Once again, President Obama has reneged on a campaign promise. The Fierce Advocate was for a repeal of the federal ban on needle exchange before he was against it. John Aravosis reports that Obama has "banned federal funding for needle exchanges in his budget this year."
AIDS activists retaliated by chaining themselves to each other and shouting "clean needles save lives" and effectively shutting down the Capitol Rotunda (see video below). Twenty-six AIDS activists were arrested (11 men and 15 women).
The activists decried the Obama administration’s failure to make good on a range of AIDS campaign promises including his pledge: to lift the federal ban on funding syringe exchange, to fully fund lifesaving global AIDS programs, and to fully fund AIDS housing programs in this year’s budget. The activists demanded Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Congressional leadership fix President Obama’s flawed budget proposal.
Photo via Joe. My. God.
Obama Promises LGBT Politics Gender News Gay AIDS Needle Exchange
