Bush nominates gay man to head global AIDS office | Washington Blade OnlineWhy is this news buried as a little blub under "(Other) National News"? I guess because it doesn't play into the "Bush Hates Fags" mantra of national gay organizations. A quick check of the
Human Rights Campaign and
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force found not a single mention of the appointment. And they claim to be "non-partisan"?
Anyway...
President Bush nominated gay physician Mark R. Dybul July 17 to be United States Global AIDS Coordinator, a post at the State Department that has the rank of ambassador. If the U.S. Senate ratifies his nomination, Dybul would replace pharmaceutical industry executive Randall Tobias as head of a $15 billion program initiated by Bush and approved by Congress to combat AIDS in developing countries, with a focus on Africa. Bush appointed Tobias to another administration post. "[Dybul] is widely recognized as someone highly qualified for this position," said Carl Schmid, a gay Republican activist who serves as federal affairs director for the AIDS Institute, a national AIDS advocacy group. Dybul currently serves as acting U.S. global AIDS coordinator and chief medical officer at the State Department. He would become the third openly gay person to hold a U.S. ambassadorial position. President Clinton appointed businessman and philanthropist James Hormel as ambassador to Luxemburg. In his first term in office, Bush appointed gay career Foreign Service Officer Michael Guest as ambassador to Romania.
So the evil pharmaceutical execs are out of the henhouse and Bush has appointed more gay ambassadors than Clinton and the story is totally ignored by our gay "leadership."
Amazing.
