Gay Games: HIV+ Athletes May Face Ban [View All]

Gay Games: HIV+ Athletes May Face Ban

A conservative group in the US is pressuring authorities to prevent HIV-positive athletes from being able to enter the country to compete in the 7th Gay Games in Chicago this July. Travellers are usually required to declare their HIV status when applying to enter the US, and HIV positive tourists must complete additional immigration procedures.

The ban is usually lifted as a matter of course for major events and conferences. The Department of Homeland Security granted the Gay Games Designated Event Status earlier this year, short-circuiting usual HIV declaration procedures, enabling travellers to not declare their status.

The Illinois Family Institute has urged Homeland Security to repeal the designation on the grounds that HIV+ travellers pose a public health threat. Furthermore, a men’s bathhouse is one of the Games’ sponsors, which, according to the Institute, promotes “reckless sexual behaviour” and “pave the way for spreading” HIV.

Chicago’s Mayor Richard Daley and Illinois Democrat Jan Schakowsky have both urged Homeland Security to retain the waiver. Gay Games Co-Vice Chair Kevin Boyer said linking the games to the spread of HIV was “abhorrent and irresponsible… fear-mongering.”

http://www.gaynz.com/news/default.asp?dismode=article&artid=3345