CDC HIV/AIDS/Viral Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Nominee for Health Commissioner Loses Vital Backing
Purdum, Todd S.
January 19, 1990
New York Times (01/19/90), P. B1
Two major gay-rights groups and the AIDS expert who nominated Dr.
Woodrow A. Myers Jr. to be New York City's new health commissioner
yesterday withdrew their support for the candidate. The Lambda Legal
Defense Fund and the Gay Men's Health Crisis said they could no longer
support the candidate because of concerns about his AIDS policies. In
addition, Dr. Mathilde Krim withdrew her recommendation of Myers, saying
statements attributed to him "contradict previous assurances given me and
other members of Mayor Dinkins's search and transition committees." The
gay-rights groups said an article in yesterday's New York Post suggested
Myers would consider compiling a list of people with HIV infection and
quarantining them in some circumstances. The article is "a complete
distortion" of his views, a Myers spokesman said. Dinkins, who has said
he would not likely appoint a health commissioner whom Krim opposed, said
yesterday the final decision would be his alone. Dinkins appears to face
a split on the issue along racial lines among his advisers.
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