This will be a short diary. Earlier today, the International AIDS Society selected the United States of America as the host for the 19th Annual International AIDS Conference.
30 November 2009 (Washington, DC) — At the White House today, the International AIDS Society (IAS) announced that the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) will be held in Washington, DC, in July 2012.
SOURCE
And why has the International AIDS Conference not been held in the United States since 1990, you might ask?
The press release pulls no punches:
The IAS Governing Council decided to hold AIDS 2012 in Washington, DC, following U.S. President Barack Obama’s October announcement that the nation would end its entry restrictions on people living with HIV effective January 4, 2010. The conference was last held in the United States in 1990 in San Francisco, California.
"The return of the conference to the United States is the result of years of dedicated advocacy to end a misguided policy based on fear, rather than science, and represents a significant victory for public health and human rights," said IAS President-Elect Dr. Elly Katabira, Professor of Medicine at Makerere University in Uganda, who will serve as the International Chair of AIDS 2012.
Wow. You tell it, Dr. Katabira.
This conference is the international conference for those of us working in the fields of HIV research, policy, advocacy, and patient care. It is, in our world, a very big deal. It is truly a reason for celebration that the United States can once again proudly host this outstanding conference in our great country - and it is a direct result of the efforts of the Obama Administration to end the discriminatory policy of preventing HIV-positive travelers from entering the United States.
Of course, the political right-wing of this country will surely seize upon this as an opportunity to perpetuate their own bigotry, against those with HIV... and quite likely by extension, against our gay brothers and sisters. We have seen this playbook far too many times in the world of HIV-AIDS advocacy, and we must ensure that they will not succeed.
And for those of us that believe in equality, we should take a minute and celebrate these little victories. "Change" may not have come as quickly or as often as many of us would like, but the lifting of the travel ban on HIV-positive persons is an accomplishment of the Obama Administration that we should celebrate.
Happy World AIDS Day, indeed!