December 1, 2017
Trump Admin Marks World AIDS Day with No Mention of LGBT, African Americans
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Ten months into the Trump Administration and the White House website still has no information on the page for the Office of National AIDS Policy. This revelation came on World AIDS Day, when the White House issued a statement that neglected to mention LGBTQ or African Americans who have been hit hardest by the disease.
"Despite some major proposals by the Trump Administration that would undermine our Nation's response to HIV if they were to be enacted, we are extremely pleased that President Trump in a World AIDS Day Proclamation reaffirmed the Nation's 'ongoing commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat.'" commented Michael Ruppal, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute. This is the first time President Trump has made such a commitment.
In his World AIDS Day Proclamation, the President acknowledged all the progress that has been made to prevent HIV and treat people with HIV. He wrote, "Due to America's leadership and private sector philanthropy and innovation, we have saved and improved millions of lives and shifted the HIV/AIDS epidemic from crisis toward control." He identified only one area, increased testing, as a focus for his Administration in addressing HIV in the U.S.
"We also commend the many federal government agencies charged with carrying out HIV programs for moving forward with their collective efforts that put our Nation on the path to ending HIV," added Ruppal.
But the omission of any mention of LGBTQ Americans and people of color from the president's statement quickly drew fire from gay civil rights groups.
The Human Rights Campaign said: "Donald Trump's World AIDS Day proclamation is missing a few things: It doesn't mention the marginalized communities disproportionately affected by HIV & AIDS - like LGBTQ, Black & Latinx people. He's touting programs that he's proposing to significantly reduce funding for".
Lambda Legal said: "Simply put, HIV affects people in some communities more than others, and our federal government cannot turn a blind eye to that."
The tone deafness of the Trump Administration's failure to mention the communities historically hardest hit by the disease is in lockstep with the White House's failure to publish anything on the page for the Office of National AIDS Policy on the White House website.
