UPDATE: US lifts HIV travel ban

Last November, President Obama vowed to overturn the travel ban against people living with HIV.

The U.S. had been among a dozen countries that bar entry to travellers with visas or anyone seeking a green card, based on their HIV status.

President Obama referred to the ban as a "decision rooted in fear rather than fact,” and has made it clear that he wants America to take the lead in challenging HIV stigma, saying : "If we want to be the global leader in combatting HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it."

Today's official lifting of the ban, is a step in the right direction and has been welcomed by HIV / AIDS organisations.

The Lesbian and Gay Foundation's lead on sexual health Daniel Gomez said: "As an American, I think this has been a long time in coming. The fact that the United States is one of the small handful of countries that continued to ban foreign entrance based on HIV status, only serves as a stark reminder that HIV and AIDS phobia and stigma along with homophobia are alive and well in one of the most powerful economic and social leaders in the world. Lifting the ban is a wonderful first step in addressing these issues by the United States."

Lisa Power, Head of Policy at Terrence Higgins Trust added: "It's ridiculous that for over 20 years people living with HIV have been banned from entering the US simply because of a medical condition.  Removing the ban is long overdue and we congratulate the US Government on seeing economic and medical sense. Terrence Higgins Trust and many others have campaigned against the ban since it was introduced. Blanket entry bans have no justification on public health grounds and only increase stigma. We hope other countries with similar bans in place will now remove them too."

Important information if you are travelling to the US...

According to the Global Database on HIV-specific travel and residence restrictions, under the new guidelines "customs regulations require people entering the US with prescription medication like antiretroviral drugs to carry a doctor’s / consultant certificate in English, stating that the drugs are required to treat a personal condition. This requirement applies to all prescription drugs.

Medication should always be carried in hand luggage, as checked luggage may be delayed or get lost. If you are carrying-on liquid medication exceeding 3 ounces / 100 ml, you must declare it at the checkpoint for inspection.

Currently, immigrants with HIV are not granted legal permanent residency except under extremely limited circumstances."
For more information, click here.

According to Pink News, President Obama has said that lifting the ban is a "step that will encourage people to get tested and get treatment. It's a step that will keep families together, and it's a step that will save lives".

In 2012 the World AIDS Conference is to be held in the USA, after many years absence.

Want a full sexual health check up? Check out the LGF weekly outreach clinic times, the next clinic takes place today at Inferno Sauna, 496A Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, 15.30 - 17.30. For more information, click here.

Rapid HIV Testing clinic: At the LGF's rapid HIV testing clinic you can get your results in 20 minutes. The clinic takes place every Thursday (16.00 till 18.00) at the Lesbian & Gay Foundation, Princess House, Manchester. For more information, email Peter Boyle at peter.boyle@lgf.org.uk.

November '09: President Obama has vowed to overturn a 22-year-old travel and immigration ban against people living with HIV early next year.

The U.S. has been among a dozen countries that bar entry to travellers with visas or anyone seeking a green card based on their HIV status.

However, in Washington on Friday President Obama made it clear that he wanted America to take the lead in challenging HIV stigma, he said: "If we want to be the global leader in combatting HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it."

Obama vowed to overturn the ban before signing a bill to extend the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program. Begun in 1990, the program provides medical care, medication and support services to about half a million people, most of them low-income.

The bill is named after an Indiana teenager who contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion at age 13. White went on to fight AIDS-related discrimination against him and others like him and help educate the country about the issues surrounding HIV and AIDS.

His mother, Jeanne White-Ginder, attended the signing ceremony, as did several members of Congress and HIV/AIDS activists. The order will complete a process begun during the Bush administration.

Darlene Superville of the Associated Press reported that Obama said that by lifting the ban, the U.S. will take a step toward ending the stigma against people with HIV/AIDS, something he said has stopped people from getting tested and has contributed to the spread of the virus. More than 1 million people live with HIV/AIDS in the U.S., and more than 56,000 new infections are reported every year.

According to the advocacy group Immigration Equality, the 11 other countries that ban HIV-positive travelers and immigrants are: Armenia, Brunei, Iraq, Libya, Moldova, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Sudan.

HIV and AIDS organisations in the UK welcomed the news. Andrew Gilliver from The Lesbian & Gay Foundation said; "HIV-positive people have felt isolated by the US for too long. By lifting the negative stigma associated with the ban, hopefully this long overdue move will inspire others to fight HIV stigma in a similar way.”

Lisa Power, Head of Policy at Terrence Higgins Trust said “Terrence Higgins Trust has campaigned for many years to end this discriminatory policy. We hope its ending sends a strong signal to governments and politicians globally who support such pointless gestures. Entry bans have no justification on public health grounds. Their only real impact is to increase stigma and prevent ordinary people with HIV from getting on with their lives."

The ban meant everyone entering the US was required to state that they don’t have a communicable disease, alongside not being a terrorist, a Nazi or a criminal. President Obama referred to the ban as a "decision rooted in fear rather than fact.”

RAPID HIV TESTING CLINIC: You can get tested at the LGF's Rapid HIV Testing Clinic which takes place every Thursday at The Lesbian & Gay Foundation, Princess House, Princess Street, Manchester. You can take the test and have the results within 20 minutes. The clinic runs between 4pm and 6pm. For more info, click here.

SEXUAL HEALTH OUTREACH CLINIC: The LGF's sexual health outreach clinic takes place every Monday at venues around Manchester. The next Sexual Health outreach clinic takes place at H20 Sauna, Sackville Street, Manchester at 1pm on November 9. The Outreach Clinic allows gay and bisexual men in Manchester the opportunity to get a full sexual health check up. For more information on the times and locations of the clinic, click here.

For more information on the LGF's sexual health services contact the LGF's Gay Mens Health Officer Peter Boyle on 0161 235 8032 or email peter.boyle@lgf.org.uk