Several groups, including the Pomegranate Radical Health Collective, the Ad Hoc Coalition of Radical AIDS Activists, and the Chicagoland Anarchist Network, are planning a protest of the movie The Other Side of AIDS; the event will take place March 23 at the Healing Earth Resource Center, 3111 N. Ashland, from 6:30-9:30. The center is hosting a screening of the film.
The Other Side of AIDS has been surrounded by nothing but controversy since its first showing. The film, directed by Robin Scovill, challenges many notions about AIDS, including the widely held assumption that HIV causes AIDS. Critics contend that the movie pushes conflicting AIDS-related conspiracy theories and that it weakens years of activism and education.
On March 26 at 5 p.m., the organizations behind the protest will host an alternate film night called ‘The AIDS Crisis Is Not Over’ at Gerber/Hart Library, 1127 W. Granville. The groups will show two films that counter the messages of The Other Side of AIDS.
The public showing of The Other Side of AIDS will be the second in the Chicagoland area in three months. In January, it was shown at the main branch of the Oak Park Public Library.