“The multimillion-album-selling alternative rock outfit has thrown its weight behind Alive and Well, an ‘alternative AIDS information group’ that denies any link between HIV and AIDS. In January [2000], Foo Fighters bassist Nate Mendel helped organize a sold-out concert in Hollywood to benefit the group. Foo fans were treated to a speech by Alive and Well founder Christine Maggiore, who believes AIDS may be caused by HIV-related medications, anal sex, stress, and drug use, and implies that people should not get tested for HIV nor take medications to counter the virus. Free copies of Maggiore's self-published book, ‘What If Everything You Thought You Knew About AIDS Was Wrong?,’ in which she declares ‘there is no proof that HIV causes AIDS,’ were also passed out to the concert-goers.”posted by ericb at 1:12 PM on September 18, 2011
"Members of the group 'The Foo Fighters' provided music for a soundtrack of the recent documentary, 'The Other Side of AIDS' which questions whether HIV is the cause of AIDS. The band has spread its message that HIV does not cause AIDS at concerts, and it lists the HIV denial group “Alive and Well” as a worthy cause on its Web site [link now 'dead']"*posted by ericb at 1:35 PM on September 18, 2011 [1 favorite]
"HIV experts are alarmed by the possible impact of the Foo Fighters' embrace of Maggiore's theories on their potentially gullible young fans .... 'When it comes to such a complex health topic, it behooves the band to have really researched what they are endorsing,' says Diane Tanaka, an attending physician at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, where she works with a large population of high-risk and HIV-infected low-income youth. '(The Foo Fighters) have a big responsibility in terms of (their) public role and the impact that they can have on young people. Is this band willing to take responsibility for a young person engaging in risky, unprotected sex because of information they've gotten from the (Foo Fighters) or from Alive and Well?'
... The Foo Fighters plan additional benefit shows, and have placed a banner ad [link now 'dead'] on their Web site linking to Alive and Well. "*
"Media personality Steven Gray [New Zealand TV presenter] posted the [Westboro protest] video on his website this morning, calling the band 'The Killers'.posted by ericb at 1:43 PM on September 18, 2011
'They need to publicly apologise for what they did,' he says. 'They got a lot of fan and media attention for an idea that was never proved, is still out there with their names in it, and they have never in the last 11 years set the record 'straight' that they were ill-informed.'"*
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posted by Curious Artificer at 6:59 AM on September 18, 2011 [2 favorites]