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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2003)
’ februaiy 7.2003 20 INUMATI news Oryv^cY* ^ \o y J ■V\ j V O bs ^ i (o r VsJvvne^ ^ t v V ^ * The budget request also indicated that the inspector general will continue its oversight for HIV/AIDS programs at the Gmters for Disease Q>ntrol and Prevention. “While we strongly sup port the monitoring of expenditures for federal money, we hope that the inspector general’s role will not have a chilling effect on the C D C ’s efforts to prevent new infections,” Stachelberg said. 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When an ordinary Realtor simply won't do... 0 ~~ 3144 SE Belmont Portland, OR 97214 office: 503-238-7617 NATIONAL ince its publication last month, a Feb. 6 Rolling Stone article has drawn fire for its portrayal of an alleged trend known as “bug chasing.” Grego ry Freemans “In Search of Death” examines the lives of two men who actively have sought HIV infection, but the primary medical sources have disputed the quotes attributed to them: • According to Rob Cabaj, San Francisco County behavioral health services director, who is quoted as saying at least 25 percent of all newly infected gay men are seeking the virus: “1 never said that. And when the fact checker called me and asked me if 1 said that, I said no.” • Marshall Forstein, mental health and addic tion services medical director at Fenway Commu nity Health in Boston, was quoted as saying “ ‘bug chasers’ are seen regularly in the Fenway health system, and the phenomenon is growing.” He later told Newsweek that the quote “is entirely a fabrication” and that “1 said, ‘We have seen a few cases, but we have no idea how common this is.’ ” • Shana Naomi Krochmal of the STO P A ID S Project in San Francisco says that her entire conversation with Freeman was off the record and that her quotes never were intended for inclusion in the article. • Andrew Sullivan refutes the speculated scope of the problem by stating on Salon.com: “Anyone with the faintest knowledge of the HIV epidemic knows that men who have sex with men make up a declining number of this group— now 42 percent, according to the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). So even if you buy the bizarre 25 percent figure, you don’t end up with 10,000, you end up with 4,200." As a result of the story, radical anti-gay groups like the Traditional Values Coalition already have stepped up to the plate and used it as ammunition for their attacks. Fox News Chan nel’s Hannity & Colmes picked up the article as well, furthering sensationalism of the issue. Thacker became infected with HIV after his wife, Sue, contracted the disease in 1984 through a bkxxl transfusion. After the appoint ment was announced, his Web site contained a sec tion promoting the discred ited theory that gay people can change their sexual ori entation through prayer and therapy. To avoid an escalation of mounting concerns sur rounding his views, Thacker deleted the “ Help for Jerry Thacker Homosexuals" portion from the Internet. According to The Washington Post, he also removed a section referring to A ID S as the “gay plague” and replaced it with “plague.” P resident Bush’s fiscal year 2004 requested budget includes an increase of $100 million for the AIDS Drugs Assistance Program and an additional $5 million for Housing Opportunities for People with A ID S over his fiscal year 2003 budget request— which has yet to he finalized by Congress. However, the 2004 request showed a $4 million cut to domestic HIV/AIDS, ST D and tuberculosis prevention funding. In his State of the Union address Jan. 28, Bush unveiled his plan to commit $15 billion over five years to combat A ID S in Africa. If his request is ap^oved by Congress, $10 billion in new funding would be added to the internation al fight, with the annual budget eventually tripling from $1.5 billion to $3 billion. Bush’s request also included a $110 million, or 4 percent, boost in funding for HIV/AIDS research at the National Institutes of Health. “At a time when so many other programs are being cut or flat-funded, even small percentage increases are important,” said Winnie Stachel- berg, Human Rights Campaign political director. he U.S. military’s policy of discharging gay and lesbian servicemembers who reveal their sexual orientation violates human rights and deprives the military of skilled personnel, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released Jan. 23. Under “don’t ask, don’t tell,” any service- member who acknowledges his or her homosex uality by word or deed is discharged. Between 1994 and the end of 2001, more than 7,800 servicemembers were forced out of the military because of the policy. A letter sent to President Bush with the report, Uniform Discrimiruition: The “Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy of the U .S. Military, asked him to seek an end to discharges on the basis of sexual orien tation and to work with Gingress to repeal the 1993 law codifying the policy. “Gay and lesbian servicemembers are discharged without regard to their skills, training, commitment or courage— victims of the irrational fears and stereotypes some heterosexuals have about them,” said Jamie Fell- ner, Human Rights Watch U.S. program director. Supporters of “don’t ask, don’t tell" insist that permitting acknowledged gay men or les bians to serve would impair unit cohesiveness and hence military effectiveness. As detailed in the report, no evidence supports that argument. Most members of NATO and many U.S. allies participating in Operation Enduring Freedom per mit open homosexuals to serve under the same rules as heterosexuals. Indeed, during the past decade a number of U.S. allies, including the Unit ed Kingdom, Germany, Canada and Israel, have changed exclusionary policies and accepted openly gay and lesbian servicemembers in their armed forces without impairing military effectiveness. T Peggy Neff Sheila Hein I n what Lambda Legal called “a huge step for ward for the federal government,” a lesbian was awarded more than $500,000 from the fed eral fund that was designed to compensate 9/11 victims. Peggy Neff’s partner of 18 years, Sheila Hein, died in the attack on the Pentagon. “The government recognized Peg’s loving P residential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS appointee Jerry Thacker withdrew his name Jan. 23 after a political firestorm ensued because he considers homosexuality a “deathstyle.” The offensive remarks were made on his Web site for the Scepter Institute, an online AIDS min istry he operates. In an apparent effort to stop the controversy, the former Bob Jones University fac ulty member deleted the “deathstyle" reference from the Internet. Thacker was one of seven new appointees to the 35-member council, including four who are openly gay— David Greer, Brent Minor, David Reznik and D in Sneed. However, many obstacles remain, including co-chairman Tom G ibu m ’s assigned reading to the panel of Gabriel Rotello’s hook Sexual Ecology as part of an effort to single out and stigmatize gay people. President Bush hands Vice President Dick Cheney a copy of his State of the Union address Jan. 28 upon his arrival to the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol
