Reaffirming Our Values

Throughout the first few weeks of the new administration, the entire public health system in the United States, and abroad, has been under assault. The administration has issued a series of executive orders that have directed the government to only recognize two sexes, male and female, and end diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Through executive orders and other actions, they have ramped up a campaign that targets undocumented people and legal refugees in this country. The administration also announced that it will freeze foreign aid, including PEPFAR. These decisions put the most vulnerable people – Black and Brown people, trans people and the entire LGBTQ community, undocumented people – in danger of losing access to life-saving health services.

Embedded in NASTAD’s core values are the recognition that every person has inherent dignity and worth, and that equitable access to quality healthcare is a fundamental human right. The decisions being made by the federal government will make it harder for U.S. health departments, community-based organizations, and international governments and NGOs to achieve the goal of ending the HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, and intersecting epidemics.

NASTAD believes that the safety, dignity, and right to self-determination for trans people is paramount. We believe that public health work requires being of, in, and with the communities that are most impacted by health conditions and their structural and social determinants – and for our work that means Black and Brown communities and the LGBTQ community. We believe that HIV/AIDS and hepatitis affect everyone in this country, and that policies that drive undocumented people into the shadows only make us sicker and less safe.   

For more than 30 years, we have worked to advance the health and dignity of all people living with and impacted by HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis, and intersecting epidemics by strengthening governmental public health and leveraging community partnerships. Over the years, our work has evolved, and it will continue to evolve. But we stand firm in our commitment to accomplishing these goals, and we will not shy away from the work that needs to be done to help the people and communities who are living with or disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.