U.S. Waives Travel Ban for HIV-Positive Foreigners Attending, Participating in Gay Games 2006

The U.S. government, which bars HIV-positive non-residents from entering the country, has ruled that it will waive the regulation for foreigners attending or participating in the Gay Games 2006, which are scheduled to be held in Chicago in July, the Chicago Tribune reports. The rule usually is waived for major events and conferences, according to Gay Games Co-Vice Chair Kevin Boyer (Chicago Tribune, 2/7). The government granted the games Designated Event Status, which allows HIV-positive foreigners to travel to the U.S. provided that they declare that they are HIV-positive on their travel visa forms. The games will be held July 15-22 and the waiver is effective from July 8-28. The travel visas will be issued on special forms instead of on the inside of applicants' passports (Advocate, 2/7).

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