Key Issues

The key issues reflect sound evidence based public policy necessary to end the epidemic and maintain quality of life for all affected.

• The National AIDS Strategy was endorsed by President Obama during his campaign and is currently under development.  The United States needs a coordinated plan of action focused on improving prevention and treatment outcomes as well as reducing the disparities within the epidemic among people of color and men who have sex with men (MSM).
• HIV and Aging is an issue that will only increase in relevance, as an estimated 2/3 of people living with HIV will be over 50 by 2012.  More research and targeted prevention are needed to fully understand the impact of HIV on older adults.
• Syringe Exchange is proven to decrease HIV infection rates drastically, and increase access to support services for substance users, while not increasing substance use.  It is an effective and safe public health intervention. We call on Congress to swiftly and completely lift the ban on federal funding for these programs.
• Comprehensive Sex Education is a critical prevention method proven to help youth make safer sex decisions.  It is critical that Congress completely defund abstinence-only-until-marriage programs which have been proven ineffective and are actually damaging to young Americans’ sexual health.
• Repealing the HIV Travel and Immigration Ban is vital to decreasing the spread of HIV and complying with international human rights standards.
• Expanding HIV Testing while maintaining written informed consent is pivotal to stopping new HIV transmissions.  Over half of new infections are transmitted by people who do not know their status.

For more information on how you can get involved, please contact advocate@gmhc.org or call 212.367.1247.