It has come to the CPPN Board of Directors’ attention that a great deal of hate and ugly innuendo is circulating on social media these days. More troublesome is that the people who are so blatantly seeking to harm the CPPN and its current leadership team are doing this without the benefit of accurate information or facts that come anywhere close to truth. And most-troublesome still, one post included personal home addresses with no concern for the individuals or their families. This is reprehensible!

These propagandists have completely ignored the fact that their hate and deceptions hurt the CPPN membership as a whole – they are hurting their peers by willfully circulating conjecture, misleading and false information and hateful slams that have no basis in truth. The CPPN is a health organization; its function is to provide support to people living with HIV and HIV co-infections. It sometimes happens that some of our colleagues mistake themselves for politicians and forget this.

So how does any of this help exactly and when does it end?

We are intrigued that the perpetrators of this slander, defamation, doxing, and harsh (but ill-informed) criticism do so in the dark. They have very staunch opinions and they levy very serious accusations, but they do it undercover without the courage to sign their true names to their grievances, and none have asked any member of the current leadership team for an opportunity to discuss their concerns. Why? Could it be that they simply can't stand behind or stand up for their own commentary?

Shameful! 

We believe that constructive criticism is vital to the CPPN’s growth, integrity, and credibility. We welcome constructive criticism when it is meaningful and intended by people who want to be part of the solutions we seek. We have ZERO interest in entertaining the critical perspective of anyone for whom the goal is to bring harm to the CPPN – especially when that intention is so flagrant and libelous.

The time has come for us to call it like we see it. Some people out there, including some who are current members of the CPPN, are extremely aggressive in their attempts to discredit the CPPN and to plainly and fraudulently defame and slander members of the current leadership team… we are people living with HIV who are well-respected and who worked very hard to bring the CPPN out of an organizational crisis that this team did not create.

Really, enough is enough! 

We will welcome and encourage discussion with anyone who is prepared to share honest concerns and who are willing to sign and stand behind their criticisms, but we cannot and will not accept the slurs and intentional attempts to create divides within our peer communities.

We are marginalized enough already. Let's stop marginalizing from within, shall we?