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Log Cabin Applauds President Bush for Easing Restrictions on HIV-Positive Visitors

December 5, 2006

(Washington, DC) – Log Cabin Republicans praise President Bush for easing the long-standing rule barring HIV+ people from entering the U.S. without a special waiver. The White House announced on World AIDS Day that the president would issue an executive order allowing HIV-positive people to enter the U.S. on short-term tourist or business visas without having to seek special permission.

"This decision is a good first step toward ending the stigma of HIV," said Log Cabin Executive Vice President Patrick Sammon. "We urge the president to take further steps by finally removing HIV as a barrier to American citizenship and residence. As we've learned more about this disease and the way it is spread, there is no justifiable reason to keep this law in place."

Currently, HIV-positive travelers entering the U.S. are required to declare themselves infected with the virus. Those who ignore this requirement for fear of the stigma associated with the disease must then be fearful if they carry antiviral drugs that they will be found out and customs officials will turn them away.

"As the president continues efforts to eradicate this disease in Africa and throughout the world, the only way the stigma of AIDS can ever be diminished is if our laws at home reflect the reality of the disease," said Sammon.