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HIV drug’s Medicare costs under negotiation

The federal government is negotiating lower Medicare prices for a popular once-daily pill that treats HIV and prevents infection. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Tuesday it seeks to lower Medicare costs for 16 medications by negotiating with their manufacturers. Among them is Biktarvy, a drug taken after HIV exposure — known as a post-exposure prophylaxis — to prevent HIV infection as well as a treatment for those living with HIV. Gilead Sciences makes it. Usage of the drug has risen significantly since it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2018. More than 100,000 Medicare enrollees used Biktarvy between November […]

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Out Apple CEO schmoozed at White House ‘Melania’ screening hours after ICE killed Alex Pretti

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Tim Cook, the gay CEO of Apple, made an obsequious appearance at the White House on Saturday night to join Trump loyalists for a screening of the First Lady’s new feature-length documentary, Melania. The black-tie event saw Cook, champagne in hand, celebrating the moment with the movie’s disgraced director, one-time box-office draw Brett Ratner, who was ostracized by Hollywood following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct in 2017. Cook’s appearance at the premiere was a particularly disappointing sight for the LGBTQ+ Apple users who are appalled by recent events in Minneapolis. The screening took place the same day that intensive care nurse Alex […]

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Florida seeks to expand gender-affirming care ban; could criminalize pharmacists and counselors

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Florida legislators have introduced bills that would expand the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans youth, including felony charges for any health care provider who “aids or abets” such procedures. LGBTQ+ activists and parents warn that this provision is dangerously vague and would penalize counselors who discuss gender issues with young people or pharmacists who fill prescriptions — something that sponsors of the bills have confirmed, to a degree. House Bill 743 and Senate Bill 1010 would also authorize the attorney general to investigate and sue health care professionals who violate the law restricting gender-affirming care. Both were voted out of committee this week. The law, enacted in 2023, already […]

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An HIV breakthrough is here. Let’s not let it go to waste

As Congress nears a January deadline to pass a continuing resolution and avert a government shutdown, critical health programs hang in the balance. The now-expired Affordable Care Act subsidies and proposed cuts to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program could undermine access to lifesaving services and medications, including Lenacapavir, a breakthrough drug offering new hope in the fight against HIV. Nearly 40 million people worldwide, and more than one million people in the United States, are living with HIV, with more than 30,000 Americans newly infected each year. A drug like Lenacapavir has the potential to change that trajectory, preventing the global spread of […]

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AIDS United Statement on Conferenced FY 2026 Labor-HHS-Education, and THUD Appropriations—Protecting Bipartisan Progress to End the HIV Epidemic

AIDS United welcomes the HIV-focused investments included in the conference agreement covering the FY 2026 Labor-HHS-Education, and Transportation-HUD (THUD) appropriations bills. At a moment when communities are working to sustain hard-won momentum, these bills reflect the enduring, bipartisan understanding that ending the HIV epidemic is achievable, and that Congress has a responsibility to support and uphold the programs that make that goal real. This agreement maintains critical federal commitments across prevention, treatment, and housing stability, all cornerstones of HIV outcomes. It underscores why the U.S. Senate must continue to serve as a firewall against efforts that would undermine care and […]

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Maryland judge: Trump’s DOJ can’t have trans youth hospital records

A federal court has denied the Justice Department access to youth medical records from a gender-affirming care provider in the D.C. area. Last summer, the Justice Department sent subpoenas for medical records to 20 hospitals nationwide that provided minors gender-affirming care, including Children’s National Hospital. The facility stopped prescribing minors gender-affirming medication soon after. Eight families who accessed medical care through the hospital’s Gender Development Program filed a motion to quash the subpoena last November. The medical records at hand were “deeply private and constitutionally protected,” their motion read. In a January 21 decision, U.S. District Judge Julie Rubin described the department’s effort as “a fishing expedition” […]

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Military ban on HIV-positive enlistees could set dangerous precedent, experts warn

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The Trump administration’s fight to prevent HIV-positive people from enlisting in the military will soon be settled, but not before upending the lives of those who want nothing more than to serve.  The Department of Defense has ordered officials not to train new recruits who are HIV-positive, according to guidance sent by the U.S. Military Entrance Processing Command and obtained by CNN. The order, sent January 16, states “we are pausing shipping any HIV+ applicants and will follow-up in the coming weeks,” pending a ruling from an appeals court.  “As someone who was illegally kicked out of the Peace Corps for testing positive for […]

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Trans Space Force colonel forced out by Trump flooded with donations after Congress campaign launch

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A former Space Force colonel fired by the Trump administration over her gender identity has raised over $100,000 less than 24 hours after launching a political campaign. Retired astronautical engineer Bree Fram’s campaign to represent Virginia in US Congress has already skyrocketed into outer space less than a week after she made the announcement. The 46-year-old Colonel announced her intention to run for the Congressional seat in a Tuesday (20 January) Instagram clip. “Too many Americans are afraid of what their own government is doing to them, instead of being confident in what it can do for them,” she said […]

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Trans Girl Scouts sell over 71,000 cookies thanks to inspiring campaign

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A group of transgender Girl Scouts have collectively sold over 71,000 cookies thanks to a heartwarming annual campaign. Every year, independent trans journalist Erin Reed curates a list of trans and non-binary youngsters who are part of Girl Scout troops and asks readers to buy a box of cookies as part of a fundraising drive to help “make a few of their days better.” Girl Scouts in the US famously sell boxes of biscuits between January and April to help raise funds for the youth organisation, raking in an average of over $800 million per year. Girl Scouts earn cumulative prizes depending […]

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Gay Men, Ketamine and Trauma. A Therapy or a Trap?

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This story was produced with the support of MISTR, a telehealth platform offering free online access to PrEP, DoxyPEP, STI testing, Hepatitis C testing and treatment and long-term HIV care across the U.S. MISTR did not have any editorial input into the content of this story. This story talks about addiction and substance use. If you or someone you know needs help, resources can be found here. In 2015, on the patio of Nowhere Bar, a queer nightclub in Louisville, Kentucky, music pulsed and bodies pressed as 23-year-old Lucas Pearson moved through the flashing lights and a blur of grinding limbs. “I […]

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