LS&Co. Unzipped
Jul 03 2012
Standing Up to Discrimination
Editor’s note: The Levi Strauss & Co. Pioneer Award honors today’s pioneers in nonprofit organizations around the world. It recognizes the hard work and pioneering efforts of individuals working for or with these nonprofits. Our hope is that calling attention to the work of today’s pioneers will inspire others to join their march forward. We recently presented a Pioneer Award to Kamon Uppakaew of Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group (TTAG), an organization dedicated to promoting the rights and voices of people living with HIV/AIDS in Thailand. TTAG is also a community partner of the Levi Strauss Foundation since 2006.
On the day Kamon Uppakaew discovered he was HIV positive, he was dealt with another blow.
He was discriminated against and denied employment because of his HIV status.
Since then, Kamon has committed himself to fighting for the equal rights of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Last week, I had the honor of meeting Kamon, education and advocacy director of Thai AIDS Treatment Action Group (TTAG).
His dedication to his work is unparalleled. He lives in Bangkok, hundreds of kilometers away from his family, in order to be close to where policy making and most advocacy work takes place.
Kamon goes beyond his call of duty at TTAG as the chairman of Thailand’s National Network of Positive People. During his term, Kamon successfully realized his vision of free HIV treatment in Thailand through coalition-building and grassroots advocacy.
But he didn’t stop there. Kamon pushed for compulsory licensing of life-saving HIV treatment. In doing so, he elevated Thailand to become the first country in Asia to achieve the highest attainable standard of healthcare for people living with HIV/AIDS.
With the Pioneer Award, Kamon and TTAG will be able to increase the number of people in north and northeast Thailand who are trained on HIV/HCV education and advocacy – and who are committed to finding solutions to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Kamon’s achievements are amongst those that many societies and organizations around the world are trying to emulate. He’s indeed a true pioneer.
I hope that you’ll share Kamon’s story, and inspire others to stand up for their rights even in the face of adversity.
Posted By: Stan Wong, Levi Strauss Foundation, Asia Pacific |
 |
We welcome your comments.
When submitting a blog comment, please consider the following guidelines:
- Focus on the topic
- Be constructive and considerate
- All submissions are subject to the terms set forth in our Terms of Use
This is a moderated blog. Each comment will be reviewed. We reserve the right not to post your submission if it’s off-topic or contains any of the following types of content or violates other guidelines:
- Obscenities, discriminatory language, or other language not suitable for a public forum
- Advertisements, “spam” content, or references to other products, offers, or websites
- Email addresses, URLs, phone numbers, physical addresses or other forms of contact information
- Critical or spiteful comments on other posts on the page or their authors
In addition, if you wish to share feedback with us about product selection, pricing, ordering, delivery or other customer service issues, please do not submit this feedback through this blog. Instead, contact us here.
2013
Before posting your comment, please read the Blog Guidelines.
David Yackman (not verified) - Jan 07 2013
Hmmm... Levi's is against discrimination? Who knew? And here I thought that I was being discriminated against when I went to the Levi's web site to buy some 560 jeans. Apparently, Levi's hates us fat people so much that they won't even list their bigger sizes for purchase on their web site. Oh, they make the jeans - I know, because I've been wearing them for years. I purchase them from a local big & tall store. Why not list ALL of your jeans on your web site, Levi? Why are you discriminating against your larger customers? Are you ashamed to listing the larger products you manufacture on your web site because of what that might do to your company's image? I mean, after all, fat people shouldn't be buying clothes - we should be fashioning clothing items out of discarded flour sacks and tarps, right? Bottom line, it's fashionable to support AIDS victims in their endeavors. It's still OK to snub fat people. If you guys want to really do something to impress me regarding your stance on discrimination, then list your larger sizes for purchase on your web site, and then, go a step further by not gouging us by making the jeans 2, 3 or 4 times more expensive than the "regular" sizes. OK, fine - you have to use a little extra material, but are you really using 2 to 4 times more material? I think not. End the discrimination - even if I don't have AIDS.
Editor's note: Hi David, and thanks for your comment. I may be missing something, but we do list our big and tall sizes on the website. I acknowledge that the product is in a separate "Big and Tall" section on the site. On Levi.com, click Men, then look on the left-hand list to find, at the bottom, Big & Tall and click See All there. There you'll see the products we offer. If that's not helpful, or if there's additional information you need, please comment again and I'll try to respond. Thanks again.
Post new comment
Before posting your comment, please read the Blog Guidelines.