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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2003)
^ ____________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________T * — r7ÎTTTî77T!T1 news NATIONAL lawsuit filed Sept. 3 in fed eral court argues that the State Department illegally pro hibits anyone with HIV from being hired as a foreign service officer, regardless of the appli cant’s qualifications or health status. Lorenzo Taylor is fluent in three languages, holds a foreign service degree from Georgetown University and easily passed the tough written and oral exams required to be a foreign service officer—but was rejected by the State Department because he has HIV. The 48-year-old federal gov ernment employee who lives in the Washington, D.C., area appealed that decision but again was rejected and then worked with Lambda Legal to file an administrative complaint with the State Department late List year. More than 10,000 U.S. citi zens are foreign service officers, assigned by the State Depart A ttorneys argue that the State Department illegally ment to serve in embassies, con discriminated against Lorenzo Taylor because he has H IV sulates and other diplomatic than the military, the foreign service is the only posts in 180 countries. The State Department type of federal employment where people with prohibits the foreign service from hiring people HIV are broadly blocked from consideration. with HIV in these positions, claiming they "This isn’t just bad policy— it’s also illegal," might require medical treatment that isn’t avail Givner said. The lawsuit charges that the State able in some of the less-developed countries Department is in violation of the federal Reha where they might be stationed. bilitation Act, which prohibits the U.S. govern According to attorney Jonathan Givner, ment from discriminating against people with applicants should be assessed case by case to disabilities. determine their individual medical status. Other A it's ME! he American Civil Liberties Union filed a legal brief Sept. 5 asking the U.S. Supreme Court to let stand a federal appeals court mling that allows doctors to recommend medical mar ijuana to their patients with HIV/A1DS, cancer and other life-threatening diseases. “What’s at issue is the ability of doctors to speak openly and honestly with their patients about marijuana as a viable therapy option," attorney Graham Boyd said. “Patients deserve access to accurate information about its medici nal value in treating pain, nausea, wasting syn drome and other symptoms of life-threatening diseases." The A C LU represents 15 doctors and patients in California who have suffered as a result of the federal government’s threats to doc tors regarding the discussion of marijuana as medicine. Attorneys argued the case successful ly before a federal appeals court last year and will argue it before the Supreme Court if the justices decide to review the mling. The case arose after California voters passed Proposition 215 in November 1996, which makes it legal for patients to grow and possess marijuana for medical use when a doctor recom mends it. President Bill Clinton reacted by threatening to revoke the licenses of physicians who recommended medical use of marijuana, and the Bush administration has continued that policy. The A C LU and the Dnig Policy Alliance successfully challenged the policy in the lower courts, and in October 2002 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld that ruling. In a decision authored by Chief Judge Mary Schroeder, the court said that the govern ment’s attempt to bar doctors from recommend T 10 ***» » ing medical marijuana “does...strike at core First Amendment interests of doctors and patients” and that "physicians must be able to speak frankly and openly to patients." -0» he American Counseling Association has become the first of the major mental health professional associations to boast an openly gay president. Mark Pope, an associ ate professor at University of Missouri-St. Louis, was elected by members to serve as their president through 2004. The A C A is the largest organization exclusively representing more than 50,000 profes sional counselors in various practice settings throughout the United States and around the world. Pope is serving as president exactly 30 years after the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its official list of mental disorders. In a recent speech at the APA annual convention, he chided his mental health colleagues for this history. “By a vote of the hoard of directors of the American Psychiatric Association in 1973, we were removed from their ‘Diagnostic and Statis tical Manual of Mental Disorders,’ ” he said. “They waved their magic wand and we were made ‘sane’ overnight. Do you understand the power that we, as mental health professionals, have to affect people’s lives? ...T hat is why my T Continued on Page 22 MILGARD REPLACEMENT WINDOWS s Clearly the best We are a Certified Milgard Dealer and have been selling and Installing Milgard windows for over 25 years in the Portland area. breast forms, bras & more! • Cinchers • Gaffs • Padded Panties trans friendly susan johnson owner/fitter 2041 ne Burnside, gresham 503/491-5110 ~ www.shopitsme.com When an ordinary R ealtor sim ply won’t do... 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