Ryan White was a poster child for non-homosexual AIDS victims in the 1980’s. At 13 he contracted the disease via a treatment for hemophilia. At the age of 18 in 1990 Ryan’s life would end at the mercy of AIDS.
Ryan’s story did help a lot of people overcome the fear of being around those who have AIDS. He should forever be remembered for his bravery and struggle to help others.
“Because of the lack of education on AIDS, discrimination, fear, panic, and lies surrounded me” ~ Ryan White
“It was difficult, at times, to handle; but I tried to ignore the injustice, because I knew the people were wrong” ~ Ryan White
Mike Huckabee’s comments from 1992 in a questionnaire recently made headlines. In which he said carriers of the virus should be isolated [quarantined]. More on this can be found on my blog. After the headlines broke, Huckabee was interviewed of FOX News where he said he does not recant his views but would state them differently in retrospect.
On Tuesday the HRC (Human Rights Campaign) had sent a letter to Mike Huckabee asking him to meet with White’s mother. The Huckabee Campaign declined any response so far.
The HRC letter followed a phone call on Monday by the Associated Press who spoke with Jeanne White-Ginder, Ryan White’s mother. White-Gender told the AP ”We have to treat this disease like a disease, and like Ryan always said, not like a dirty word.”
White-Gender said, “It’s so alarming to me,” in reference to Huckabee’s views on AIDS. She stressed, “It’s very important to me that we don’t live in the darkness,” talking about a time when HIV/AIDS was thought to be transmitted by casual contact.
[UPDATE:] Huckabee agrees to meet with Jeanne White-Ginder, mother of Ryan White who died in 1990 of AIDS contracted by hemophilia treatment derived from blood.
“I would be very willing to meet with them…I would tell them we’ve come a long way in research, in treatment,” Huckabee said.
Huckabee told reporters that he doesn’t want to hurt any families of AIDS victims. He said, “I certainly never would want to say anything that would be hurtful to them or anyone else. I would have great regret and anxiety if I thought my comments were hurtful or in any way added to the already incredible pain that families have felt regardless of how they contracted AIDS.”
Lika Starr
We should be assured that the HRC will do everything they can to ensure this meeting takes place. But what does all this mean? It means that Huckabee is doing what he does best – being Likable. I am almost certain he would not agree to meet with this mother had her son been older and a homosexual that contracted AIDS through sexual contact. America should not be fooled by his acceptance of the meeting. Huckabee is fully aware that this was an ‘innocent’ child that touched the heart of America. He is using that as a basis reach out to those same Americans.
However, it does not change the fact that he refuses to recant his views of 1992 and to this day stands by his convictions against homosexuality. It does not change that he feels carriers of the virus should be isolated. It does not change that he believes homosexuality is a sin and does not support same sex unity personally or in the eyes of the law.
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