News Round-Up: April 13, 2018

Carson Jones, son of Alabama Sen. Doug Jones

Some news items you might have missed:

• Alabama Senator Doug Jones has become the 46th co-sponsor to The Equality Act, which seeks to add ‘sexual orientation and gender identity’ protections to existing civil rights laws. Jones says his (hottie) openly gay son Carson's coming out helped shape his political views on LGBTQ rights.

• The city of Columbus, Indiana, which just happens to be virulently anti-gay Vice President Mike Pence's hometown, will celebrate its first-ever LGBT Pride Festival tomorrow.

• Amazon video just got that much more gay as the streaming giant has just added dozens and dozens of LGBTQ films that screened at Outfest in L.A. to Amazon Prime.

• A recent report by Goldman Sachs analysts pointed out that curing diseases doesn't make nearly as much money for Pharma companies as creating drugs that treat (but don't cure) chronic illnesses. The statement adds fuel to the conspiracy theory that should cures for diseases like AIDS might be discovered, they might be withheld in favor of "treatment" drugs.

• The Maine House of Representatives has approved legislation that would protect LGBTQ youth from so-called "ex-gay therapy."

• It appears Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, liked to record conversations with associates. Folks in TrumpLand are worried some of those recordings which might have been included in the Monday raid on Cohen's offices, contain material damaging to Trump.

• Olympian Adam Rippon opened last night's GLAAD Media Awards by calling his bestie Gus Kenworthy onstage and explaining, "I've had such a big year, but my biggest achievement so far is finally getting Gus to come out of his shell. Four years ago he was afraid to kiss his boyfriend after he won silver in Sochi. Now, he's unleashed."

Gus agreed saying, "Literally, I'll kiss anybody." And with that laid a big smooch on Adam.

Watch below.

Official Statement From Clinton Campaign Regarding Nancy Reagan / AIDS "National Conversation"

Hillary Clinton's campaign has issued this official statement regarding her statement yesterday at Nancy Reagan's funeral that the Reagan's helped begin a "national conversation" on AIDS."

"As Hillary Clinton has said, while the Reagans were strong advocates for stem cell research and finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease, she misspoke about their work on HIV and AIDS.

"Hillary Clinton has been a longtime advocate on the treatment and prevention of HIV and AIDS.

"In 1992, for the first time ever, the DNC Convention highlighted the AIDS plague and Bill and Hillary Clinton discussed the need to cure the AIDS plague in this country.

"As First Lady, Clinton traveled the world to raise awareness on combating AIDS and assembled government officials and world leaders to discuss how to enhance and coordinate AIDS efforts.

"As Senator, Clinton introduced and voted for legislation to improve and expand global AIDS research and assistance, improve global AIDS programs for women and girls, and prevention and education services.

"As Secretary of State, Clinton began an ambitious campaign to usher in an AIDS-free generation, focusing on improvements in treatment and prevention practices. This blueprint consisted of five goals:

1. Rapidly scaling up the most effective prevention and treatment interventions;

2. Targeting the populations at the greatest risk of contracting HIV, including key populations at risk of discrimination;

3. Promote sustainability, efficiency and effectiveness in the treatment of HIV/AIDS to ensure that we get the most out of every dollar spent;

4. Ensuring a global effort to achieve an AIDS free generation; and

5. Support research on innovative technologies for prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

"As President, she will continue to drive towards the goal of an AIDS-free generation and will:

• Call on Republican governors to extend Medicaid coverage to provide life-saving health care to people living with HIV. Clinton believes that every state should extend Medicaid coverage to provide life-saving health care to people living with HIV.

• Cap out-of pocket expenses for people with HIV/AIDS. Clinton has announced a plan to hold the pharmaceutical industry accountable and to achieve lower drug costs for Americans, including for medications that help treat HIV and reduce the risk of contracting AIDS. Clinton will ensure that Americans can get the care their doctors prescribe by requiring health insurance plans to cap covered out-of-pocket prescription drug costs at $250. She also will allow Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices and will stop direct-to-consumer advertising subsidies for drug companies—reinvesting those funds in research.

• Expand the utilization of HIV prevention medications, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). While we work to diagnose and treat all Americans with HIV and AIDS, we also must work to prevent exposure. Decades of research are beginning to offer a promising path to prevention. Clinton will increase the CDC investment to ensure populations at greatest risk of infection have access to the drug, and encourage states to follow suit."

Jonathan Groff on the "distant past" of the AIDS crisis

I think this is an important perspective to keep in terms of the AIDS epidemic. Sometimes gets lost in the day to day.

From Jonathan Groff:

"There’s a lot of gay men from my generation that only know of AIDS as a thing of the distant past. I was born in 1985 in the thick of it, but didn’t live through it.

"We did a scene last week on the beach on Fire Island where we’re at a party, and lots of actors my age are thinking how surreal it is. If we had been there 25 years ago, most of us would be dead…

"(Author) Larry Kramer actually got emotional and left because he was so moved by all the young people celebrating.”

–Actor Jonathan Groff on his role in the upcoming film adaptation of Kramer’s play The Normal Heart, which documents the early years of the AIDS epidemic

Lady Gaga's "Little Monsters" - Madonna is a "major reason" for AIDS

Well, how hideous is this?

Lady Gaga's fans feel that Madonna should NOT be presenting Anderson Cooper with his GLAAD Vito Russo Award. So much so that they have sent letters and started petitions saying Madonna is, in part, responsible for the AIDS epidemic.

Dear GLAAD:

It has come to the attention to Little Monsters everywhere that you are letting Madonna give an award to Anderson Cooper. Not only is this an insult to a true gay rights activist like Lady Gaga, but it insults every gay man and woman on this planet.

Madonna is one of the major reasons for AIDS. Back in the 1980’s, she encouraged gay men to have unprotected sex. While she certainly didn’t start the disease, she and her lack of morals helped it spread.

Please rethink your choice of having Madonna as a presenter. If you don’t, we Little Monsters will strike back in a way you won’t like.

Sincerely,
Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters

This is seriously HIDEOUS behavior on the part of Gaga fans. I can't imagine that Lady Gaga would support such outrageous statements.

Just ugly.  Madonna has been at the forefront of promoting safe sex for decades.

I'll just stop, actually.  I won't defend anything.  The facts are facts.  And Lady Gaga's fans are a sorry lot to throw such crap out there thanks to their "competition" they have in their heads between the two superstars.

Sad.

When I think of Reagan

When I think of President Reagan, the list of accomplishments in my head is not quite the same list running in most conservatives.

More than anything, when I think of President Ronald Reagan, I think of how his lack of leadership on the epidemic of AIDS caused the deaths of thousands and thousands of Americans.

AIDS research was chronically under-funded during the Reagan years. When doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health asked for more funding for their work on AIDS, they were routinely denied it.

Between June 1981 and May 1982 the CDC spent less than $1 million on AIDS and $9 million on Legionnaire's Disease. At that point more than 1,000 of the 2,000 reported AIDS cases resulted in death; there were fewer than 50 deaths from Legionnaire's Disease. This incredible lack of funding would continue through the Reagan years.

It wasn't until May 31, 1987 that President Reagan would even voluntarily address the issue of AIDS in public. It was at an outdoor speech in Washington organized by AMFAR, the American Foundation for AIDS Research. Elizabeth Taylor, a lifelong friend of Ron and Nancy Reagan, persuaded the President to be there. On the exact night that he gave that speech, saying the word "AIDS" for the first time voluntarily in public, 21,000 Americans had already died from the disease.

There were calls throughout his administration to test the blood supply to help stave off the infections through blood transfusions. Calls to emphasize condom use. All of this was barely heeded. The explanations most often given were "we don't want to scare people." If ever there was a time or reason to be scared, kids, this was it.

By the end of 1989 and the Reagan years, 115,786 women and men had been diagnosed with AIDS in the United States, and more than 70,000 of them had died.

At a time of crisis, we need leaders to LEAD. No - Reagan was not solely responsible for all those deaths. He didn't create AIDS. But he did practically nothing to stop the spread of this disease. I honestly believe if there were tens of thousands of white, straight, wealthy men dying at that time MUCH more attention would have been paid and the CDC would have been ordered to work overtime to find solutions.

Reagan is credited with the fall of communism. I personally think that while he was a factor, it is a bit like giving the rooster credit for the sunrise. In some ways, he happened to be the man on duty, if you will.

Deficits also ballooned under Reagan. Reagan increased payroll taxes in 1983. History records that, alarmed by spiraling deficits, he signed tax increases during six of his eight years in office. Even so, his administration tripled the national debt, to almost $3 trillion. No one likes to mention that either.

But today, when I think of Reagan, I think of the loss of life, the spread of this terrible disease and his lack of leadership.

Happy birthday Mr. President.