protest = 'demonstrate in public to draw attention to'

[Victor Steinbok]

Not quite. He's not "against" it--he is trying to bring attention to it
with the purpose of either 1) finding a cure or 2) seeking acceptance
for the patients (mainstreaming) or 3) seeking preventive measures or
genetic clues. Not really the same thing. Aside from all these things,
yes, he's against it. But that's a very minor part of the issue. He's an
advocate for the disease as a frontline issue, not for the disease
itself. You could also say that he's an advocate for the victims
(patients and family members).

The female membership example is far more egregious. But it's also
fairly common--W had at least a couple of these that were fairly popular.

     VS-)

On 4/4/2012 10:37 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> ...
> Earlier this week, a gentleman explained that after fathering an autistic
> child, he'd become "a big advocate for the disease."
>
> That means he's against it.

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