Via a press release from the Democratic National Committee:
Today, Mike Pence hosted the White House’s World HIV/AIDS Day event. During the event, Pence failed to acknowledge the LGBT community for the second year in a row and lied about the administration’s record combating HIV. Here are some of the lies he told, and some of the truths he forgot to mention:
THE LIES HE TOLD
Pence boasted about the success of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, despite the fact the Trump administration diverted funds from the program to offset the costs of its immigration family separation policy. Poz: “Trump Agency Is Using Federal HIV Funds to Separate Immigrant Families”
Pence celebrated the 15th anniversary of PEPFAR, calling it “one of the most successful investments in health care and humanitarian aid in American history,” while Trump’s budget proposal slashed the initiative’s funding. Daily Beast: “Trump’s Budget Cut for HIV/AIDS Would Kill 300,000 People Per Year, Report Says”
Pence claimed Trump brought a “renewed energy and focus” to the battle against HIV/AIDS. I mean, come on. [see below]
THE TRUTHS HE FORGOT TO MENTION
Trump fired the remaining members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS after several members quit because Trump “doesn’t care” about the issue. Huffington Post: “Trump Terminated All Members Of HIV/AIDS Council Without Explanation”
Trump still hasn’t appointed anyone to lead the White House Office of National AIDS Policy. Washington Blade: “Trump needs AIDS wake-up call”
Trump announced the “Deploy or Get Out” rule, which could remove HIV+ military personnel from service. Newsweek: “How Trump’s ‘Deploy or Get Out’ Policy Could See People With HIV Kicked Out of Military For No Reason”
Pence, while governor of Indiana, opposed a needle exchange program and exacerbated the local HIV/AIDS crisis. Politico: “How Pence’s slow walk on needle exchange helped propel Indiana’s health crisis”
FUCK YOU MIKE PENCE!
I thought “we” (the lgbtetc community) were trying to move away from “victim” labels/language. For myself, as a person with HIV (33 plus years) it was kind of shocking to see this in the headline. (I know, I can let go of my deathgrip on my pearls now)
26 year survivor here; have you forgotten about all those who’ve died? I’d say they were victims…
I can’t speak for the dead – I guess I would say they were people who had a disease (that killed them) and a government/institutions/leaders/individuals who victimized them because of it and other factors (minority status, social/economic vulnerability). And as weird as it may sound (I may completely have my headupmyass), many people living and dead had their lives defined by there relationship to the disease, and it wasn’t/isn’t always in the victim-victimizer mode. Ryan White had a disease that killed him but he was actively victimized by his school/community, his life came to be defined by how he dealt with those experiences – the example he provided. Or David Wojnarowicz who I think would have said that he died of AIDS but was murdered by the US government/Big Pharma/Medical industry. For myself, as someone who has been criminally victimized a) robbed/beaten/left for dead in a home invasion and b) gaybashed – assaulted in public by a teenager with a baseball bat; these were life changing/defining moments – I was victimized, it was something that happened to me, it isn’t who I am. As a living person, my experience taking on the victim label is that it seeped into/colored everything in my worldview, damaging/corroding my self worth/esteem, and most dangerously of all became a magnet for other victimizers – a ying for my yang…