Black LGBTQ+ leader hits out at Trump’s cuts to HIV funding
Kelley Robinson made sure to hit out at Donald Trump’s HIV cuts at The People’s State of the Union. (Manoli Figetakis/Getty Images)
Black LGBTQ+ leader Kelley Robinson took the opportunity to hit out at Donald Trump’s cuts to HIV funding at the State of the Union address.
Robinson, who is the first Black queer executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, attended the People’s State of the Union as a guest of California representative Robert Garcia – US Congress’ first out gay immigrant member.
‘This is our country too’
Robinson said in her speech: “I’m here for every trans person that’s been kicked out of our military and every person living with HIV that’s denied their PrEP medication.
“I’m here for our community tonight because I’ve got to remind this country that lesbian, gay, bi, trans, and queer people, we’ve always been here and we are not going anywhere. This is our country too.”
Robinson highlighted the cuts Trump has made to HIV funding, including a $258 million reduction to the Department of Health and Human Services, which funded researchers working on creating an HIV vaccine. The cuts also eliminated federal funding for HIV prevention programs, putting hundreds of thousands of lives at risk and potentially causing infection rates to skyrocket.
In November last year, experts warned that the sudden funding cuts to international HIV prevention schemes over the past year could result in over 3.3 million new HIV infections over the next five years.
Referring to the devastating cuts, Robinson added: “There’s nothing ordinary about them cutting billions of dollars from HIV prevention and throwing it into building more ICE detention facilities.
“We need health care. We need food. We don’t need mass incarceration. And there’s certainly nothing ordinary about this government murdering United States citizens.”
The funding cuts will disproportionately impact Black Americans, who are the demographic at the highest risk of contracting HIV, yet have the worst access to care.
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