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Witness History

The end of the US HIV travel ban

Witness History

BBC

History, Personal Journals, Society & Culture

4.41.6K Ratings

🗓️ 29 November 2024

⏱️ 10 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For 22 years, a travel and immigration ban was in place which stopped people with HIV legally entering the US.

In 2009, President Barack Obama announced it would be lifted, from the start of 2010.

HIV-positive passenger Clemens Ruland flew from Amsterdam to John F. Kennedy airport in New York and became the first passenger to fly legally into the US once the ban was lifted.

He speaks to Megan Jones.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.

Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.

(Picture: Clemens Ruland responds to questions during a news interview. Credit: AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

On a winter's night in 1974, a crime took place that would obsess the nation.

0:06.9

It was an extraordinary news story.

0:09.1

The story of an aristocrat, Lord Lucan, who's said to have killed the family Nanny,

0:13.7

mistaking her for his wife, then somehow just disappeared.

0:18.0

One of the great mysteries in English criminal history.

0:20.7

We're still looking for Lucan. It's honestly one of the great mysteries in English criminal history. We're still looking for

0:21.6

Loken. It's honestly one of the most powerful stories of my lifetime. I'm Alex Fondonzzlement. This is

0:27.7

The Lukan Obsession. Listen on BBC Sounds.

0:36.9

Hello, it's the witness history podcast from the BBC World Service with me, Megan Jones. For more than 20 years, thousands of HIV positive visitors were stopped from entering the United States because of a travel and immigration ban.

0:53.5

I'm taking you back to America in 2010.

0:57.0

The arrivals area at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York is full of reporters,

1:03.2

photographers and camera crews.

1:05.4

They're waiting patiently for one specific plane to land.

1:10.0

On it is Dutchman-Claimant's Ruland, who's HIV positive.

1:14.5

Eight hours earlier, he'd taken off from Scipal Airport in Amsterdam.

1:17.8

We got messages through the captain that there was quite some things going on at JFK.

1:25.2

And the whole airplane was applauding for us. It was really a strange experience.

1:31.4

A strange experience, but an event that hadn't legally happened for more than 20 years.

1:36.9

It was a stupid law because it doesn't serve what the idea, what was behind it,

1:43.0

that if we keep those people out, we won't have

1:46.5

less infections here in the States.

1:48.9

As you'll find out, though, this wasn't the first time Claimons has been in the US since

...

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