Politics

Biden Admin Pledged $2 Million To Tackling HIV Among ‘Racially Diverse Trans Women In The Deep South’

The Transgender Pride Flag flies on the Foreign Office building in London on Transgender Day of Remembrance, 20 November 2017, a moment to remember all those trans people around the world who have lost their lives because of who they are. The FCO is committed to tackling prejudice, violence and discrimination against LGBT people globally. (Flickr/ Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office)

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is spending millions on encouraging “racially diverse trans women” in New Orleans to take PrEP, a HIV prevention medication.

HHS pledged approximately $2 million to Public Health Foundation Enterprises, a public health nonprofit based in California now known as Heluna Health, to “develop, implement and measure the impact” of a social media campaign aimed at increasing the awareness of HIV-prevention medications among “trans women” in New Orleans, according to a federal grant listing. The goal of the program, which will include a year-long test run serving 200 “trans women,”, is to “adapt promising trans-specific HIV interventions to meet the HIV prevention needs of trans women” in the city, according to the grant listing.

HHS dubbed the program “Increasing PrEP Awareness, Uptake, And Adherence Through Health Care Empowerment And Addressing Social Determinants Of Health Among Racially Diverse Trans Women In The Deep South,” the listing reads.

The taxpayer-funded program began in September 2021 and will run through July 2026, according to the grant listing. The most recent payment associated with the program was made by HHS in September 2023.

Forty-six percent of “trans women” in New Orleans tested positive for HIV when examined by HHS, according to the grant listing. The Louisiana Department of Health found in 2019 that gay black men and “transgender women” had the highest rates of HIV infection in the state.

A 2015 survey conducted by the National Center for Transgender Equality found that 19% of respondents reported being involved in sex work, with the rate for black “transgender women” being even higher, sitting at 42%.

Prostitutes are at increased risk of contracting and spreading HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

HHS @SecBecerra emphasizes the need for the strong support of trans and gender non-conforming youth, to ensure they don’t feel alone, and that they receive the care and mental health support they deserve. https://t.co/yetbSCL25P pic.twitter.com/xK4a4trgZr

— HHS.gov (@HHSGov) June 10, 2022

Transgenderism has received significant attention from HHS since President Joe Biden took office in 2021.

HHS is spending $1.4 million on a study that will stretch into 2027 to help “transgender” people cope with COVID-19-related stress. The department also spent $160,000 on a study examining how parents can better “affirm” their child’s gender and almost $700,000 to develop a national program to prevent “transgender boys” from getting pregnant.

HHS did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.