News: GLAAD and ACT UP NY Protest Simon & Schuster Over HIV/AIDS Denier’s Book

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.

“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 states about the controversial publication. “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.”

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.