Trump, possibly the most anti-LGBTQ presidents of all time, actually signed a law this week that largely benefits men who have sex with men (MSM). It’s called PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), an international aid program created by George W. Bush in 2003. Congress passed it and Trump signed, authorizing its funding well into 2023.
Vox. com calls PEPFAR “the single-largest global health initiative targeting a single disease in history … currently [providing] support for antiretroviral treatment for 14.6 million people, both directly and through technical support to partner countries.”
Considering that 68% of all new HIV infections in the US occur among MSMs, Trump’s signing of PEPFAR will positively benefits gay and bi men around the world.
Related: Trump quietly shuts down HIV cure research to appease the religious right
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Trump had originally suggested cutting $1 billion from PEPFAR, a move that would’ve literally killed scores of people with HIV, but luckily the cuts didn’t occur. Trump’s reauthorization of the PEPFAR ensures that the US will contribute $1.35 billion a year to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS.
There’s also proof that PEPFAR is saving thousands of lives by preventing HIV-related deaths worldwide, especially in Africa where the disease hits especially hard.
In addition to saving lives, Ben Plumley, Chief Executive Officer of Pangaea — an international HIV organization that helps at-risk populations access HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care — has called PEPFAR a “very sound investment in preventing the spread of radical Islam or radical anti-Western attitudes in sub-Saharan Africa” since it’s largely considered a goodwill humanitarian gesture.
Radical Islam and anti-Western forces generally regard homosexuality as a Western import, even though African tribes dabbled in same-sex relationships and even marriages in the pre-colonial period. So PEPFAR helps challenge such homophobic thinking, helping create stability in these tumultuous regions.
While we’re willing to praise Trump for signing PEPFAR, that doesn’t mean he’s been great for ending HIV — not at all. In January 2017, he shut down the White House Office of AIDS Policy. He has proposed all sorts of cuts to other HIV programs, his military policy kicks out HIV-positive soldiers, and he stole money from a US HIV-prevention program to jail the children of immigrants at the southern border.
His policies and staffing have also been terrible to LGBTQ people in general, but we’re glad he at least got this one thing right.
Roan
F*CK TRUMP.
PERIOD.
gymmuscleboy
Queerty, you don’t need to post articles like this. Clearly it just upsets your readers.
Greg
The article isn’t what upsets readers.
gymmuscleboy
Give credit where credit is due. Now is not the time to express upset. That kind of hate is why we have Trump in the first place.
oz1967
He just probably didn’t read it fully and just signed it by accident and thanks to Queerty he might find out what he has done and veto it in favor of something really dumb like oh I dont know a wall maybe.
Andy
Yes FCUK Trump!
Libertas Belle
“Trump had originally suggested cutting $1 billion from PEPFAR, a move that would’ve literally killed scores of people with HIV, but luckily the cuts didn’t occur.”
Just because he didn’t end up doing something awful, doesn’t mean he should get credit when he actually turns around and does the right thing.
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gymmuscleboy
“he should (not) get credit when he turns around and does the right thing”??? Just think about that.
DHT
The first sentence is absurd. I may despise Trump and he is pretty homophobic but there is no way he is “the most anti-LGBTQ presidents (sic) of all time”.
Mick406
gymmuscleboy: Well said. The hatred expressed by Liberals is what got Trump elected.
DHT: You are correct. First off, there is no way to know what all the Presidents thought of gays. I’m sure LBJ and a few more Presidents would have strung gays up, if they could. I have yet to see one DIRECT thing Trump has done that hurts gay folks.
Kieran
Mika Brzezinski (called Sec State Pompeo “butt boy”)
Alec Baldwin (called photographer “c***sucker”)
Joy Reid (years of homophobic statements on her blog and Twitter)
All employees in good standing at NBC and MSNBC.
Meanwhile there has been no evidence of Donald Trump ever using homophobic slurs or saying anything derogatory against gay people.
ocahan
Defending Trump-sad; one comment paraphrased: I don’t “believe” in marriage equality; worse than what he has said, his actions certainly have been and will continue to be harmful. Are you one of those Log Cabin Republicans?
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
God how did this site attract so many trolls???
This administration has done more deliberate damage to the Gay community than ANY other administration. They are hell bent on eliminating all the progress we have made in the past 20 years. The new Chief of Staff just appointed
Mick Mulvey threw a picnic for all the savages on Africa who passed laws imposing life imprisoment and the death penalty for Gays who were sanctioned by the Obama Administration and advised all the sanctions were rolled back. Ya can go ahead and continue to kill the Gays!!
gymmuscleboy
I, and many others, do not think that this administration has done any damage to the gay community in the US. You are welcome to prove me wrong.
MISTERJETT
INTERCOURSE P***Y GRABBER!!!!!!
redzebra1
gymmuscleboy, the article cites a number of examples! DO YOU EVEN READ before posting troll replies?
“In January 2017, he shut down the White House Office of AIDS Policy. He has proposed all sorts of cuts to other HIV programs, his military policy kicks out HIV-positive soldiers, and he stole money from a US HIV-prevention program to jail the children of immigrants at the southern border.”