Whatever policy this president enacts, our community will not allow him to erase us. We will continue to hold each other up & build solidarity. B/c we know that no one is coming to save us but ourselves.

As Kamaria says, we don't need permission to honor World AIDS Day, to fight, or to live.

In fact, his administration has taken pains to eliminate information about HIV/AIDS as well as its task forces within CDC, NIH, and NIAID and the offices at PACHA and ONAP. Clearly, this president has not learned from Reagan's failure: Ignoring a problem does not make it go away.

It was not until September 17, 1985 that Reagan publicly addressed or mentioned the word AIDS or offered to commit funds toward researching the condition.

40 years later, Trump has made the disastrous decision to ape Reagan by ignoring HIV/AIDS.

Reporter Lester Kinsolving pressed Speakes to take his question seriously, asking, "In other words, the White House looks on this as a great joke?"

Speakes continued to joke about the issue with homophobic quips ― for years.

The Trump administration has decided to disavow World AIDS Day. Fortunately, our community has never taken its cues from the government.

43 years ago, then-President Reagan's deputy press secretary Larry Speakes responded to the first press pool question about AIDS with laughter & dismissal.

You can be with the community even if you aren't of the community, but only if you're putting people with lived experience first ― especially on World AIDS Day.

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Whatever your position, I think people who are seronegative should ask themselves:

"Do I need to dominate this space? Should this speaking gig go to someone living with HIV instead?"

In working with the HIV Caucus, I'll continue to platform the voices of our diverse community members. Not only bc we all deserve to be heard but bc someone who needs to hear us will realize that they were neither alone nor foolish for daring to believe that things can be different, if not better.

I think it's possible for the professional element to exist in conversation with the raw rage that saved the world. But the former should never displace or dominate the latter.

Anyone who works in other health conditions ― like cancer or transplantation ― will tell you that there is nothing more terrifying or awe-inspiring than an HIV activist; especially an American HIV activist. But in the rush to professionalize our HIV movement, we have become too polite & correct.

Interestingly, I was told by one participant, "We need you Americans to keep fighting. British people can be complacent. Your energy inspires us to fight back." This participant was speaking about Civil Rights leaders from the 60's and HIV activists who inherited their mantle by daring to ACT UP.

It's these conversations that allow life-saving information to reach the people who need them most. I wish we had similarly organic programming in the U.S. Unfortunately, the U.S. HIV Movement is often at odds with itself even as we are weathering attacks from the federal government.

Thank you so much! Trying!

In their depravity they doomed generations. And not just the people they hated, but their loved ones and community members as well.

It's horrifying.

Having gone without my HIV medications for 10 weeks, I can tell you that lacking treatment or prevention is physically agonizing.

Please do not ignore this. If only for the sake of your well-being, do something and push your legislators to contain the brewing crisis before it explodes.

Bill Clinton would say follow the money. Indeed, there is much money to be made from eliminating preventative health measures. Speculation aside, I'm worried about the cost in human life that will follow this act of pretending that HIV is no longer an issue.

1. What is the point of eliminating the health infrastructure that put us on track for containing HIV?
2. What's the point of instituting a process that will cause seroconversions and HIV-related deaths to surge?
3. What's the point of elevating pseudoscience over time-tested HIV reduction methods?

Ignoring HIV, or pretending that it is resolved, does not make it disappear. Nor does trumpeting about making America "great" again ― also Reagan's campaign slogan. But we know all of this, which begs the questions:

Five years ago, I wrote about "Trump and Reagan’s Willful Incompetence During Epidemics." At that point, I was referencing the COVID-19 and HIV epidemics. Now I'm writing solely about HIV.

Here's context:
www.thebody.com/article/trum...