Lifting HIV travel ban will finally end ‘federally sanctioned stigma’

President Barack Obama today announced that the long-standing ban on travel and immigration to the United States by HIV-positive individuals will end in just over 60 days. The lifting of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ban will remove HIV from the list of “communicable diseases of public health significance.” Previously, people living with HIV and AIDS were not allowed to enter the U.S. and non-citizens with HIV who are living in the U.S. could not stay.

The Task Force signed onto a letter circulated by Immigration Equality to lift the HIV ban sent during the public comment period on this regulatory change. The Task Force is also supporting the efforts of Immigration Equality and other partner organizations to promote these changes via the also New Beginnings initiative, a collaboration of expert organizations, coordinated by the Task Force, pushing for concrete federal administration policy and regulatory changes directly benefiting the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and eliminating discrimination from federal policies.

Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

“The lifting of the HIV travel ban will remove a federally sanctioned stigma and sends a strong, clear message that the United States is working to end discrimination against people living with HIV and AIDS. Since HIV was the only disease singled out for exclusion by an act of Congress, the ban undermined U.S. efforts to fight the HIV pandemic. We applaud the approaching end of a discriminatory practice that stigmatized those living with HIV and AIDS. It is long past time to create a fair, humane and sensible HIV immigration policy.”

Press Release: To learn more about the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, visit www.theTaskForce.org