The Global Forum on MSM & HIV (MSMGF) released a note expressing a deep concern about the $1.08 billion cut to Global HIV Programs on the president’s proposed budget. If this budged is approved, vital global HIV programs such as President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will be threatened.
The MSMGF is calling partners organizations around the world to make the Congress reject Trump’s budget. It will cut the State Department HIV/AIDS funding by approximately 10%, all funding for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) global AIDS budget, for example.
“Gay men and other stigmatized groups are often made to feel unsafe or unwelcome in healthcare settings and by service providers, so they stay away. PEPFAR and the Global Fund have been crucial in the fight against AIDS for gay and bisexual men worldwide because they support safe, high quality, and stigma-free programs that make it easier for all people living with or at high risk for HIV to get the services they need.”, says George Ayala, MSMGF Executive Director.
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