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is critically needed, as 14 states and jurisdictions,
including Oregon, have implemented waiting lists
or other restrictions on necessary medications.
At a markup July 16, the Senate Labor,
Health and Human Services and Education
Appropriations Subcommittee approved an addi
tional $161 million in Ryan White funding and
provided modest hut insufficient increases for
H1V/A1DS activities at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, according to HRC.
“The AIDS epidemic continues to grow at
an alarming rate,” Stachelberg said. “Treating
those who are already living with HIV/AIDS is
just the tip of the iceberg. Preventing new infec
tions is-the only way we know of right now to
stop the disease in its tracks. We need to arm the
C D C with the necessary funds to make preven
tion work possible today, so that there are fewer
new infections tomorrow.”
In separate action, the Senate Appropriations
Subcommittee on Foreign Operations approved
increases in binding to help fight HIV/AIDS
abroad. It provided $550 million for programs at
the U.S. Agency for International Development
to combat HIV/AIDS, which is $110 million
above the Bush administrations request. It also
included $200 million for the Global Fund to
Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
A women’s rights treaty has languished in the
U .S. Senate for the past 22 years because of
opposition from right-wingers like Jesse Helms
- 2 »
he National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
urged the Senate Foreign Relations Com
mittee on July 24 to approve a womens rights
treaty signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1980
and stalled in Congress for the past 22 years and
to allow the full Senate to vote on whether to
ratify it.
Nearly 170 U.N. member states, including
Saudi Arabia, have ratified the Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women. The United States is among a
handful of countries— including alleged sponsors
of terrorism Iran, Syria, Somalia and Sudan— that
have refused to ratify it.
“Basic equality for women
should he a no-brainer," said Lorri L.
Jean, NGLTF executive director.
“Yet the anti-gay right wing in
America has blocked this treaty for
nearly a quarter-century. If President
and Laura Bush are serious about
supporting the rights of women in
Afghanistan and other countries,
they should urge their Republican
colleagues in the Senate to ratify
CEDAW once and for all."
The treaty has languished in the
U.S. Senate because of the opposi
tion of right-wing groups and politicians, led by
Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C. Although the docu
ment merely mandates basic equality such as the
right to own property, get an education and enter
into marriage on an equal basis, U.S.-based con
servative groups have resisted its ratification.
T
The Family Research Council alleges that
the treaty “takes aim at family structure and
morality.” Meanwhile, Concerned Women for
America calls it “the Equal Rights Amendment
on steroids” and warns that it promotes “les
bianism” and “homosexual rights.”
“The reality is that the right wing fears that
these treaties will undermine their own rigid
concepts of the family and religion,” Jean said.
“The right wing has used this same anti-woman,
anti-gay rhetoric to oppose reproductive freedom
and equality for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans
gender people both here in the U.S. and abroad.”
-o*
he Mautner Project will present the Nation
al Lesbian Health Conference: Healing
Works from Sept. 26 to 28 in Washington, D.C.
“The National Lesbian Health Conference is
crucial to the advancement of lesbian health on
all levels,” executive director Kathleen DeBold
said. “Unlike the typical health care gatherings
where doctors meet with doctors, researchers
meet with researchers and patients meet with
patients, Healing Works brings together the
diverse constituencies who share a common
vision of increasing health-related education,
services, research and organizations for lesbians.”
T he conference is planned and sponsored
by a broad coalition of more than 60 groups
and agencies. T he program offers a wide array
o f plenary sessions, workshops and panels by
more than 70 presenters, all showcasing the
“healing work” being accomplished across the
country.
Topics include “Lesbians with Serious Men
tal Illnesses: Needs and Resources,” “BASTA!
Latina Lesbians Community Response to
Domestic Violence,” “Children of Lesbian
Mothers: A Research Update,” “Cancer Risks in
FTM and M TF Transsexual &. Transgendered
People” and “Sexual Minority Status Among
Women Drug Users.” Other workshops will
focus on older women, disabled people, tobacco
use, ovarian cancer and body image.
The conference costs $300, which includes
all materials, three breakfasts, two lunches and a
welcome reception. Scholarships and sliding-
scale fees are available to lesbians from under
served populations who otherwise would he
unable to attend.
For more information or to register for Heal
ing Works, call 202-332-5536, e-mail mautner
©mautnerproject.org or visit the Internet site
www.mautnerproject.org.
T
-0»
etropolitan Community Churches, the
predominantly gay Christian church
with 300 congregations in 22 countries, has
received recognition from the federal govern
ment to provide chaplains to the U .S. Depart
ment of Veterans Affairs.
“This marks an historic step for MCC
churches," said the Rev. Troy Perry,
longtime human rights activist, mod
erator of the 52,000-member church
organization and himself an Army
veteran. “U.S. programs have long
been hostile to G LBT military ser-
vicemembers and veterans, so this
marks yet another positive step
toward full equality for Americas gay
and lesbian citizens.”
While independent from the mil
itary services, the VA provides sup
port and outreach programs to both
active-duty servicemembers and vet
erans. M CC has a second application pending
with the federal government to provide chap
lains to military branches. JP1
M
Com piled by News Editor JlM RADOSTA, who can
be reached at jhn@jnsumt.com.
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