Kiyoshi Kuromiya, born May 1943, was up to his untimely death in May 2000, one of the world’s most vocal HIV/AIDS, civil rights, gay rights and anti-war activist. Kuromiya was born in a rural internment camp for Japanese in Heart Mountain, Wyoming. In the 1950’s Kiyoshi and his family moved to California where he attended Monrovia High School and later University of Pennsylvania(http://www.critpath.org/about-us/kiyoshi-kuromiya/kiyoshi-kuromiya-hivaids-activist-dies-in-philadelphia/’).
Kiyoshi Kuromiya is best known as an activist for civil rights, social justice and for his promotion of information regarding HIV/AIDS. He was an openly gay delegate at the first ever convention for gay rights, the Black Panther Convention. As a HIV/AIDS activist, Kuromiya was involved in numerous aspects of the movement including; empowerment of victims and coalition building through We The People Living with HIV/AIDS Foundation, radical direct action with the ACT UP network, national and international research and advocacy for individuals living with HIV/AIDS and promotion of a compassionate, caring and loving community free of stigma against AIDS victims.
The Critical Path Project is one of his best known creations and platforms for advocacy on the national and international fronts. Together with co-founder, Buckminster Fuller, Kiyoshi created the Critical Path Project as a foundation to provide information, advocacy and agitation for sexual rights liberation. The Critical Path Project circulated information about HIV/AIDS to victims, general population and high risk individuals such as incarcerated felons, doctors and medical health practitioners. The Critical Path newsletter was mailed to thousands of individuals around the world, thus improving awareness about the killer disease (Martin, 2000).
The Critical Path Foundation provided free internet access to individuals living in Philadelphia. Kuromiya used the internet as a platform to reach and educate millions of individuals living with HIV/AIDS. The foundation provides free access to thousands of web pages that contain vital information about the contraction, spread, effects and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Kuromiya used the internet as a platform to reach millions of individuals anonymously, get their opinions about various issues and share information. He was a champion for freedom of speech on the internet and was a vital player in maintaining a successful lawsuit against censure of information on the internet by the Communications Decency Act(http://www.critpath.org/about-us/kiyoshi-kuromiya/kiyoshi-kuromiya-hivaids-activist-dies-in-philadelphia/’).
In his fight against AIDS, Kuromiya advocated for community tested, and researched treatment options. According to him, the best medical treatment schemes for individuals with HIV/AIDS had to be designed with participation from the community. Individuals are given the rights to choose for themselves the best treatment schemes, after receiving comprehensive information regarding the treatment options (Martin, 2000). To this end, Kuromiya went as far as researching alternative therapies for disease treatment including the use of marijuana. His support for the use of medicinal marijuana was based on the assertion that the drug helped to bolster appetite and nutritional intake. This is important for AIDS victims who perish as a result of poor nutrition and wasting syndrome.
When he was not agitating for gay rights, civil rights or some form of social injustice, Kiyoshi spent a vast chunk of his time visiting the finest restaurants and theatres in Philadelphia as part of his research for ‘The Collegiate Guide to Greater Philadelphia’, an influential guide to the city that he created. The exemplary steps made by Kiyoshi Kuromiya in advocating for gay rights, social injustice and spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS have made the world a better place.
References:
Critical Path. Kiyoshi Kuromiya, HIV/AIDS Activist, Dies in Philadelphia. Accessed
Forster, E. (1996). Where There's Smoke There Must Be Fire. POZ Magazine.Vol. 133, no, 3.
Martin, D. (2000). Kiyoshi Kuromiya, 57, Fighter for the Rights of AIDS Patients. The New
York Times. Accessed from>http://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/28/us/kiyoshi-kuromiya-57-fighter-for-the-rights-of-aids-patients.html
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to answer the following questions about Kiyoshi Kuromiya.
- The main reason I chose Kiyoshi Kuromiya for a paper on sexuality is his immense participation on HIV/AIDS related topics. This area received a lot of attention from public health officials and governments in the eighties and nineties but has almost been forgotten and ignored. The active danger of contracting HIV/AIDS is still real yet few people talk about this sexually transmitted disease.
- Kiyoshi Kuromiya is an interesting character to read and write about. His history is filled with incidents that are relevant to his profession. As a self-taught expert, Kiyoshi agitates for the rights of homosexuals and forms forums for discussion about HIV/AIDS.
- I was most surprised by Kiyoshi Kuromiya’s method of mobilization and protest. In 1968, he organized a radical anti-war protest by announcing that a dog would be burned in front of University of Pennsylvania’s Van Felt library. Thousands of dog lovers, curious onlookers and animal rights activists turned up to find Kuromiya’s message ‘Congratulations on your anti-napalm protest (Martin, 2000). You saved the life of a dog, now how about saving the lives of tens of thousands of people in Vietnam.’
- Kiyoshi Kuromiya’s greatest contribution was in the creation of awareness about HIV/AIDS. He created the Critical Path foundation which focused on spreading information regarding this killer disease.
- Despite being an acclaimed author, sex peer professional, civil and social rights activist, I would not like to trade places with Kiyoshi Kuromiya. His self-taught doctrine and method of activism is radical and against my personal values.
- The personal choices of Kuromiya greatly influenced his work. The fact that he was openly gay and HIV positive explains the reason for his intense activism on these areas.
- Who were the influences on Kiyoshi Kuromiya and his method of activism? Kiyoshi Kuromiya’s method was heavily influenced by the work of civil rights icon, Martin Luther King. Kiyoshi attended his liberation speech as a young adult and that experience changed his perspective on activism.
