Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 23:26:45 -0500
From: NBGLLF@aol.com

                              STATEMENT BY 
THE NATIONAL BLACK GAY & LESBIAN LEADERSHIP FORUM
                   Tuesday, January 30, 1996

 The U.S. Congress this week will submit to the President a Department of
Defense Authorization Bill that will require the discharge of HIV-positive
servicemembers.  We are disappointed the President must sign this bill, but
we are outraged that Congress passed the bill in the first place.  

 The HIV provision in this bill does not make economic sense, does not make
military sense, and does not make common sense.  Even the Pentagon is opposed
to this measure.  It is mean-spirited, hateful discrimination to discharge
capable servicemembers without access to full medical benefits provided to
other servicemembers.  To treat servicemembers with HIV differently from
servicemembers with any other illness or disease serves no purpose other than
to stigmatize them.

 Sadly, this is another example of how the ultra-right wing zealots in
Congress have succeeded in capturing the Republican Party.  Their mission is
to turn back the clock on blacks, gays, women, people with AIDS and anyone
who does not conform to their narrow, reactionary vision of America.

 African Americans, who are already disproportionately infected with the HIV
virus, will ultimately bear a double burden because of this discrimination.
 HIV/AIDS is now the leading cause of death for black men between the ages of
25 and 44, surpassing homicide, suicide, and accidents.

 Last month, at the White House Conference on HIV and AIDS, President Clinton
said: 

 We simply cannot let our fears outweigh our common sense or our  compassion
. . . we can't let our homophobia blind us to our obligations . . .  every
person with HIV or AIDS is somebody's son or daughter, somebody's  brother or
sister, somebody's parent, somebody's grandparent.

 Given this commitment, we call on the President, the Administration and
compassionate members of Congress to marshal all their resources to stop this
AIDSphobic provision in the bill from ever taking effect.  We also call on
African Americans, gay or straight, to contact their representatives in
Congress to oppose this provision in the Defense bill.

                                   ###




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