Hail to the czar.

The new AIDS czar is a right-to-life Catholic Republican who works for a faith-based charity. He's also gay. Scott Evertz, who was named April 9 to head the White House Office of National AIDS Policy, becomes the first openly gay appointee in the Bush administration. An executive for a Lutheran-run senior citizens program in Milwaukee, Evertz, 38, is one of the 12 gay GOP members who met last year with George W. Bush in Austin. "What I appreciate is that the president has said he is appointing people who are qualified and share his philosophy," Evertz told The New York Times. "I haven't been treated like a token." For the latest about Evertz's appointment, go to www.advocate.com.