Jonathan Van Ness comes out swinging for Joe Biden while busting HIV stigma
Jonathan Van Ness spoke to TV host Lilly Singh in a GLAAD live stream on Sunday.
Queer Eye star Jonathan Van Ness has spoken about why he is supporting Joe Biden for President – while speaking about being HIV-positive.
The stylist, who revealed in September that he is living with HIV, took the opportunity to educate people about the virus while speaking to out TV host Lilly Singh in a GLAAD live stream on Sunday.
Jonathan Van Ness: Trump administration has harmed access to HIV drugs
Busting some stigma about the virus, he explained: “The more that we can talk about it, and the more we can be visible, it really helps.
“Undetectable equals untransmittable, so when you’re HIV-positive but you’re undetectable, you are not at risk of transmitting the virus.
“People who are HIV-positive, when you’re undetectable it’s better for our systems and better for our health.”
.@jvn stopped by #TogetherInPride and talked with @Lilly about breaking down the stigma around living with HIV. JVN also shared advice to LGBTQ youth feeling isolated during COVID-19. pic.twitter.com/wWbn0aOMNL
— GLAAD (@glaad) April 27, 2020
He also explained to viewers: “PrEP is essentially a little pill that an HIV-negative person can take every day and it’s 99 per cent effective at keeping you HIV-negative if you’re having unprotected sex.
“The more widespread access to PrEP has made huge strides in preventing HIV infections.
“Coronavirus has threatened that, and also this administration’s constant assault on Planned Parenthood has also affected that.
“Biden wants to increase the Affordable Care Act, he wants to increase support, he wants to increase funding, he wants to make it easier for people to get access to these medications. Trump wants to make it so much harder.”
Jonathan Van Ness spoke to TV host Lilly Singh in a GLAAD live stream on Sunday.
Queer Eye star has faced disgusting attacks for his political views
Van Ness, a staunch Democrat who had backed Elizabeth Warren’s Presidential bid before endorsing Biden, has faced vile attacks from both ends of the political spectrum.
In February, he spoke out when it was revealed that a Bernie Sanders staffer tweeted a ‘joke’ about him dying from AIDS-related illness.
On his private Twitter account, Sanders staffer Ben Mora had shared photos of Van Ness in a modelling shoot, writing: “Jonathon Van Ness trying to look hot while Daddy Ronald Reagan watches him die of AIDS.”
Van Ness responded: “How many senior Bernie staffers saw these tweets for months and promoted their behaviour? It’s commonplace I endure this by extreme Bernie supporters daily. The change has to come from inside their campaign.”
