Donald Trump's World AIDS Day Proclamation Has No Mention Of LGBTs Or People Of Color

Donald "Not so better for the gays" Trump

I don't know how you write a World AIDS Day proclamation without mentioning the millions of gay men, transgender folks and people of color who have died from the plague, but somehow Donald Trump's White House has managed to do just that.

The proclamation even goes out of it's way to mention young girls and women, but none of the main demographics that the disease has ravaged here in the U.S.

Appalling.

But one can only guess mentioning the gays would look like he has sympathy for us, and his supporters can't stand the idea of that.

Perhaps the White House position is "Can't do a Pride Month proclamation, but AIDS affects folks other than the gays, so we gotta do 'something.'"

Additionally, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was scheduled to speak at a World AIDS Day event later today. He's now cancelled.

See? I'm not making this stuff up.

Here's the full proclamation:

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

The first documented cases of the human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) 36 years ago became the leading edge of an epidemic that swept across the UnitedStates and around the globe, devastating millions of individuals, families, and communities. As a Nation, we felt fear and uncertainty as we struggled to understand this new disease. In the decades since through public and private American leadership, innovation, investment, and compassion we have ushered in a new, hopeful era of prevention and treatment. Today, on World AIDS Day, we honor those who have lost their lives to AIDS, we celebrate the remarkable progress we have made in combatting this disease, and we reaffirm our ongoing commitment to end AIDS as a public health threat.

Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, more than 76million people around the world have become infected with HIV and 35million have died from AIDS. As of 2014, 1.1million people in the UnitedStates are living with HIV. On this day, we pray for all those living with HIV, and those who have lost loved ones to AIDS.

As we remember those who have died and those who are suffering, we commend the immense effort people have made to control and end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In the UnitedStates, sustained public and private investments in HIV prevention and treatment have yielded major successes. The number of annual HIV infections fell 18 percent between 2008 and 2014, saving an estimated $14.9billion in lifetime medical costs. We have also experienced successes around the globe. Through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and its data-driven investments in partnership with more than 50countries, we are supporting more than 13.3million people with lifesaving antiretroviral treatment. We remain deeply committed to supporting adolescent girls and young women through this program, who are up to 14times more likely to contract HIV than young men in some sub-Saharan African countries. Our efforts also include the DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDSfree, Mentored, and Safe) public-private partnership, which has resulted in a 2540percent decline in new HIV infections among young women in districts in 10 highly affected African countries during the last 2 years.

While we have made considerable progress in recent decades, tens of thousands of Americans are infected with HIV every year. My Administration will continue to invest in testing initiatives to help people who are unaware they are living with HIV learn their status. Internationally, we will rapidly implement the recent "PEPFAR Strategy for Accelerating HIV/AIDS Epidemic Control "(2017-2020), which uses data to guide investments and efforts in more than 50 countries to reach epidemic control.

Due to America's leadership and private sector philanthropy and innovation, we have saved and improved millions of lives and shifted the HIV/AIDS epidemic from crisis toward control. We are proud to continue our work with many partners, including governments, private-sector companies, philanthropic organizations, multilateral institutions, civil society and faith-based organizations, people living with HIV, and many others.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the UnitedStates of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim December1, 2017, as World AIDS Day. I urge the Governors of the States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, officials of the other territories subject to the jurisdiction of the UnitedStates, and the American people to join me in appropriate activities to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS and to provide support and compassion to those living with HIV.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of November, in the year of our Lord twothousandseventeen, and of the Independence of the UnitedStates ofAmerica the twohundred and forty-second.

DONALD J. TRUMP