"I remember the silence from the Reagan White House as funerals piled up. I remember watching and hearing about brilliant sons, partners, uncles, friends, entire communities disappear while officials shrugged and said this was a "gay" disease, something that happened to people who had brought it on themselves."
"I also remember the brave and courageous activists who had to scream and disrupt just to get legislators, and Ronald Reagan, to say the word "AIDS" out loud. And to finally, after years of agony, get legislation passed that helped fund HIV-related programs and the search for a cure."
"In 2025 and into 2026, the second Trump administration significant cuts to both domestic and global HIV programs. These actions include eliminating CDC HIV prevention branches, cutting research funding, reducing grants to state health departments, and scaling back PEPFAR funding, raising serious concerns about rising infection rates and disrupted care."
The author reflects on the Reagan era's government inaction during the AIDS crisis, when officials ignored the epidemic and blamed victims. Legislators like Jesse Helms and William Dannemeyer displayed extreme homophobia while activists fought for basic acknowledgment and funding. After years of struggle, legislation finally passed supporting HIV research and programs. Today, the second Trump administration is repealing this progress by cutting CDC HIV prevention branches, research funding, state health department grants, and PEPFAR funding. Current decision-makers, removed from the 1980s devastation, may not prioritize HIV programs or understand the disease's deadly consequences. As survivors age, institutional memory fades, risking renewed public health catastrophe.
#hivaids-funding-cuts #government-health-policy #historical-comparison-reagan-era #public-health-crisis #lgbtq-activism
Read at Advocate.com
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