National
First ‘Zero HIV Stigma Day’ launched July 21
International event aims to become annual effort
A new annual international HIV awareness event called Zero HIV Stigma Day was launched on July 21 in the United States and Europe as a means of drawing attention to how stigma and bias against people with HIV hurts efforts to end the HIV pandemic, according to the event’s organizers.
“The day aims to unite people, communities, and entire countries to raise awareness about and take action to end the global HIV epidemic,” according to a statement released by the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC), one of four organizations leading efforts related to Zero HIV Stigma Day.
“This year’s theme, ‘Human First,’ emphasizes the human dimension of people living with and affected by HIV and reinforces that any form of stigma encountered by people living with HIV is a human rights violation,” the statement continues.
“Given persistent levels of HIV stigma experienced in health and other settings, IAPAC and our partners launched a new global awareness day focused on ending HIV stigma in all its forms,” said Jose M. Zuniga, president and CEO of IAPAC. “We can only succeed in our efforts to end the global HIV pandemic if we end the gross violation of human rights that stigma represents for people living with and affected by HIV,” Zuniga said.
The other organizations involved in leading efforts to launch Zero HIV Stigma day include the British-based NAZ, which describes itself as a minority-led HIV and sexual health agency that delivers HIV care and support to racial minorities; Global HIV Collaborative, a partnership of global leaders and activists that seeks to improve HIV outcomes for Black communities globally; and Fast-Track Cities Institute, which says it supports cities and municipalities worldwide in efforts to end the HIV and tuberculosis epidemics.
IAPAC describes itself as an international organization representing 30,000 members as the largest association of clinicians and allied health professionals working to end the HIV and tuberculosis epidemics.
The statement released by IAPAC says July 21 was chosen for Zero HIV Stigma Day in honor of the birthday of Prudence Nobantu Mabele, the first woman in South Africa to disclose her HIV status in 1992 and who went on to become an advocate for people with HIV before she died in 2017.
“The only thing preventing us from ending all new HIV transmissions by 2030 is stigma,” said Parminder Sekhon, NAZ’s Chief Executive Officer in the statement released by IAPAC. “Normalizing HIV, delivering high quality sex and relationships education to young people, and promoting holistic care and support in bold and intentional ways is our collective responsibility,” Sekhon said.
National
Queen Jean is Tony’s first transgender winner
Designer/activist wins for work on ‘Cats: The Jellicle Ball’
It was a historic night at the 79th annual Tony Awards on Sunday as Queen Jean won the award for Best Costume Design of a Musical, making her the first out transgender person to win a Tony.
“This experience has been monumental. We are here for the legacy of queer people, trans people,” she said. “We are taking up space in ways we have to take up space. We have to shift the paradigm. So I just want to say, thank you all so much for this incredible honor. The world right now is deeply, deeply combating so many ailments, and we know as a society that when we come together, we can make real, permanent change.”
She won the award for her work on “Cats: The Jellicle Ball” and was also nominated for best costume design of a play for “Liberation.”
In addition to her stage work, Queen Jean is the founder of Black Trans Liberation, an organization that supports trans and gender-nonconforming people in New York City.
National
Madonna turns Times Square into massive dance floor
Pop icon celebrates Pride month with surprise performance
Pop icon Madonna celebrated Pride month with a pop-up performance in New York City’s Times Square on Thursday to the delight of 50,000 fans.
She performed for about 15 minutes high above street level, including several songs from her new album “Confessions II” due on July 3, along with a trio of songs from the first “Confessions on a Dance Floor.”
In addition to the brand new “Love Sensation,” she performed “I Feel So Free” and “Bring Your Love,” plus “Hung Up,” “Get Together” and “I Love New York.” She wished the crowd a happy Pride season; the event was shared with audiences through Grindr’s first-ever livestream.
National
Gallup finds LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping
Marriage equality support lowest since 2016
Gallup, one of the leading organizations in public opinion polling, has found that LGBTQ support among Americans is dropping.
The poll, whose data was collected using Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, was conducted in May and was published on Wednesday. The data was collected through telephone interviews from a sample of more than 1,000 adults living in all 50 states and D.C. using random digit dialing.
It highlights declining attitudes surrounding LGBTQ issues in multiple areas — from support for same-sex marriage to views on gender identity and the morality of one’s sexuality.
One of the most striking findings was that support for marriage equality fell six points from its 2022-2023 high.
The survey also found that 62 percent of Americans view gay and lesbian relations as morally acceptable, the lowest level since 2016 just after same-sex marriage was legalized nationwide by the U.S. Supreme Court.
One newer question on the poll found that the perceived morality of changing one’s gender has dropped eight points since 2021, indicating the American public is less supportive of transgender people.
The data attributes much of the decline to shifting Republican views alongside the party itself. Conservative leaders have pushed back against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs that were intended to foster greater acceptance of LGBTQ people and other historically disadvantaged groups.
President Donald Trump has been a guiding force behind waves of anti-LGBTQ sentiment, particularly when it comes to trans rights. The president has enacted multiple executive orders, including Executive Order 14168, “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which mandates that gender be defined by one’s sex assigned at birth. He also signed Executive Order 14183, “Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness,” which barred qualified trans applicants from joining the military and led to the removal of trans service members already serving in the armed forces.
Additionally, he signed Executive Order 14201, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which prohibits trans female athletes from participating on women’s and girls’ sports teams.
In February, Gallup found that an estimated 9 percent of Americans identified as part of the LGBTQ community in some form.
The organization also found that 23 percent of adults under age 30 identify as LGBTQ, compared with 10 percent of those ages 30 to 49 and 3 percent or less among those ages 50 and older.
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