New York State Senator Tom Duane, who happens to be openly gay and a long-time champion for LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS rights, was arrested along with others this month in New York City for civil disobedience during a protest. The protest was staged in response to Governor Paterson's veto of a bill that would have provided funding for HIV/AIDS.

The bill is meant to protect lower income people living with HIV and AIDS to ensure they won't have to spend more than 30 percent of their income on related medications and treatments. The bill seeks to cover about 10,000 New Yorkers. This month's act of civil disobedience was just one recent attempt to get the Governor to reverse his veto before the end of 2010. Both Mayor

Governor Patterson continues to argue that the bill is an "unfunded mandate" that the state cannot afford. But many activists say that passage of the bill will actually help cut costs long-term because it would save the state and taxpayers on not paying for housing or other living expenses for community members that cannot afford rent because of the prohibitive costs of their HIV/AIDS medications.

As Duane said after his arrest: "So, some of us are going to spend a day and maybe longer in jail, but that's nothing compared to the imprisonment that ... Governor Patterson [is] forcing on people in the gay community every day."

Send Gov. Paterson a message that he should reverse his veto of this life-saving HIV/AIDS Housing Bill.