FEATURE/Joycelyn Elders Blasts Bush as PresidentialChoice; Exclusive GayHealth.com Interview...

Health & Feature Editors, Political Writers

FEATURE...

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--Nov. 3, 2000

On the eve of the closest presidential election in decades, former United States Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders strongly states her mistrust of Texas Governor

"I think Bush has sold out to the right wing, and is so dependent on them electing him -- if he gets in -- he'll do what they tell him to," she told GayHealth.com. "What we've got to have right now is a seasoned -- and I think Gore is seasoned -- statesman with a vision, and we need a politician with a conscience... a leader who has a brain."

Dr. Elders, appointed by President Clinton and then forced to resign because of comments she made encouraging masturbation, remains outspoken in her views about crucial public health issues. She shared the following views with GayHealth.com:

- Sex education in schools: "We need to give young people a healthy outlook and
a healthy respect for their sexuality, whatever it is. To not provide
comprehensive health education programs in our schools, from kindergarten to
twelfth grade, says that we do not want healthy people. If everyone was failing
totally in math, wouldn't you feel the need to teach it?"

- HIV in African-American communities: "We refuse to teach our young people in
school how to protect themselves. And we don't do it in our black churches. Our
ministers are trying to do more now, and open their eyes and realize that we
don't have to let all of our people die for lack of knowledge."

- AIDS prevention efforts "Fear-based tactics will never work. If you don't
educate people, and get them to change their attitudes, then as soon as they
get over their fear, they fall back to their same old ways."

The complete interview with Dr. Elders -- including her take on Dr. Laura, the Boy Scouts' policy on gays, ACT-UP, and her prior comments on masturbation -- is available at www.GayHealth.com. GayHealth.com, the Web's only health site devoted to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, was founded in 1999 by the nation's top lesbian and gay medical professionals.