Last week's Democratic presidential debate hosted by PBS was the first one devoted solely to domestic issues, specifically those affecting minority communities. It was also the first time that HIV/AIDS was discussed by the candidates.
Hopefully, it won't be the last.
Illinois Senator Barack Obama, eager for a strong showing in a debate that catered to his strengths and was before a largely African American audience, offered an honest statement about the stigma of HIV/AIDS. Speaking after former Senator John Edwards, Obama said he agreed with him, then said, "I would add the issue of prevention involves education and one of the things that we've got to overcome is a stigma that still exists in our communities. We don't talk about this. We don't talk about it in the schools. Sometimes we don't talk about it in the churches. It has been an aspect of sometimes a homophobia, that we don't address this issue as clearly as it needs to be."
Strong words and an honest acknowledgment of the very real problem of homophobia. The audience applauded.
Obama's statement, however, was quickly overshadowed by what happened next, after Delaware Senator Joe Biden spoke about the importance of getting tested for HIV. During his remarks, Biden told the audience that both he and Obama had been tested for HIV.
As Biden spoke, Obama scribbled notes. As soon as Biden finished, Obama jumped in. "I just got to make clear that I got tested with Michelle when we were in Kenya in Africa," he said, referring to his wife, "so I don't want any confusion here about what's going on." Of course, the audience roared at that punch line.
The unstated inference, to some in the community, was that Obama was making clear that he isn't gay, that he isn't living on the "down low." And in one short moment, the very stigma that Obama had decried earlier reared its head. He had just reinforced the fact that AIDS stigma clearly exists, and he fed right into it.
There's nothing wrong with getting tested for HIV. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which had requested that Obama and his wife get tested in Africa to highlight HIV prevention efforts, last year issued sweeping guidelines calling for virtually all Americans to get tested for HIV. Obama should have used Biden's comments as a jumping off point to amplify the complexities of the issue. He should not have resorted to what one gay blogger called "frat boy" behavior.
The Obama campaign has dismissed such criticism, and most people probably came away from the debate thinking Obama's a funny guy. But after everyone's done laughing about it, the real problem remains: The black community has issues around HIV/AIDS, and Obama's comments last week did absolutely nothing to advance the conversation.
Unfortunately, Obama wasn't the only one who stumbled. For his part, Edwards mentioned that he went to a "medical center in Los Angeles just a few days ago where they're providing treatment" to people living with AIDS. What he couldn't bring himself to say was that the center he visited was the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. In fact, the only candidate who mentioned the word "gay" when discussing AIDS was Senator Hillary Clinton, who acknowledged the disease affected primarily gay men in the early years.
We expect better.