AIDS Activists Step Up Call for Hershey Boycott

At protests Friday in San Francisco, New York City and Hershey, Penn., AIDS activists renewed their call for a boycott of Hershey candy because the boarding school named for its founder refuses to admit an HIV-positive teenager.

“We are asking the public to send a clear message to Hershey that there are ‘No Kisses for Hershey’ as Hershey continues its path of discrimination and ignorance,” said Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

Last year, the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania sued the Milton Hershey School, charging that MHS violated the Americans with Disabilities Act when it denied admission to a boy with HIV/AIDS. The school, founded in 1909, provides a free education to some 1,850 low-income and socially disadvantaged students pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

MHS said the risk of sexual contact is significant. “We hope that fair-minded people also understand that we did not make this decision in ignorance, but that we looked at all the complicated issues surrounding our unique environment and made the decision we thought was best for our students,” said Connie McNamara, vice president of communications for MHS.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!