While many moderate Catholics are disappointed with the Pope’s recent statements that condom use is aggravating the AIDS epidemic in Africa, others have rushed to his defense.

Channel 4 anchor Jon Snow interviews Catholic blogger Joanne Bogle and Dr. Rachel Baggaley of Christian Aid on the Pope’s recent comments. Watch as Bogle becomes increasingly unhinged, finding it necessary to shout “her facts” over everyone else.

To find out more about Bogle, visit her blog auntie joanna writes…

On our side of the pond, Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League, also defends the Pope’s position.

“If condoms were the answer, then why is it that New York City, which under Mayor Michael Bloomberg has given away tens of millions of free condoms, has an HIV rate three times the national average? Furthermore, the promiscuous distribution of condoms in New York has coincided with a spike in sexually transmitted diseases of all sorts. Isn’t it time we learned that condom worship is irrational?

“Anyone who thinks that condom distribution, education and/or research is going to solve a problem which is mostly a function of behavioral recklessness is positively clueless. Not only that, such persons unwittingly contribute to the problem by diverting attention and resources away from that which works.”

Condom worship? Really? And perhaps you should also divert some attention and resources into ferreting out pedophile priests, Mr. Donohue.

In a word. Wow. From the spiffy, newly redesigned Whitehouse.gov website.

Support for the LGBT Community

“While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It’s about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect.”— Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

• Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. President Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, President Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.
• Fight Workplace Discrimination: President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees’ domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. The President also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
• Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.
• Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.
• Repeal Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.
• Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.
• Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, President Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The President will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. President Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma — too often tied to homophobia — that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.
• Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. President Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.

This is a huge step. Hopefully these words will translate into action.

Today on the 20th World AIDS day, over 100 companies pledged to fight HIV/AIDS discrimination and stigma in the workplace.

While there has been progress in the past 20 years, discrimination unfortunately continues. Individuals experience social isolation, ridicule, and are often refused employment or fired from their jobs.

From the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria:

“These CEOs are sending a powerful signal to employees and their families, communities and stakeholders that their companies care and are doing their part to end stigma around HIV/AIDS. CEO leadership through the pledge is also sending a message to the public health community that we’re in this fight together.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), discrimination and stigma are among the many reasons why people are reluctant to be tested, disclose their HIV status or take antiretroviral drugs, contributing to the overall expansion of the epidemic.

Among the more notable businesses signing the pledge:

Chevron Corporation
Citigroup
The Coca-Cola Company
Dell
Home Box Office (HBO)
Nike, Inc.
Pfizer

A complete list of businesses can be found here.

I encourage everyone who has time on Sunday to come on out and join us. Bring your family, your friends. And if you can’t, support some who is walking.
Like me for instance. 🙂

It really does make a difference.