Today was World AIDS Day and Trump and his White House appears to have forgotten the LGBT community, which is disproportionately affected by the disease.
More than 1.1 million people in the U.S. are living with HIV, being particularly prevalent in the LGBT community.
55 % of living with HIV are gay men and one in six gay and bisexual men will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Trump did not mention the LGBT community, but rather focused on southern African countries, where millions also battle HIV.
“On this day, we pray for all those living with HIV, and those who have lost loved ones to AIDS. We remain deeply committed to supporting adolescent girls and young women through this program, who are up to 14 times more likely to contract HIV than young men in some sub-Saharan African countries.“
But he is is not the only president to overlook the community. Presidents George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush didn’t directly acknowledge gay Americans in their World AIDS Day speeches either. Both Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama did.
In 2016, Obama said,
“Gay and bisexual men, transgender people, youth, black and Latino Americans, people living in the Southern United States, and people who inject drugs are at a disproportionate risk. People living with HIV can face stigma and discrimination, creating barriers to prevention and treatment services.“
In 1993, Clinton said,
“Volunteers across America, members of local service organizations, church groups, gay and lesbian service organizations, and thousands of individuals have heard the summons to action and have given selflessly of their time and energy.“
Obama appeared in a video on Jimmy Kimmel Live to encourage people to support life-saving medication and relief efforts, joking that he would
“share our files on the aliens” or allow people to pilot Air Force One if they helped.“
Obama said,
“When we reject cynicism and pessimism in favor of a relentless optimism that says however long it takes and however lonely the fight, each of us can make a difference. That’s what I believe.”
Even out of office, Obama is doing more that the current occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
(Photo, YouTube; via Newsweek)
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