Houston Is Urged to Quarantine Gays
A social psychologist suggested to the City Council that homosexuals be quarantined to prevent the spread of AIDS, which he called “a civilization-threatening disease.”
Paul Cameron, the chairman of the Institute for the Scientific Investigation of Sexuality in Lincoln, Neb., asked the council Thursday to institute the quarantine as a “preventive measure” against acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
“There is, at this time, no known cure for AIDS, and that’s why I’m urging this community to take the customary action to curb the spread of an incurable, fatal and contagious disease,” Cameron said. “And that is to quarantine the carriers.”
On Jan. 19, Houston voters will decide on an ordinance that adds sexual orientation to the list of factory--including race, sex, age and national origin--that cannot be used in city hiring, firing and promotions.
City Health Director James Haughton called the proposal a novel idea but said: “I think it is not difficult to pursue that proposal to an illogical conclusion. We are all at risk of something. We could all be quarantined.”
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
