri Kjær Lilleårstein
Emily Lind
Brona Little
Kristofer Lorne
Caleb LoSchiavo, MPH
Melissa Louise
Amanda Lugg
Annalia Luna
Cari Luna
Kate Luxion, MFA MPH LCCE
Dr. Andy Lynn
Brandon M. Macsata
Ruth Madievsky
Drew Madore
Matt Mager
Alison Mahoney
Marcelo Maia
Malbec
Henry Manes
Ira Manhoff
Kelly Marble
MariNaomi
Mario
Carrie Marshall
Lauren Markham
Jeffrey Marks
Kiana Marsan
Kate Martin
Tanny Martin, Retired RN
Ryan Marino, MD
Nina Martinez
Linz Mas
Gale Massey
James Mayfield
Jessica McGale-Cooper
Rob Mclennan
Kathryn McMahon
Kelso McNaught
Jose Mejia
Kevin Michael
Thomas Miles
Ben Miller
Cassidy Miller
Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper
Nara Monteiro
Dana Moore
John P. Moore
Skylar Moore
Katherine Morgan
Eamon Moris
Cynthia Morrill
Kendall Queer Morrison
Abdul-Aliy A. Muhammad
Murphy
Meredith Murphy
Tim Murphy
Laurianna Murray
Mason Myers, PharmD ‘23
Lelia N
Jami Nakamura Lin
Julia Napolitano
August E. Naston
Natalie
Camilo Nazar
Chael Needle
Steven M. Negron-Candelario
Eric Andrew Newman
Victoria Noe
Tausif Noor
Robert A. Novak
Mark O’Brien
Andrew O’Callaghan-Williamson
John O’Callaghan-Williamson
Anthony Oliveira
Marisa Olson
Kristen O’Neal
Kelley L O’Neill
Steve Orlando
Rob Osler
Joseph Osmundson, PhD
Roma Panganiban
Marija Pantelic
Teddy Partridge
Chris Peck
Murray Penner
Eric Pfleider
Matt Phillips
Paulette Pierce
John Pietaro
William Plunkett
Tom Powell
Jack Pretzer
Priscilla
Ekaterina Pugachova
Ben Purkert
Artur Queiroz
Seeley Quest
Judy Raddue
Brady Rae
Jesus Ramirez-Valles
Kirthana Ramisetti
Amy Raspatello
Zara Raven
Harry F. Rey
Arielle Reyes
Randy Ribay
Susan Riggs
Gary D. Rissman
Annie Ristuccia, MPH
Ado Rivera
Mathew Rodriguez
Caryn Rose
Jason D. Rosenberg
Grant Roth
Ellen Russell
Francey Russell
Hugh Ryan
Amy S
Brittany S
Sabrina
Afiya Sajwani
Zoé Samudzi
Michael Sanchez
Myrea Saunders
Eric Sawyer
Frank Scarfone
Veronica Schanoes
Sophie Schell
Danielle Schiestle
Karl Schmid
Dennison Schultz
Cassie Schulz
Amanda Schumacher
Michael Seel
Carson Sehr
Shelby Seier
Anastasia Selby
Jonathan Shaffer
Noa Shaindlinger
Madeline Shellhouse
Benjamin Heim Shepard
Connor Sheridan
Eileen Shyler
William J Siegel
Jason Silverstein
TQ Sims
Adam Singer
Mar Slaughter
Ardis Smith
Courtney Smith
Daniel Smith
Danez Smith
Derek Smith
Kaleigh Smith
Kimberleigh Joy Smith
Mandy D Smith
Summer Smith
Tara C. Smith
Funmi Soroye
Amy Spalding
Rebecca Speas
Adam D. Sperry
Peter Staley
LC Star
Gabriel Starner
Adie Steckel
Aleithia Stephens
Ian Stephenson
Miranda J. Stinson
Sara Jane Stoner
Casey Strack
Kory Stuer
Kimberly L Sue MD PhD
Misa Sugiura
Stephen Sukumaran, MPH
Margaret Swezey
Alexis Swope
Natalia Sylvester
Sophie Talmadge Silleck
Allison Tamarkin Paller
Marissa Tambasco
Jeff Taylor
Charles Theonia
Parisa Thepmankorn
Harry Thomas
Conyers Thompson
Nigel Thompson
Steven Thrasher, PhD
Fran Tirado
Liz Tracey
Mai Tran
Caleb Trotz
Hank Trout, M.A.
Mary Trujillo
Aoi Tsuda
Andrea Tucci
Kay Ulanday Barrett
Frank Vaca
Jakob Vala
William van Roden
Alex Vance
Ricky Varghese
James Veitch
Jacques Viau
Jasmine Victor
Lisa Wartenberg Vélez
Reed Vreeland
Charles Wain
Jack Wakely

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