
Treatment GuideJust DiagnosedSex & DatingAfrican AmericanStigmaAsk the HIV DocPrEP En EspañolNewsVoicesPrint IssueVideoOut 100
CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2025 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
Scroll To Top
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
For the first two years of his tenure it looked like President Bush'who never publicly mentioned AIDS while governor of Texas' was all conservative with little compassion when it came to the disease. On his first day in office he reinstated the ban on U.S. funding for international groups that support abortions, thus indirectly crippling many anti-HIV efforts abroad. Beginning in 2001 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began auditing HIV prevention groups that receive Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for violating the notorious 'no promo homo' Jesse Helms amendment, which prevents gay sex from being 'promoted or encouraged' in federally funded AIDS education and prevention materials. And though the 2001 report from then'surgeon general David Satcher that found no evidence that abstinence-only sex education was effective, the Administration (with the notable exception of a defiant Colin Powell) has crusaded against condoms and ramped up abstinence-only sex-education spending to $135 million a year. Then, in his January 2003 State of the Union address, the president surprised and delighted HIV activists by pledging $15 billion in U.S. funding to combat AIDS internationally over the subsequent five years. However, though Bush authorized $3 billion in fiscal year 2004 funding, he requested only $2 billion. In November, Congress defied the president by voting for $2.4 billion. And Bush has infuriated global leaders by refusing to give more than $200 million a year to the U.N. Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. Further calling Bush's sincerity into question is what many consider a blind eye to domestic concerns. He has requested flat funding for the Ryan White Act three years running and has left the waiting list'ridden AIDS Drug Assistance Program with what analysts say is a nearly $300 million shortfall. Never mind that Bush appointed the first ever openly gay AIDS czar (eventually replacing him with another gay man); his administration continues to preside over the congressional persecution of U.S. researchers who study gay sex practices. Rep. Henry Waxman has called the far-right hit list of 157 scientists who are currently under the conservative microscope 'scientific McCarthyism.' And unlike the major Democratic candidates for president, Bush has no comprehensive health plan as of yet, instead requesting $89 billion over 10 years to help a mere 4 million lower-income Americans buy health insurance with the aid of tax credits. This will do little for HIVers, leave the country vulnerable to ever-increasing premiums, and provide no shelter from the ever-looming threat of health insurance cost-sharing.
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Lexi Love comes out as HIV+ after Trump deletes federal resources
January 23 2025 11:23 AM
Grindr is reminding us why jockstraps are so sexy and iconic
May 02 2025 5:36 PM
BREAKING NEWS: Trump admin moves to end federal HIV prevention programs
March 18 2025 6:10 PM
Trump's orders prompt CDC to erase HIV resources
January 31 2025 5:29 PM
Celebrating Black History Month with our annual African American issue
February 01 2025 3:28 PM
Tyler TerMeer vows to continue to fight for health care for all
January 28 2025 3:00 PM
Discover the power of Wellness in your life
March 26 2025 12:41 PM
Plus: Featured Video
Latest Stories
Dancer. Healer. Survivor. DéShaun Armbrister is all of the above
July 02 2025 8:23 PM
Two right-wing Supreme Court justices signal they may uphold access to PrEP and more
April 21 2025 4:10 PM
Broadway's best raise over $1 million for LGBTQ+ and HIV causes
April 03 2025 7:15 PM
Plus nominated for 2025 GLAAD Media Award
January 22 2025 12:42 PM
'RuPaul's Drag Race' star Trinity K Bonet quietly comes out trans
December 15 2024 6:27 PM
AIDS Memorial Quilt displayed at White House for the first time
December 02 2024 1:21 PM
BREAKING: Supreme Court rules to save free access to preventive care, including PrEP
June 27 2025 10:32 AM
1985: the year the AIDS crisis finally broke through the silence
June 26 2025 11:24 AM
Trump admin guts $258 million in funding for HIV vaccine research
June 03 2025 3:47 PM
500,000 Children at Risk: PEPFAR Funding Crisis
April 08 2025 3:51 PM
The Talk Season 5 premieres this spring with HIV guidance for the newly diagnosed
March 26 2025 1:00 PM
Jess King is here to help you live your happiest, healthiest life yet
March 24 2025 4:35 PM
A camp for HIV-positive kids is for sale. Here's why its founder is celebrating
January 02 2025 12:21 PM
VIDEO: A man living with HIV discusses his journey to fatherhood
June 10 2025 4:58 PM
HRC holds 'die-in' to protest Trump health care cuts
April 28 2025 2:11 PM
Season 4 of The Switch on resilience & radical self-love returns this spring
March 26 2025 12:20 PM
Gerald Garth is keeping people of color happy and healthy through trying times
March 11 2025 3:38 PM
This long-term HIV survivor says testosterone therapy helped save his life.
December 16 2024 8:00 PM
Ricky Martin delivers showstopping performance for 2024 World AIDS Day
December 05 2024 12:08 PM