Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has signed into law legislation to improve efforts to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission, reports AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
In other AFC news, the group urged city officials to increase the city's HIV prevention budget by $1 million in testimony provided last week at the City of Chicago's Office of Budget and Management's public hearing on Mayor Daley's 2004 preliminary budget.
AFC is also asking Illinois voters to contact Sen. Peter Fitzgerald to urge his support of the Ryan White CARE Act by co-sponsoring Sen. Schumer's Ryan White CARE Act amendment. See www.aidschicago.org .
Chicago's radio WOJO—La Qué Buena 105.1FM, a Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation (HBC) station, has allowed repeated defamatory comments about the LGBT community on its morning show, reports GLAAD. On Friday, Aug. 15, 'El Show de El Pistolero y Memín,' the station's weekday morning program with El Pistolero, Abel Vences and Rubén Lomelí, called its sister station Viva 103.1FM and became involved in an exchange of several disgusting and hurtful comments against gay men. In one instance, El Pistolero said: 'En Viva todos son puñales! (At Viva, everyone is a fag!) Saquen el jotito de adentro!!' (Take out the homo inside of you!). People in the studio then screamed: '¡¡Puñales!! ¡¡Puñales!! ¡¡Puñales!!' (Fags! Fags! Fags!). El Pistolero also said: 'No se preocupen que lo puñal se puede curar. No mas se tiene que cortar algo.' (Don't worry, his 'queerness' can be cured. We just need to cut 'it' off). GLAAD was alerted by several members of Chicago's LGBT
Latino community and contacted the show's producers immediately. The producers were reluctant to take responsibility or to apologize for the comments. Five days after they contacted them, El Pistolero again made homophobic remarks by asking a caller the following questions: 'Eres viejo?' (are you a guy?) 'Y tienes vieja?' (do you have a woman?) 'Estas seguro que no eres puñal?' (Are you sure you are not a fag?) 'A mi se me hace que eres puñal.' (I think you are a fag).
'Eres rarito.' (You are weird.) Use GLAAD.org's online Take Action Center to automatically send your concerns. Log on to www.glaad.org/action/calls_detail.php. Also contact César Canales, Producer, WOJO - La Qué Buena 105.1FM, 625 N. Michigan Ave. STE 300, Chicago, IL 60611, PH: (312) 981-1920, FAX: (312) 654-5499
The Women Who Love Women Health Festival, with entertainment, free health screenings, panels, vendors, food, demos, raffles and more, is Saturday, Sept. 6, Egan Urban Center. Sponsored by Amigas Latinas, Howard Brown, GLSEN, Horizons, the City of Chicago and many others; 11 a.m- 4 p.m., 243 S. Wabash, (773) 388-8926, e-mail shaileym@howardbrown.org .
Senior Action in a Gay Environment hosts Reinventing Aging for the Next Generation, a panel discussion with pioneers and experts in the field of aging, part of a national event sponsored by AARP. Speakers include Margaret Cruikshank, Vivian Gornick, E. Percil Stanford, Yolanda Sanchez and Amber Hollibaugh. Friday, Sept. 5, 1-2 p.m., McCormick Place, (800) 833-2784, www.aarp.org .
Canticle Ministries' Rainbow Round-Up benefit Sept. 6 will raise money for Canticle Ministries and Questioning Youth Center, with BBQ dinner and refreshments, country music, line dancing, two-step dancing and instruction, auction and raffle; 6-11 p.m., $50, Arabian Nights Farm, 6526 Clarendon Hills Rd., Willowbrook, (630) 588-9165.
Granny Annie's AIDS Picnic for those with HIV/AIDS and their families and friends, is Sat., Sept. 6, noon, Martin State Forest, in Martin County near Shoals, Ind, (812) 683-5270.