It’s safe to say that the vice president is not quite as brazen as the president, but instead of allowing this two-word response to speak for him, let’s look to his actions. When Fauci finished, Pence stepped up to the podium saying “well said,” in response. Many argue that his actions as a congressman, governor, and as vice president, have only added to the already crushing stigma. As you may know, Pence’s record when it comes to HIV, and how it relates to the LGBTQ community isn’t exactly clean. In typical Pence fashion, he quietly listened on as Fauci made this comparison. “During that time, there was extraordinary stigma, particularly against the gay community,” Fauci said, “and it was only when the world realized how the gay community responded to this outbreak with incredible courage and dignity and strength and activism - I think that really changed some of the stigma against the gay community, very much so.”įauci went on to say that “when you’re in the middle of a crisis like we are now with the coronavirus, it really does shine a very bright light on some of the real weaknesses and foibles in our society.” Fauci ultimately resolved that “when all this is over” there will still be health disparities we need to address. Related | Coronavirus: Three Lessons From the AIDS Crisis
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There are a multitude of factors at play here, but given this obvious health disparity, Fauci was reminded of the “greater proportion of professional career,” which was defined by HIV. This is despite the fact that they make up around 14% of Michigan’s population.
The numbers in Michigan are already troubling, with black Americans representing 35% of all cases of infection and 40% of all deaths. In a clip that is better seen than described, Fauci outlines how we expect this pandemic to disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities, particularly black Americans. He said this as Mike Pence, whose record on LGBTQ issues speaks for itself, stood behind him. Fauci, one of the most prominent members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, took a powerful moment to acknowledge the “incredible courage and dignity and strength and activism” LGBTQ people showed during the HIV epidemic. That much and more can certainly be said for Dr. It’s getting harder and harder to stomach some of the rhetoric coming from that podium, but every once in a while something rings true. If you have a hard time watching The White House press briefings, you’re not alone.