Dear Colleagues,
The University of Washington-Fred Hutch Center for AIDS Research is committed to protecting the human rights and ensuring equitable access to HIV testing, prevention, and treatment for all persons. The UW-Fred Hutch CFAR is deeply concerned about the punitive legislation under consideration and already passed in the US and globally that target LGBTQ+ populations and curtails their human rights and access to care and prevention services.
The PEPFAR Ambassador, Dr. John Nkengasong, and Jirair Ratevosian said it clearly in a recent opinion piece in The Lancet: “Yet the remarkable gains of the past two decades are not reaching everyone, everywhere. In 2023 there has been an alarming tide of anti-LGBTQI+ legislation and repressive government policies and practices in the USA and around the world. Such punitive laws stand counter to public health, fuel stigma and discrimination, and undermine the global HIV/AIDS response by pushing vulnerable communities away from life-saving health services…”
We believe that human rights are the cornerstone of an effective HIV response. The way to end the HIV pandemic is to reduce barriers to effective HIV prevention and care services. We have made great strides in the past 40 years of the HIV pandemic, and now are at a perilous crossroad in which that progress is threatened. We must stand together, fight discrimination, and oppose legislation that undermines a humane and public health response to HIV and AIDS.
Connie Celum, MD, MPH
Director
Jane Simoni, PhD
Co-Director
Jen Balkus, MPH, PhD
EDI Director
Corey Casper, MD, MPH
Associate Director
Julie McElrath, MD, PhD
Associate Director
Susan Mello, EMPA
Associate Director
Grace John Stewart, PhD
Associate Director
Stephaun Wallace, PhD
Director, Office of Community Engagement