Since Dame Elizabeth Taylor passed last week, many people have blogged on that lady’s class, compassion and stardom.  Roger Simon explored what how a young (heterosexual) male moviegoer experienced this beauty in his blog at Pajamas while Camille Paglia examined her sex appeal and screen presence over at Salon.

This past weekend, I watched Cat on a Hot Tin Roof again, apprecaiting it more the second time, better able to see the movie as a different story from the play on which it is based.  In the film, screenwriters transformed the gay subtext to make it more palatable to a general audience.  This allowed them to bring out her sex appeal.  And did she sizzle, especially set against the bitterness of Paul Newman‘s Brick.  We really believe that Maggie the Cat is alive.  And we root for her to win back her husband.

Had the screen Brick been a closet homosexual, her sex appeal would have been wasted.  When he first saw it, his teenage heterosexual hormones raging, Simon “suffered shortness of breath.”  And, watching it this weekend, this gay guy can get what that straight man — or any other — would want to have some, well, private time with Taylor’s Maggie.

She just looked so good in Metrocolor.  Kudos to the set design team of Henry Grace and Robert Priestley and art directors William A. Horning and Urie McCleary for creating backgrounds which allowed her to stand out in every scene.

In the LA Weekly, Patrick Range McDonald reports,  ”West Hollywood residents have been calling and writing City Hall” asking the city to name a street after this classy lady.  (more…)

As fate would have it, one of the movies I received from Netflix on the day of Elizabeth Taylor‘s passing was the original Father of the Bride with her in one of the title roles.  And in honor of her passing, I watched it.

And this movie really does hold up. Not just because of the solid direction and smart script, portraying a situation which helps define a man’s relationship to his daughter (and hers to him), but also because of the players. Joan Bennett as the mother is one of those underappreciated character actors who more than pulls her weight. But, it’s Spencer Tracy and Dame Elizabeth who really steal the show, he as the archetypal father and she as the archetypal daughter who has Daddy wrapped around each of her little fingers.

When she calls at the end to tell him she loves him, she knows that expression will make him melt. And just watching her we know it too.

It’s odd to see a film, particularly today where she has third billing. Given the way she looked in this film and the way she played an all-American girl getting married, it’s no wonder this role will help catapult her to superstardom. She looked as Tracy’s Stanley Banks says upon seeing her in her wedding dress, “like a princess in a fairy tale.” Indeed.

There is, to be sure, a bit of irony in the seminal nature of this particular role to her career. She would have many weddings in her life.

In watching the extras, I realized yet again how closely her personal life was tied to her public image — and wondered if that could explain the brevity of her marriages; no man could live up to her fairy tale expectations.  She married Conrad Hilton Jr when she was just 18, the ceremony taking place one month before the release of the film featuring her as a bride.

The extras after the film include newsreel footage of that first wedding, with a passel of paparazzi and ropes holding back the crowds.  From her adolescence and her earliest adulthood, Elizabeth Taylor was always in the limelight.

In the twilight of her life, she used that limelight to good end, as our reader Jim Michaud noted: “Her work on behalf of AIDS was incredible as well as valued at the time (ignorance and discrimination of victims was still rampant during the mid-80s).”  You could honor this great lady by sponsoring one of our readers who’ll be riding in the AIDS ride this June. (more…)

Rob Tisinai, One of our regular readers and frequent critics, will be riding in the San Francisco to LA AIDS ride to raise money to fight this dreadful disease.  Please join me in donating to sponsor his ride.

It is a worthy cause and something about which readers on both sides of the political divide can agree!

One of the strongest criticisms leveled against Obamacare is that the Democrats’ unpopular health-care overhaul creates multitudinous panels of unelected bureaucrats to regulate decisions once made by doctors in consultation with their patients.  Now comes evidence that one such panel, Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), could make cuts which compromise the care of people living with HIV.

While supportive of the health care law, former friend of Bill (Clinton) David Mixner contends that because “nearly 100,000 people with HIV rely on Medicare for coverage“, IPAD “will disrupt the doctor-patient relationship”:

For many people with HIV, finding the right doctor is the most important decision they’ll make. But IPAB is likely to drastically cut reimbursements to physicians, prompting many to leave the Medicare system. Doctors that treat HIV/AIDS are highly trained specialists that are particularly sensitive to payment cuts.

Make no mistake: Pushing HIV specialists out of Medicare will compromise patients’ health. Treating HIV/AIDS is extremely complicated. HIV specialists fight an array of progressive, often life-threatening complications with multiple medications that require close and ongoing monitoring. And since many patients become resistant to their medication over time, treatment regimens must change frequently.

And that’s not the only problem with this unelected bureaucracy.  In addition, Mixner finds that “patients and their doctors cannot appeal IPAB’s decisions” while the program lacks adequate congressional oversight.  Not just that, “IPAB will scare away funding for medical research.”  Read the whole thing.

For all the carping against the American medical system that existed prior to Obamacare, we do know that it delivered myriad medical innovations, including many which have prolonged the lives of people with HIV, allowing them to manage the infection.  The more the government meddles, the less likely it will be that researchers find a cure.

Tommy Thompson, who served as the secretary of Health and Human Services in the Bush Administration believes the Board should be repealed. Seems like this is something House Republicans should take up in the next Congress.

Thanks to VtheK for the tip.  I believe this story speaks for itself.

The death, of an AIDS-related illness, of a 25-year-old barebacking porn star is the latest twist in several episodes that have roiled the adult entertainment industry in recent years.

Chad Noel’s March 17 death was reported on at GayPornGossip on March 26. The posting read, “Chad Noel age 25, a former ’twink genre’ gay porn performer using the stage names of Donny Price & Craven Cox passed away in New York City, on March 17, 2010 following a brief illness associated with complications of HIV.” The article also noted that Noel had worked for an adult entertainment company that makes videos of men barebacking–a euphemism for unprotected anal sex. Noel had also performed under the names Craven Cox and Donny Price. Noel was a native of Laramie, Wyoming, the town outside of which Matthew Shepard was beaten and left to die.

I presume the gay leftist community will immediately rally behind safer sex efforts as a response to Mr. Noel’s passing equal to their rallies against hate crimes.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Uh oh… they let her talk.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

GOProud’s chairman Chris Barron co-authored a piece on healthcare reform with US Senator Tom Coburn for The Advocate.  I want to open with this commenter at The Advocate, which is typical of the closeminded vitriol of most gay activists:

Seriously? Republicans concerned over GLBTs who have HIV/AIDS and who are scared? I’ve never heard of such a thing. In fact, the last things I remember are GWB slashing funding for HIV/AIDS care and that Nazi Reagan ignoring our community while we died. Republicans, bite me. I’ll never listen to you.

Few people know that Sen. Coburn was personally responsible for re-inserting HIV/AIDS funding into the Federal Budget when Bill Clinton zeroed-it out throughout his Presidency.  Inconvenient truths.

But back to the topic at hand:  the dangers of government run healthcare for those with HIV/AIDS.  Read the whole thing from Coburn & Barron, but here are few excerpts:

The federal government will spend $15 billion on AIDS treatment alone this year, yet due to the inefficiencies of the public-run program, thousands will not receive appropriate care. In recent years, two patients in West Virginia and five in Kentucky died while awaiting care on waiting lists for the RWCA AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Today there are 247 Americans on waiting lists for livesaving AIDS drugs in eight states. The number is expected to reach 500 by Christmas. Those on the ADAP waiting lists are disproportionately minorities and residents of rural areas.

Sadly, the waiting lists do not tell the whole story of how care is being rationed under this program. Many other ADAP patients, while receiving care, are being denied the best treatment. Fuzeon, the AIDS drug of last resort that has been successful in treating patients who no longer benefit from other drugs, for example, has been denied to ADAP patients in our nation’s capital.

With our neighbors in need, no one should question that we have an obligation to help those who lack access to quality, affordable medical care. But how?

The best solution is to prohibit insurance companies from discriminating against patients who are sick or who have preexisting conditions. These are some of the very reasons why we have insurance. Then we should give all Americans the same choices of health care coverage enjoyed by members of Congress, who can select from more than 10 different private health care plans. S. 1099, the Patients’ Choice Act, would guarantee that all Americans would be able to choose the health care coverage that best meets their individual needs with creating a new government program. The Patients’ Choice Act will put you, not insurance companies, bureaucrats, or politicians, in charge of your own health care decisions.

We can and should work to make sure that every man, woman, and child in this country has access to quality, affordable health care. No one should be denied access to health care that would improve or extend their life. The good news is that we can do this. We can do it without creating an inefficient and expensive government program and we can do it in such a way that empowers individuals to take control of their own health care.

RELATED STORY: D.C. officials to scrutinize spending by AIDS groups – Washington Post

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Never forget those who have been lost to this terrible disease, nor those living every day with it.   From the HRC website:

World AIDS Day is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV and AIDS. First held on December 1, 1988, World AIDS Day is about increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.

According to UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, there are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. During the last year, some 2.5 million people became newly infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 years old and are killed by AIDS before they reach age 35.

But are we doing enough to combat HIV/AIDS in the United States? 

Yet the disaster of AIDS in black or white America does not have to be this way. While a cure is still years away, a nation with U.S. literacy rates and levels of cultural and public-health sophistication is capable of greatly reducing its number of new infections. So why are new AIDS cases, particularly among blacks in urban areas, outpacing gains in control, treatment or education among high-risk groups?

The answer lies in the unwillingness of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to adopt control measures, including routine mandatory testing among broad age groups. Any time blood samples are taken from U.S. residents ages 13 to 64, such as in an emergency room, physicians should have the right to scan for HIV. For those who don’t regularly visit a doctor, blood tests could be scheduled, with the results recorded by states and the CDC. As The Post reported last week, a recent study in the Lancet concluded that such measures, accompanied by treatment for all those who are HIV positive, have the potential to end the AIDS epidemic in Africa within a decade. The effects are likely to be faster in this country.

Read the whole thing!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

The “Princess Warrior, ” a really cool lesbian, asked me to alert GayPatriot readers to a fundraiser on Wednesday evening April 30, 2008 from 7-10 PM, our gym is sponsoring for AIDS/LifeCycle.

Join her and me at Eleven Restaurant Nightclub, 8811 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. $20 gets you one drink and two raffle tickets, $50 gets you into the VIP area, while $125 gets you into the VIP area and gives you a special gift bag. All proceeds benefit AIDS/LifeCyle and are tax deductible.

There’ll be cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, and a raffle for a $7800 Specialized S-Works Rouboux bicycle.

Click here for more information and to buy tickets.

If you’re not free next Wednesday, you can also bid on two VIP tickets to see Tony Snow debate Bill Maher at 7:30 PM on Monday evening, April 28th at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City. All proceeds from that auction go to AIDS/Lifecyle.

Hope to see you on the 30th. And to please the lady Warrior–while supporting a good cause, I just might contribute at the highest level.

As persecution — and prosecution — of gay people continues apace in some Islamic nations, the national gay groups remain, by and large, silent. A reader just alerted me to this article, reporting that an “Egyptian court convicted five men Wednesday on charges of homosexual behavior and sentenced them to three years in prison.”

The web-sites for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) offer no commentary on these prosecutions.

Are these groups so hesitant to criticize the persecution of gay people in Islamic lands because they fear this might upset their status as a member of the coalition of oppressed, those who see the oppressors only as conservatives, corporations and the “governing classes” of Western societies?

While these groups may be silent, a number of gay men and lesbians of the left (mostly bloggers) have taken the time to take on Islamofascistic oppression of gay people.

Please feel free to provide me with links to their posts so I may update this post accordingly. Here is an issue where we have common ground with those voices of the gay left not beholden to the reigning ideology of the gay organizations, those who prefer solidarity with the larger left-wing movements to advocacy for our fellows around the world.

The remains of what DNA analysis showed to be a boy found in the Dutch Medieval village Eindhoven, could prove to be revolutionary for both archaeology and modern research on HIV/AIDS:

This chance discovery of ancient DNA has led to one of the most ambitious archaeological projects ever to come out of the Netherlands–a massive excavation in the St. Catherine’s Church cemetery and the establishment of a major ancient human DNA databank. With $3.4 million in funding, Arts and a team of archaeologists and physical anthropologists have now unearthed the skeletons of more than 750 Eindhoven citizens. And over the next two years, University of Leiden geneticist Peter de Knijff will attempt to recover DNA from these remains. “We expect that at least 75 percent of all individuals will have ancient DNA and proteins,” says [Eindhoven Municipal Archaeologist, Nico] Arts.

For researchers, the Eindhoven DNA bank could prove a major windfall, paving the way for a host of new studies. To unravel the mysteries of human disease, researchers are increasingly studying genetic variations in human populations that increase the risk of illnesses, such as diabetes, or boost resistance to infections such as malaria. By studying the variants over time, researchers hope to advance knowledge of these diseases and gather clues to produce vaccines or new drug treatments. And such medical research is where the Eindhoven DNA bank, which spans 600 years of history, could really shine.

The Dutch team hopes, for example, that their project will reveal the origin and prevalence of a genetic variant that increases resistance to one of the world’s most lethal viruses–HIV. Today, nearly 10 percent of people of northern European descent possess this variant, known as the CCR5D32 allele, and the discovery is sparking the development of a new class of AIDS-fighting drugs. Evidence suggests that this mutation first arose 3,100 to 7,800 years ago, but how did it become so prevalent across Europe in an age before the AIDS epidemic? Could this mutation also have boosted resistance to an earlier epidemic, such as smallpox or the Black Death? In search of new data, Knijff and his team will search for this variant in the DNA of Eindhoven’s citizens. “There is no doubt that these studies are valuable,” says Susan Scott, a University of Liverpool historian who has written extensively on the Black Death and its possible connection to the HIV-resistance variant. “Whilst I don’t think [ancient DNA] studies will yield a vaccine for AIDS, they may assist molecular geneticists to develop some gene therapy.” (Archaeology magazine)

Investigations into “why so many residents of Eyam, England, survived the black death when it hit the remote village in 1665″, produced similar evidence for this genetic resistance. All in all, a fascinating blending of archaeology and modern medicine which has the potential of not only providing us more understanding of our ancestors, but possibly could assist in research for diseases like HIV/AIDS today.

For more on the excavation at Eindhoven, click here.

h/t Per Omnia Saecula

– John (Average Gay Joe)

Every conservative knows that the best Congress is one that isn’t in town.  Hopefully the Pelosi-Reid Congress will do more for America by staying home than by pushing their radical agenda onto mainstream America next year.  I know, pipe dream.

In any case, before the lame 109th Congress flew out of town this weekend, they finally did approve the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act.   Log Cabin (Republicans) react… 

(Washington, DC) – Log Cabin Republicans praise Congress for passing reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act.  “We applaud members of the House and Senate for reaching compromise on this important legislation.  The bill is not perfect, but failing to pass it this year would’ve caused real harm to real people,” said Log Cabin Executive Vice President Patrick Sammon.

The bill had been held up for weeks by four Democrat senators over changes to the program that were developed as part of a lengthy bi-partisan process.  Early this week, Congressional negotiators reached a compromise on the law.  “Log Cabin joins HIV/AIDS advocates across the country in thanking members of the House and Senate for putting aside differences and getting this bill passed,” said Sammon.  “Log Cabin also praises President Bush for making Ryan White reauthorization a priority,” said Sammon.  “We thank him and other political leaders who worked to pass this legislation.”  “Log Cabin Republicans worked hard to secure passage of this legislation,” said Sammon. 

“We proudly collaborated with AIDS community groups, LGBT organizations, and members of Congress to move this process forward.” The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act is the principle federally funded program for those living with HIV/AIDS.  It provides approximately $2 billion annually for medication and other critical services to tens of thousands of Americans.

And luckily it sounds like instead of supporting a death infrastructure of AIDS, circa 1986… Congress has changed the formula to help HIV patients living in our world of 2006.  From Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), one of the strongest supporters of national HIV/AIDS funding regardless of party….

“It is unfair that San Francisco receives funding for AIDS patients who passed away decades ago while there have been reports of patients on waiting lists dying in South Carolina, Kentucky and West Virginia due to the fact that patients in those areas living with the disease are not recognized for purposes of federal funding,” Dr. Coburn said. “Federal funding formulas will now finally recognize everyone living with HIV rather than just those diagnosed with AIDS, the end stage of HIV infection. This focus on AIDS has, in effect, discriminated against patients in rural areas, minority communities, women and other emerging communities affected by this disease.”

And who was the major force in the Senate who stalled passage of the Ryan White CARE Act this year?

What DOES Hillary have against HIV patients in rural areas, minority communities and women?  I think she should tell us while she’s raising millions of dollars for her “Evita 2008 Tour.”

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Actress Rosie Perez is part of a new HIV/AIDS awarness campaign.  The series of television public service announcements premiered last week on the LOGO Channel.

This is not your mother’s public service announcement. 

Tackling the rise in HIV, crystal meth use, and unsafe sex among gay men with candid yet loving honesty, a groundbreaking public service announcement campaign starring Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie Perez, and Amanda Peet will debut in advance of World AIDS Day commemorations on December 1st.

A collaboration between HIV Forum NYC and the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, both based in New York City, the national ad campaign breaks new ground by enlisting female spokespersons to highlight the essential role that love, respect, and self-esteem play in helping gay men lead safe, healthy, and fulfilling lives.

“Despite knowing that condoms prevent HIV transmission, many gay men continue to engage in risky and self-destructive behavior,” said Dan Carlson, co-ounder of HIV Forum NYC.  “As we mark World AIDS Day and the 25th anniversary of the discovery of HIV, we wanted to reframe the conversation among gay men about condom use and redefine what that simple act means.”

FYI… I emailed Patrick from the public relations firm that is promoting this campaignt that I was happy to help.  But I couldn’t in good conscience — as a gay Republican blogger — post anything at GayPatriot involving Susan Sarandon!  Ughhhhhh!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

In remembrance of those of friends and the faceless, family and strangers who lost their lives to this terrible epidemic.

In celebration to those who live productive lives with HIV and those who love and care for them daily.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

**UPDATE at 1:30PM below**

Well, for about the first time in three years, Log Cabin actually grew a set and remembered that they have the word “Republicans” in their name!   I’m glad to see they finally got on the boat with this since I’ve been talking about it for quite some time.

From Log Cabin (Republicans) Press Release – September 27, 2006

Log Cabin calls on six Senate Democrats to allow reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act.   ”Failure to pass this law by October 1st will have a devastating impact on tens of thousands of people with HIV/AIDS,” said Log Cabin Executive Vice President Patrick Sammon.

“Senator Clinton and her five democratic colleagues should stop playing politics with this life-saving program.” Six Democratic Senators are using a procedural maneuver to block the CARE Act’s reauthorization.  The Senators blocking the bill include Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Mark Dayton, Sen. Bob Menendez, Sen. John Corzine and Sen. Barbara Boxer.  “It’s time for these Senators put the national interest above local special interests,” said Sammon.

The Ryan White CARE Act is the principal federal program that provides assistance to Americans infected with HIV/AIDS.  Senators and House members from both parties have developed a bipartisan compromise to update the program with reforms that reflect changes in the epidemic.  There’s near unanimous agreement that this bill should be passed.  While the changes in the proposed bill will lead to small reductions in certain states, many other states with critical funding shortages will benefit from the new law. 

“In total, this bill is in the best interest of our nation and those suffering from HIV/AIDS,” said Sammon.  “Now is the time for action.” U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee said, “An agreement must be reached. 

If the bill is not reauthorized by September 30, several states including California, Massachusetts, Maryland, Illinois, and the District of Columbia would receive drastic reductions in funding and the program that people infected with HIV and AIDS rely on for drugs and other services will not be able to provide them with the treatment they desperately need.” Nearly all Senate Democrats agree this bill must be passed. 

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), the ranking member of the HELP committee with Sen. Enzi said in a statement on Tuesday, “There are few more urgent responsibilities for Congress this week than to pass this bipartisan legislation.” While Log Cabin supports reauthorization, we understand this isn’t a perfect bill.  During the appropriations process, lawmakers will need to provide at least a $55 million increase to the AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP). 

“Flat funding ADAP will create additional stress on a program that is already stretched too thin,” said Sammon.

Maybe with the Massachusetts Liberal Guerriero no longer steering the ship, Log Cabin can start to become the organization it is supposed to be.  I’m not holding my breath given the current LCR Board Chair is a habitual donor to liberal Democrat politicians and causes.

**UPDATE** In response to a commenter, the current Log Cabin Board President is Tim Schoeffler.  You may gander at his past history of liberal Democrat donations here and here.  His political spending has moderated lately, but come on — no real Republican would give one penny of his hard-earned money to Teddy Kennedy.

Bruce (GayPatriot)

In its e-newsletter Liberty Line yesterday, the Liberty Education Forum referenced a Washington Post article on a support group for young HIV-positive men. A number of things struck me about the article, notably the number of gay men who continue to engage in unprotected intercourse. If it’s true, as we’re told, that this virus is one of the most difficult to transmit, why is it that so many gay men refuse to take the simple precaution to protect themselves?

The article notes that a Center for Disease Control “study of men who have sex with men released last month reported that out of 10,000 men surveyed, 47 percent said they’ve had unprotected anal intercourse with men in the previous year.”

Marsha Martin, head of D.C.’s AIDS office, makes sense when she says “the urgency of the HIV prevention messages we’ve been sending — safe sex only! use a condom! — has worn off.” She, however, also tries to politicize gay men’s unsafe practices:

And if you think about the political and social climate we’ve been in and we’re still in, what message is that sending to gay men? ‘No, you can’t get married as gay couples.’ ‘No, you can’t be openly gay in the military.’ ‘No, you don’t have equal rights.’ Those things produce a lack of self-esteem, a kind of self-loathing, and in that environment is HIV.

I don’t think the absence of state-sanctioned gay marriage causes gay men to practice unsafe sex.

Rather than listen to the jargon of a government bureaucrat, we might better listen to the words of a young gay man who got infected by “playing unsafe.” After chatting with a guy online, he went to the man’s place “and had sex. He was lonely. He didn’t use a condom.” He was lonely and felt closer to that man “without” protection.

He was lonely.

Sometimes when we seek a human connection, we go to great lengths to secure that bond. Ms. Martin’s jargon about self-esteem doesn’t help us understand the number of gay men who have unsafe sex, even while knowing the risks. This young man’s words, that he was lonely the night of his unfortunate encounter, however, go a long way to understanding the risks some gay men take. And help us see the very human aspect of their (seemingly) irrational behavior.

In many cases, those who “play unsafe” seek a human connection and forego the latex so as to feel closer to another human being. Now, we need to find ways to to help them — to help all of us — find such connections without risking their health. That is, perhaps, the biggest challenge confronting our community — to help us better connect to one another so we feel less alone and less isolated from our fellows.

-Dan (AKA GayPatriotWest): GayPatriotWest@aol.com

Some of you may note the new category, (Gay) Male Sexuality & the Monogamous Ideal, in the header to this post. In a few days, I will talk a little more about it.

Hey, Log Cabin (Republicans) sans Patrick….. why aren’t you taking on Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) on this?  She is the one stopping it.  Your press release sounds like there is some mysterious, unnamed force of nature keeping the legislation from passing.

Log Cabin calls on members of both parties in Congress to reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act before they leave town to campaign for re-election. “Real people will be hurt if Congress fails to pass this important legislation by October 1st,” said Log Cabin Executive Vice President Patrick Sammon. “It’s time for all sides to put aside small differences and reach a compromise.”

President Bush has called on Congress several times to reauthorize and reform the CARE Act, which is the principal federal program that provides life-saving assistance to tens of thousands of Americans with HIV/AIDS.  Senators and House members from both parties have developed a bi-partisan compromise to update the program with reforms that reflect changes in the epidemic. “We will be very disappointed if a few lawmakers hold up reauthorization of this important legislation,” said Sammon. “Delaying reauthorization will cause great uncertainty for states and real worry for those who depend on the CARE Act for survival.”

If Congress fails to reauthorize the law by October 1st, a provision in the existing law will revise funding formulas to include all patients in a jurisdiction with HIV.  Currently, the law counts only those diagnosed with AIDS.  As a result, states that do not have up to date HIV reporting systems will likely see significant funding cuts. “Now is the time to act. There’s near unanimous agreement on both sides of the aisle and among community groups that this law needs to be reauthorized. We need members of the House and Senate to step up and get this done,” said Sammon.

Oh please don’t tell me that the New Log Cabin is going the other direction — apologists for the Democrat Party!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Sen. Hillary Clinton is taking up where her husband left off.   During President Bill Clinton’s term, he repeatedly “zeroed-out” AIDS funding his the Presidential Budget he sent up to Congress.  You never heard much about it, because it was the post-1995 Republican-controlled Congress (mostly thanks to then Rep. Tom Coburn and Sen. Arlen Specter) that restored and increased funding each year.

Well, here’s what Hillary is up to now — threatening renewal of the Ryan White Act.

Sen. Clinton Delays AIDS Law’s Renewal, Citing Cut in NY Funds – Washington Post

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is holding up renewal of the primary federal law that battles HIV/AIDS, the 1990 Ryan White Act, causing a rift among activists on the subject and threatening approval of the legislation this year.

Clinton (D-N.Y.) said she opposes the measure because it would lower funding for her home state. But some AIDS groups also see broader political motives at work. Other states that would lose out include California, Florida and Illinois — all places Clinton would need to win if she seeks the presidency. Her critics also note that many of the states that would receive higher funding under the new formula are rural and Southern, which tend to vote Republican.

Now here’s what you won’t hear out of this story, but it is true.  The “old formula” was designed when the scourge of AIDS disproportionally affected San Francisco and New York.  But the “old formula” is subsidizing an infrastructure designed for people dying, not people living.  The people living with HIV/AIDS are not growing in the Blue States, they are growing in the Red States.

The current law’s formula is based on the number of patients with AIDS; the new funding formula would, in effect, distribute funding based on the number of patients with HIV or AIDS.

Support for any particular formula “depends where you sit,” said Ernest Hopkins, director of federal affairs for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. From his vantage, he said, the bill in the Senate “is a problem.”

Of course Mr. Hopkins, from San Francisco, gets paid from the Ryan White act under the current formula.  How interesting….

The senator’s insistence on a different formula — one closer to current law — has angered several groups that represent AIDS and HIV patients who stand to get more money under the pending bill. Last week, Harry C. Alford, chief executive of the National Black Chamber of Commerce, wrote a letter to Clinton that said, “It is with sadness that I learn about your efforts to block” the law’s reauthorization.

Alford said that people of color, particularly in the South, are contracting AIDS at a rapid pace and need more funding than was envisioned when the current formula was devised. “I must share with you the bewilderment of African Americans throughout the country who cannot understand why you are taking this stand against opening the door to more equitable funding that will chiefly benefit people of color,” he wrote.

Clinton’s excuse: the Ryan White measure as drafted “would have a devastating impact on New York” and “unfairly shift millions of dollars in funding away from New York and other states that have been hardest hit by the epidemic, jeopardizing their ability to provide vital care and treatment services.”  The key phrase is have been hardest hit.

If this were a Republican Senator, one might even accuse her of racist politics.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

If it weren’t for this blog, I would long since have cancelled my subscription to The Advocate. I have found its reporting increasingly biased with its coverage of conservatives frequently dishonest. The magazine doesn’t have a single conservative columnist (though it has from time to time included conservative views on its website).

In its December 7, 2004 symposium on the previous month’s elections, it failed to include a single person who had supported the winner in the presidential contest despite the fact that just under one in four gay men and lesbians voted for George W. Bush.

That said, it often provides news of interest to gay people and occasionally has interesting features. Its left-wing rants often provide material for my posts. And sometimes it offers food for thought. In the latest issue, for example, its editorial “Is lying about HIV a crime?” considers an issue particularly important to our community.

The editors believe that prosecuting a sexually promiscuous Australian man “who told partners he was HIV-negative when he knew he wasn’t,” persuading some to “have unprotected sex with him . . ., would set a perilous precedent.” They believe:

it’s wrong to fabricate a story about your HIV status, much less to knowingly expose people to the virus. But it’s also wrong to criminalize people for doing either.

I agree with their contention that “Protecting yourself from HIV is a matter of personal responsibility,” but I’m not sure I share their conclusion.

I have yet to meet a gay man who doesn’t know the risks of unprotected intercourse. And yet some continue to “play unsafe” even with partners about whose status they are uncertain. While they may be taking great risks with their health, it is their responsibility to take precautions, not the government’s.

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Our critics — and other Bush-haters on the gay left (and even a handful of self-described gay Republicans) refuse to acknowledge the president’s mixed record on gay issues. As I have said repeatedly on this blog, while he’s wrong on a constitutional amendment defining marriage, he’s far from the anti-gay demon (many of) his critics have made him out to be.

While you may not know this from reading the gay press, the president has shown a strong commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS. Even Patrick Guerriero, president of Log Cabin, a frequent critic of the president, acknowledged as much. Noting in February that his 2007 budget included “$70 million increase for lifesaving medications and $90 million in new money to provide testing for three million Americans” the Log Cabin leader praised “the President for providing more resources to meet the challenges in treating people with HIV/AIDS.” Guerriero also took note of the President’s plea in his State of the Union address this year for the reauthorization and renewal of the Ryan White CARE Act.

It’s not just the president’s gay critics who acknowledge his record on AIDS. Even a prominent Democrat has praised his efforts to combat this disease. Peter Hughes, one of our readers, e-mailed an article reporting that former President Clinton, speaking at the 16th International Conference on AIDS in Toronto “joined Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates in praising the “President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief.”

Clinton said “the United States is spending more to fight HIV than any other government.” And we’re spending that amount when Republicans, holding majorities in both House of Congress and the White House, have power over the federal purse. As long AIDS is a threat to public health remains, this is one area where Congress should not be cutting spending.

The former president said something else with which I strongly agree when he “joined the majority of experts who say abstinence-only programs do not work. Better, he said, are programs that include abstinence counseling as part of a range of options.” Including abstinence counseling, but not making it the be-all and end-all of AIDS prevention, seems the way to approach this touchy subject in our sexually charged culture. When we bring abstinence into a conversation on sexuality, we can better see sexuality as more than a mere longing for pleasure and perhaps begin to get at its deeper meaning.

“Gates, whose Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave $500 million last week to the Global Fund to fight AIDS,” said, “The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has done a great deal of good, and President Bush and his team deserve a lot of credit for it.”

It’s too bad more Democrats and those on the gay left are not more like one of their heroes, having the good sense to acknowledge President Bush’s accomplishments, particularly on issues of concern to our community.