Change is a beautiful thing

ILLINOIS AIDS ADVOCATES WINS U.S. PRESIDENCY: The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) congratulates President-Elect Barack Obama of Illinois on his historic election as the 44th President of the United States.

“The board and staff of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago are proud to see a longtime friend and supporter ascend to the highest office in the land,” said AFC President/CEO Mark Ishaug. “We stand ready to assist President-Elect Obama in pursuing his comprehensive, results-oriented agenda on HIV/AIDS, which includes national healthcare reform and creation of a National AIDS Strategy.”

Longtime AFC supporters Barack and Michelle Obama joined AFC’s “Red Ribbon Society” of major donors in 2007. In 2005, AFC honored Senator Obama and Michelle at AFC’s 20th anniversary gala and that same year Michelle joined PBS senior correspondent Gwen Ifill for a community forum that AFC co-sponsored with the Chicago Foundation for Women.

As a lawmaker, Sen. Obama has worked closely with AFC to champion sound HIV policy and law for more than a decade. READ MORE.

mmmmm, not bitter... obama condoms "for the elitist penis"

[um, borrowed from gothamist - thanks to lifelube pal judah for sharing]

While some New Yorkers are hustling to pick up free condoms distributed by Trojan today, others are showing their support for the presidential candidate of their choice by ordering John McCain and Barack Obama condoms from a local entrepreneur. If you haven’t heard about this yet, expect an email from your corniest family member in, oh, about five minutes.

Benjamin Sherman’s online company is selling the rubbers for $9.95 a pair, and the dueling websites are just loaded with comedy stylings: Obama condoms are “for the elitist penis, they won’t leave a bitter taste in your mouth,” and are perfect for “when you just want to close the deal.” If you thought that was funny, just make sure you swallow your coffee before reading about the McCain condoms, which are “old but not expired” and will “give your ‘troops’ the protection they deserve.”

Yeah, November is a long way off; we're definitely going to need more sad trombones.

Yes, We Can - music video

"They said that this day would never come"

Barack Obama's victory speech in Iowa last night

Andrew Sullivan on the McClurkin Rant and Obama

"Here it is. I just watched it. I was under the impression he would be singing. Allowing this guy to preach strikes me as a step far too far. No, he doesn't say anything homophobic as such. He uses the usual formula of loving those he wants to be other than they are - which is a very funny kind of love. But in saying that God "delivered" him from homosexuality, McClurkin describes sexual orientation as something that God wants to save me and other gay people from. If one were being generous, one would say this isn't meant as an attack; but it is certainly experienced as an attack. McClurkin, in short, should never have been allowed to speak at this event, because his words are inherently divisive, his record of comments on gay people offensive, and the point of the event was allegedly unifying. It wasn't. To my mind, this isn't ultimately about the difficulty of forging any kind of alliance between gays and African-Americans. It is the inherent danger of mixing religion with politics. That's called Christianism. Some of us have not spent the last few years trying to rescue conservatism from the toxin of theocracy only to support a candidate who wants to do the same thing on the left. I don't think Obama wants to go that far; I still believe that broadly speaking, his is the only major candidacy right now that offers the kind of change we need. But what happened on that stage was inexcusable, stupid, and damaging. I don't blame any gay American for jumping the Obama ship over it."

Read other LifeLube posts on McClurkin and Obama.

Obama is asked about Donnie McClurkin in Iowa

Click the pic for the YouTube vid and here what O had to say.

Read more on O and Donnie here.

Obama Explains Why He's the Best Candidate for LGBT Americans

Read the interview with him in the Advocate.com here.

Excerpt:

"You’re talking to somebody who talked about gay Americans in his convention speech in 2004, who talked about them in his announcement speech for the president of the United States, who talks about gay Americans almost constantly in his stump speeches. If there’s somebody out there who’s been more consistent in including LGBT Americans in his or her vision of what America should be, then I would be interested in knowing who that person is."

“Ex-Gay” Donnie McClurkin is Not So “Ex-Gay”

[previous LifeLube post on this Obama drama here]

Donnie McClurkin, the African American gospel singer and so-called “ex-gay” is apparently not as “ex-gay” as he would have everyone believe. Blogger Clay Cane has an interview with a former bed buddy of McClurkin’s who says clearly that he had sex with McClurkin after McClurkin claimed to have prayed away the gay.



Read the rest on Bloggernista.


Read some interesting analysis on Rod 2.0

Obama Comes Out About Anti-Gay Gospel Ally

Releases hollow statement

via Queerty

Barack Obama took some time yesterday to address the Donnie McClurkin controversy.

For those of you not keeping up, Democratic presidential candidate Obama announced his “Embrace the Change” gospel tour, which includes McClurkin and Mary Mary, both of whom have anti-gay pasts. It’s McClurkin who’s really caught people’s ire, because the preacher preaches - and practices - ex-gay conversion. Needless to say, the queers aren’t gay about it. As the fury reached a fever pitch yesterday evening, Obama finally released a statement disavowing McClurkin’s anti-gay ideology:

Read the rest, comments too!

Obama's sort-of-ok AIDS Plan

[via Housing Works]

Advocates praise Obama's domestic AIDS blueprint but question his global vision.

Sen. Barack Obama released his plan to fight HIV/AIDS on his website Tuesday morning and reviews are decidedly mixed. On the home front, there are cheers for Obama's call for universal health care, a national AIDS strategy, passing the Early Treatment for HIV ACT (ETHA), focusing on HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in the African-American community and ending the federal ban on needle exchange, among other initiatives. Domestically, he hit all the same notes as his fellow candidate John Edwards last month.

That's just fine with David Munar, vice president for policy and communications for AIDS Foundation of Chicago, and other advocates. "Domestically, we're thrilled," Munar said.

Read the rest from Housing Works.

See his plan here.

Barack Obama Commits to Creating a Comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy

Click Barack to read his plan.

Vibin' for Obama

Should we vote for him?

Mitt Romney's "Play on Words"

Read the post at Rod 2.0.

Clinton, Obama to vote against Holsinger for post

Read the whole Washington Blade story here.

“Because of the questions that have been raised about Dr. Holsinger’s qualifications and ability to fulfill the duties of the job, I do not believe that he will be able to provide adequate leadership in the public health field as Surgeon General, and I must go on record as opposing his nomination,” Clinton said in a statement.

In a statement released on June 7, Obama said, “America’s top doctor should be a doctor for all Americans, and so I have serious reservations about nominating someone who would inject his own anti-gay ideology into critical decisions about the health and well-being of our nation.”

Obama criticized over AIDS test remark

by Lisa Keen
Bay Area Reporter

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) has come under criticism from some in the gay and AIDS communities who objected to one of his responses in a debate last week and said it contributed to the ongoing stigma of HIV/AIDS in the African American community.

Obama had just responded to the question noting how AIDS stigma had impacted the African American community, when he interjected to clarify a comment made by Senator Joe Biden (D-Delaware), who pointed out that both he and Obama had been tested for HIV.

Read the rest here.

50 HIV/AIDS Organizations Urge Senator Obama to Join ETHA

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) and 49 allied organizations from Illinois and across the country sent U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) a letter yesterday urging him to become a co-sponsor of the Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2007 (ETHA).

The letter acknowledges Senator Obama’s past co-sponsorship of ETHA and points to ETHA’s compatibility with his publicly stated healthcare expansion goals.

By allowing states to extend Medicaid coverage to low-income, HIV-positive people, ETHA will help individuals stay healthy and avoid costly emergency medical visits and hospitalizations.

Go online to see the full list of organizations that signed the letter and to learn more about ETHA. Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) introduced ETHA (S.860) in March of this year.

Currently, 29 senators, including Dick Durbin of Illinois, are co-sponsors of the measure.

Illinoisans and folks from around the country are encouraged to contact Senator Obama directly by calling his Capitol Hill office at (202) 224-2854.

Tell him to you want him to support ETHA!