New York, N.Y. -- Today Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) expressed optimism in response to the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America. Throughout the campaign, President-elect Obama spoke out on issues of importance to the HIV/AIDS community. As can be seen in GMHC's Presidential Candidates report, President-elect Obama supports a number of GMHC's key federal policy priorities, including:

• Creating and implementing a National AIDS Strategy
• Streamlining and enhancing funding and research for microbicides
• Lifting the federal funding ban on syringe exchange
• Eliminating the discriminatory HIV entry ban
• Ending federal funding for ideologically-based, abstinence-only-until-marriage programs
• Funding comprehensive sex education for our nation's youth
• Allowing gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly in the military
• Ending discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and gender identity; and
• Recognizing same-sex relationships

While in the United States Senate, Obama was an ardent advocate for people living with HIV/AIDS domestically and globally. He authored a bill to promote microbicides research, which if developed would be a remarkable new tool in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. Further, he and Vice President-elect Joseph Biden have been central to the United States' response to the global epidemic. Both were supportive of an enhanced renewal of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) this summer.

"GMHC is hopeful that after eight years of opposition to science-based policies and programs, President-elect Obama will redouble the nation's efforts to fight AIDS," said Marjorie J. Hill, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Gay Men's Health Crisis. "We look to the new Obama Administration to develop and implement a National AIDS Strategy, which we are certain will better coordinate the national response to HIV/AIDS, and help finally slow the spread of this devastating epidemic," continued Dr. Hill.

Throughout his term, GMHC will work closely with the Obama-Biden Administration to ensure that sound public policies regarding HIV/AIDS are implemented and fully supported.