Janet Mefferd, among right-wing talk radio's most rabid promoters of homophobia, endorsed Jamaica's anti-sodomy law, falsely suggesting that it was essential to combatting the spread of HIV.

On the December 17 edition of The Janet Mefferd Show, Mefferd invited extreme anti-gay activist Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) to discuss his recent trip to Jamaica, where he advised supporters of Jamaica's gay sex ban in light of calls for its repeal. LaBarbera praised the “moral clarity” of the ban's supporters, and Mefferd left no doubt that she also supported the criminalization of homosexuality. LaBarbera asserted that such laws help fight HIV, lamenting that in the U.S., people “talk all about rights of homosexuals and never about, you know, stopping this dangerous behavior.” Mefferd agreed, calling it “really unfortunate”:

HIV/AIDS experts, however, condemn anti-sodomy laws as a hindrance to efforts to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS. According to AIDS Free World, such laws “drive underground people who are in need of health and other services related to HIV and AIDS.” In Jamaica itself, the organization states, the government “uses the anti-sodomy law as an excuse for not creating adequate HIV-related health programs ... that target MSM [men who have sex with men].”

Mefferd's support for a policy that's both an affront to fundamental liberties and damaging to public health further demonstrates her extremism - her syndicator's assertion that she's “mainstream” notwithstanding. Her vicious anti-LGBT smears, however, haven't stopped conservative celebrities and media figures like Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Brian Brown, and Stephen Jimenez from appearing on her program.