Mayor Bloomberg recently turned down an invitation by AIDSVote.org, a coalition of New York City AIDS groups including Housing Works, to participate in an AIDS-focused mayoral forum. He refused to even fill out AIDSVote.org’s candidate questionnaire! Something every candidate for Comptroller and Public Advocate was willing to do.

Please join Bloomberg challenger Bill Thompson, representatives from Housing Works, the Women’s HIV Collaborative and dozens of people living with HIV/AIDS outside Bloomberg’s campaign headquarters to protest his refusal to state his positions on AIDS issues through the AIDSVote questionnaire. We will also take Bloomberg to task for failing to reform New York City’s outdated AIDS housing policies and attempts to cut HIV-prevention funding.

Thompson agreed to participate in the AIDSVote forum and filled out the candidate questionnaire, available at AIDSVote.org.

AIDS groups are particularly angry with the Mayor for failing to reform the City’s backward policy of letting people fall seriously ill before they qualify for AIDS housing. Legislation called HASA for All that would provide housing to all homeless New Yorkers living with HIV is before the City Council.

The AIDSVote questionnaire seeks answers from Bloomberg on a number of other issues including helping illegal immigrants access AIDS treatment and care, HIV prevention in prison’s and the city’s reliance on substandard SRO hotels to house homeless New Yorkers living with HIV/AIDS.