Just when you thought he is one of the smartest leaders of the modern commonwealth countries...John Howard of Australia said Friday people with the AIDS virus should not be allowed to migrate to Australia, and his government was investigating whether it could tighten existing restrictions.
The comments triggered anger among AIDS workers, who accused Howard of xenophobia and of blaming sufferers for their illness.
Gays around the world love Australia and the Australians -- some of whom are world class individuals and high achievers. For a gay-friendly country, it is sad to know her leader is not thinking straight.
According to a report by The Advocate, he said "My initial reaction is no." to a question. However, he said there may be "humanitarian considerations" in certain cases.
Do you homos think Australia should allow their PM do that or think that?
Howard was asked about the issue during a visit to Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state, where the state health minister said this week that 70 of the 334 new HIV infection cases reported in Victoria in 2006 were among immigrants who had arrived in the country with the virus.
Australia has long had restrictions on people who try to immigrate who have health problems that could threaten to spread disease or impose an additional burden on the public health system, according to The Advocate.
Many countries, including the United States, impose restrictions on immigration and visa approvals for people with HIV, though there are often exceptions in special cases.
AIDS was first diagnosed in Australia in the early 1980s, and the disease has mostly been concentrated in large cities such as Sydney and in high-risk groups such as gay men and needle-sharing drug addicts.
The National Center for HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research said in an October 2006 report that since it was first detected, 25,703 infections had been reported in Australia, of which 9,827 people developed full-blown AIDS and 6,621 had died.
The comments triggered anger among AIDS workers, who accused Howard of xenophobia and of blaming sufferers for their illness.
Gays around the world love Australia and the Australians -- some of whom are world class individuals and high achievers. For a gay-friendly country, it is sad to know her leader is not thinking straight.
According to a report by The Advocate, he said "My initial reaction is no." to a question. However, he said there may be "humanitarian considerations" in certain cases.
Do you homos think Australia should allow their PM do that or think that?
Howard was asked about the issue during a visit to Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state, where the state health minister said this week that 70 of the 334 new HIV infection cases reported in Victoria in 2006 were among immigrants who had arrived in the country with the virus.
Australia has long had restrictions on people who try to immigrate who have health problems that could threaten to spread disease or impose an additional burden on the public health system, according to The Advocate.
Many countries, including the United States, impose restrictions on immigration and visa approvals for people with HIV, though there are often exceptions in special cases.
AIDS was first diagnosed in Australia in the early 1980s, and the disease has mostly been concentrated in large cities such as Sydney and in high-risk groups such as gay men and needle-sharing drug addicts.
The National Center for HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research said in an October 2006 report that since it was first detected, 25,703 infections had been reported in Australia, of which 9,827 people developed full-blown AIDS and 6,621 had died.