Letter from Stuart King to President Bush thanking him for support on AIDS research and criticizing him for campaigning for Senator Helms

50 #158941 25 JUNE 1990 HHS MR STUART KING HCFA. BPD 7871 SW 106 AVE OPS, IS MIAMI, FLORIDA 33173 23 PRESIDENT BUSH 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVE WASHINGTON, DC 20006 DEAR PRESIDENT BUSH, I WANT TO SINCERELY THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT YOU AND MRS BUSH HAVE GIVEN AND HOPEFULLY WILL CONTINUE TO GIVE TO THE GAY AND LESBIAN COMMUNITY. PARTICULARLY, BUT NOT ONLY, HAVING TO DO WITH AIDS. I. CAN UNDERSTAND WHY SOME MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY ARE UPSET, BEING HIV+ AND HAVING LOST MY HEALTH/LIFE INSURANCE. PRESENTLY I AM HEALTHY BUT THE THOUGHT OF WHAT'S IN STORE FOR THE FUTURE IS TERRIFYING. I HOPE IN SOME WAY SOME KIND OF NATIONAL HEALTH CARE PLAN CAN BE STARTED. THIS WOULD NOT ONLY HELP PWA'S, BUT MULTITUDES OF PEOPLE WHO SIMPLY CAN'T AFFORD OR GET HEALTH CARE AND/OR INSURANCE. IT SEEMS INCONCEIVABLE THAT A COUNTRY AS SOPHISTICATED AS OURS COULD BE SO BACKWARDS WHEN IT COMES TO CARE FOR THE SICK. I CAN ALSO UNDERSTAND YOUR DECISION TO DECLINE TO SPEAK AT THE AIDS CONFERENCE IN SAN FRANCISCO. I DO, HOWEVER, FEEL IT WAS A SLAP IN THE FACE FOR YOU TO CAMPAIGN FOR SENATOR JESSE HELMS DURING THE CONFERENCE. HIS SPEECHES AND STATEMENTS INDICATE HIS VIEWS ARE RATHER ARCHAIC AND MISDIRECTED. I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOU TIME AND SHOULD I NOT HEAR FROM YOU DIRECTLY I HOPE I DO INDIRECTLY. SINCERELY, +