Kenneth Cole pinagbibitiw bilang amfAR chairman
NAGPETISYON ang publiko na mag-resign si Kenneth Cole bilang chairman ng American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) dahil sa umano’y ginawang deal kasama si Harvey Weinstein.
Nilagdaan ng mahigit 60 AIDS activists ang open letter, na nananawagan kay Cole na bumaba sa kanyang posisyon, kabilang ang Olympic diver na si Greg Louganis at playwright na si Larry Kramer.
Ang New York-based designer na si Cole ay masugid na tagasuporta ng AIDS awareness at research, at naging chairman ng amfAR simula pa noong 2005.
Gayunman, matapos ang isang report sa The Huffington Post na nag-aakusa kay Cole na nakipagnegosasyon sa movie producer na si Weinstein na tapusin ang financial obligation sa American Repertory Theater (ART) sa halagang $600,000 (£457,000) sa pamamagitan ng pagsasagawa ng charity auction sa Cannes kaakibat ang amfAR noong 2015.
“Kenneth has made valuable contributions to amfAR over the years. But this controversy and the ensuing extraordinary divisions within amfAR’s board make it essential to turn the page and let amfAR’s staff focus solely on its mission,” lahad ni amfAR board member Peter Staley. Sinabi rin ni Kramer sa NBC News na nag-aalala siya na “all this mess with Weinstein” ay makakaapekto sa nonprofit organisation. “I want him (Cole) to be Hercules and I don’t see him being anything. This is a messy situation brought on by him and the board... and I don’t hear him saying squat,” aniya. “I think he should resign.” Bumuwelta si Cole sa mga panawagan ng kanyang pagbibitiw, at sinabi na ang liham ay ibinatay sa “false narrative and distortion of facts” Sinabi niya sa NBC na ipinagmamalaki niyang siya ay bahagi ng amfAR sa loob 30 taon, at tumulong na maipundar ang “hundreds of millions of dollars for this lifesaving work”. “I have no intention of abandoning that mission because of a transaction that was determined to be legal and ethical and was engaged in because it served amfAR’s mission,” lahad ng 63 taong gulang.