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Illinois group
opposes waiver for HIV-positive Gay Games athletes

Illinois group
opposes waiver for HIV-positive Gay Games athletes

Illinois Family Institute claims presence of HIV-positive athletes would pose public health threat.

Last month the Bush administration approved a blanket waiver allowing foreign HIV-positive athletes to enter the United States to compete in the Gay Games in Chicago this summer. But now a conservative group in Illinois is asking the president to rescind the approval, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. Although federal law prohibits HIV-infected foreigners from visiting the country without special permission, the Department of Homeland Security agreed to the blanket waiver after Chicago mayor Richard Daley and Illinois congresswoman Jan Schakowsky requested it. A similar waiver was granted for the Gay Games in New York City in 1994. But the head of the Illinois Family Institute claims that allowing HIV-positive athletes into the country is a public health threat and says he is getting assistance from prominent national conservative groups like Concerned Women of America to have the waiver revoked. "The people of Chicago should know we have a ban on HIV travelers, it's there to protect citizens, and it's not a wise move to remove the ban," Peter LaBarbera, executive director of the Illinois Family Institute, told the Sun-Times. "People on the pro-family side are not too pleased with it, and we're putting pressure on to reinstate the ban." He added that he was particularly concerned about a gay bathhouse that is among the sponsors of the Gay Games, saying that it can be "very dangerous" for spreading the AIDS virus. However, a spokesperson for the Gay Games called LaBarbera's comments "abhorrent and irresponsible...fearmongering." "The Illinois Family Institute strategy is to paint the Gay Games as nothing more than a series of stereotypes of gay sex. It's a strategy that's not true," Kevin Boyer said. "It's a sports and culture festival, and no amount of stereotypes and bigotry can change that." More than 12,000 athletes from 100 countries are expected to come to Chicago for the Gay Games, scheduled to begin July 15 at Soldier Field. (The Advocate)

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