Obama Lifts HIV/AIDS Ban

The world is making progress.

Last week President Obama signed an extension of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS bill. The legislation provides care, treatment and support services to nearly half a million people, most of whom are low-income. Thousands of people use these services on a daily basis.

This is actually the fourth extension of this bill since its original passing in 1990, but Obama said that this was the first time that the bill was not controversial and passed with bi-partisan support.

In another move toward achieving equality and eliminating the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, President Obama also invalidated a 22-year-old restriction on the entry of HIV infected people into the United States. Our country has had one of the most restrictive policies on the immigration and travel of HIV-positive people in the world. In addition, non-citizens living long-term in the United States were denied permanent resident categorization solely on the basis of their HIV-positive status.

Sadly, this restriction has remained in affect all these years, despite the ignorance that is was created under. The original restriction was enforced when it was thought that HIV could be transmitted through the respiratory system.

It is common knowledge that HIV cannot be transmitted casually.
"If we want to be a global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it", Obama said. Beginning in January, those living with HIV/AIDS are no longer banned from our country.

http://www.examiner.com/x-20707-Seat...e-with-HIVAIDS

I think this is great news, i know there was a thread on GWW recently someone posted about this and trying to get it over turned.

Regards,

Lee

It's about freaking time this guy steps up to the plate like he said he would and reaqlly start doing things for us. we have to watch out now that this might be the only things he does for us. Im still waiting to see what happens with the immigration reform act if he puts the uniting families act in it???????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????

This should have happened a long long time ago.

Yes, the ban should have been lifted a long time ago......thank heavens we have a president who has the ball to finally lift it!

Slowly but surely, Obama is going to change the rules where out community is involved. I'll predict right now that he will go down in history as the greatest friend the gay community has ever had. It may not come as quickly as we want, but it will happen.

Bill

Hdkbill

Don’t hold your breath to long waiting for this president to do any thing that he isn’t pushed into the corner to do! If he wanted to do something he could write an EX. Order saying do not enforce the don’t ask don’t tell. Why isn’t he throwing the weight of the white house to get section 3 repealed of the defensive marriage act? I can’t wait to see what the immigration reform act has in it? Does it have the Uniting families act?

To find out what the uniting American families act is watch a short video at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlnP1yYvdvU

or vist
http://www.usimmigrationwoes.com/

Im waiting for that so I can bring yes my husband into the USA.

Ponyboy:

Gee, I don't really know what to say. Our choice for President back last November was Obama or McCain. How long do you think we'd be holding our breath waiting on McCain to be doing anything positive for the gay community? Not sure any of us can hold our breath that long.

Obama will be making lots of positive change for the gay community but I think it's a bit unrealistic to believe it is going to happen in the first year of his presidency. He is, after all, a bit busy with small things like two unpopular wars that he didn't start but he has to finish and with trying to change the health care system to one that is fair to all Americans.

Where the gay community is concerned, the most positive change he can make right now, in my opinion, is to push through a National Health Care bill that prevents insurance companies from excluding pre-existing conditions such as HIV/AIDS. Hopefully he will get this through both houses and guys with HIV/AIDS will then be able to become insured.

The next thing he will tackle will be the ban on gays in the military. I hate to think how long we'd have to hold out breath for McCain to have acted on that.

Since he took office, the immigration ban on HIV/AIDS has been lifted and the new national hate crimes act now includes sexual orientation. Both two HUGE victories for us.

As my three year old granddaughter keeps saying to me, and I will pass it on to you; "be patient granddad, be patient.

Bill

Hdkbill
President jack ass had the hiv ban lifted but he never acted on it. He claimed he was to busy to do it. Ya, he was most likely getting drunk or high in the back office, or on his knees praying for forgiveness, maybe even sucking dick Cheney off.

People like me that are in bi-national relationships have given up on the government, we are trying to work throw the congress and senate but for the most part have given up. I know hundreds of couples that have left this country for Canada and other gay friendly countries. People are just tried of waiting for equal rights and listening to the lies that come out of DC, look what happened with Bill Clinton, he said he was gay friendly but we got don’t ask don’t tell, we got Doma.

If McCain and that jack ass Palin got in we wouldn’t be worried about gay rights because we would have been at war with ever Single County on this planet. Plus the American people would have been fighting big business. We would most likely be afraid to speak up because they would have made the Patrick act stronger.

No matter who is in power it’s up to ever single gay person over the age of 18 to write the white house, there congressman and there senators none stop. Cleve Jones said it best at the last march in DC, No more waiting, no more delays.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvC3hVXZpc4


We have to hold this president feet to the fire ever single day!

“The next thing he will tackle will be the ban on gays in the military.” He could write an ex. Order and stop it with in 5 minutes. “Hate crimes act now includes sexual orientation.” This battle has been going on for the last 10 years to get it passed. The only reason why it hit his desk was because most of the percentage of congress is in the Democratic Party. If it wasn’t for that the bill would never have gotten to his desk.

“"be patient granddad, be patient.” There is no time, and I mean no time. In the next election we don’t know what the make up is going to be in the government. Look at this past election in NJ a republican became governor of the state. Any hope of gay marriage went out the window there. Gay marriage was shot down in Maine.