Celebrities and LGBT leaders are pressuring Gov. Cuomo to step up funding for the quest to end AIDS in New York.
Cuomo has pledged to put an end to the epidemic, but activists have grown increasingly disillusioned, saying his budget hasn’t matched up to his vows.
Actors Cynthia Nixon, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Cherry Jones are among backers who signed a letter asking Cuomo for a $70 million funding boost this year.
That’s the “minimum” necessary to reach the goal of reducing new HIV infections below 750 by the year 2020.
“The other direction, staying on our present course, is one we cannot afford to follow; it makes our 2020 goal of ending AIDS in New York unlikely and also leads to an especially stark future for black and Latino LGBT individuals,” they wrote.
The group also noted a Centers for Disease Control analysis that half of black and a quarter of Latino gay and bisexual men and transgender women could become HIV positive in their lifetime.
“We cannot allow that future for so many members of New York’s LGBT community, especially when we have a viable plan to end our epidemic.”
Also signing the letter were City Council members Carlos Menchaca (D-Brooklyn), Rosie Mendez (D-Manhattan), Corey Johnson (D-Manhattan), Ritchie Torres (D-Bronx), and Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Queens), and the heads of a host of LGBT and AIDS groups.
Cuomo announced an additional $200 million to combat AIDS in December, but activists were disappointed to learn it was over five years instead of one. They say the current budget plan would only amount to a $15 million boost this year and another $15 million next year.
“No one is more committed to ending HIV/AIDS than Governor Cuomo, who with a $2.5 billion annual investment, has made New York State a national leader by pledging to end the epidemic by 2020 and providing quality support services to those impacted by the disease,” said Cuomo spokeswoman Dani Lever. “The budget process is ongoing and the Governor looks forward to productive discussions with both houses as we address a variety of issues including the End AIDS initiative.”
