A memo released by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services appears to finally signal the end of the HIV travel ban which prevents HIV-positive travelers and immigrants from visiting the United States. Enacted in 1993 under President Clinton, the ban was finally overturned last year but the Bush administration failed to implement the new rules before leaving office.

The CIS’s communication instructed employees working on green card applications that would be determined solely by the applicant’s HIV status to wait until the expected change in immigration rules.

…

Commentators have suggested that the pausing of green card applications which come down to the applicant’s HIV status is a strong indicator that the rule change will be implemented soon, and that HIV will be removed from the list of exclusionary communicable diseases.

Vishel Trivedi of the Gay Men’s Health Crisis said: “Once we’re confident that HHS will remove HIV from the list, we need to focus on more practical aspects of eliminating the vestiges of this discriminatory policy.”

We’re nine months in and this is only happening now? What took so damn long?

The memo is available at Immigration Equality.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and others testified today before the House Education and Labor Committee in support of ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. Clips including opening statement by Chairman George Miller are below:

In an interview published by Gay City News over the weekend, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg put the chances of passing a marriage equality bill in New York at zero.

“I don’t know how to get it to come up,” he said, explaining his view that having the issue move to the Senate floor may prove more difficult than rounding up the votes. “If you want my honest opinion,” Bloomberg continued, the Senate leadership is unlikely to move a gay marriage bill “when I don’t see these guys willing to stand up for less controversial issues.”

Despite the fact that the number of states with legal gay marriage quickly shot up to six this past spring, the mayor said, “I ‘m scared to death that the country is going in the wrong direction… I think on other LGBT issues they are clearly moving in the direction that I think they should go and you probably do too. It’s the marriage thing that I don’t see.”

Even in New York, where Paterson and his predecessor Eliot Spitzer have been outspoken in supporting gay marriage, Bloomberg argued, “Whether anybody who runs for governor next year will stand up for gay marriage, I’ll bet you 25 cents no.”

Though the Democrats did finally achieve a majority in the State Senate last November, the mayor who vows to deliver Republican votes views the composition of the Democratic caucus as a bar to action.

“There are a lot of traditional Democratic communities that are very conservative,” he said. “The black community is very conservative. The Latino. You know, I don’t win any points with these communities when I go in their churches and point out I’m very pro-choice. I’m very pro-gay rights. I’m anti-gun. I’m very pro-immigration. I believe in Darwin.”

Considering the ineptness of the NY State Senate, it’s difficult to disagree with the mayor. So Bloomberg is seeking a third term… as a Republican. A gay loving, pro-choice, anti-gun, pro-immigration and evolution believing Republican.

Is the end near?

In a recent poll conducted by Daily Kos/ Research2000, Maine voters chose to overturn gay marriage by a slim 48%-46% with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 points. Voters were asked the question:

As you may know there will be one question on the ballot this November in Maine addressing the issue of same-sex unions. In part it will read “Do you want to reject the new law that lets same-sex couples marry?” A yes vote takes away the right of same-sex couples to marry. A no vote keeps the right of same-sex couples to marry. If the election were held today would you vote YES or NO on this question?

Results below:

Marc Muty, chairman of Stand for Marriage Maine which supports overturning marriage equality responded to the numbers:

“The poll results will likely galvanize our opponents to continue to call us fear-mongoring liars, even as legal scholars and other experts in the field — including some in our opponent’s own camp — independently raise the serious negative effects and conflicts inherent in legalizing homosexual marriage … As our opponents continue to duck the real issues of the campaign in favor of name-calling, and independent experts substantiate our claims about the negative consequences of LD 1020 becoming law, we have every confidence that we will win the hearts and minds of Mainers on November 3rd.”

Unfortunately, it’s starting to feel like California to me…