LGBTQ+ activists in the Philippines expressed worry that Donald Trump’s stunning victory could adversely affect programs for queer Filipinos, including the country’s HIV program which is partly supported by US aid.
“It's often said that when the US sneezes, the Philippines catches a cold. With Trump back at the helm, there's concern the Philippine LGBTQIA+ community could get the full-blown flu,” Thysz Estrada, chairperson of PANTAY which lobbies for LGBTQ+ legislation, told Mamser.
Benedict Bernabe, executive director of HIV awareness organization The Red Whistle, said the biggest impact of Trump’s win in the US elections would be on the response to the Philippines HIV epidemic, which is the fastest growing in Asia-Pacific.
“US' PEPFAR funds a substantial portion of our HIV response, like PrEP, HIV testing and HIV treatment,” Bernabe told Mamser.
In December 2020, the US announced that it has committed P875 million over two years for HIV and AIDS relief in the Philippines through PEPFAR, or the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which was launched in 2003 under Republican President George W. Bush.
Part of this funding, according to a media release from the US Embassy, would go towards increasing access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, strengthening HIV testing and case-finding, and connecting HIV-diagnosed people to better treatment regimens and retention programs.
But even without Trump in the White House, conservative activists have worked hard to derail PEPFAR by claiming, without sufficient proof, that American tax dollars are funding abortions overseas.
This resulted in PEPFAR only getting a one-year reauthorization on March 23, 2024 compared to the five-year reauthorizations it received three times before.
Every Republican president since Ronald Reagan enacted a ”gag rule” that restricted organizations from discussing abortion. This rule was expanded by Trump to cover PEPFAR and other health aid. Joe Biden, a Democrat, reversed this upon taking office in the White House in 2020.
“While HIV services weren’t directly affected, this set a precedent for conditional funding based on ideological grounds,” PANTAY chairperson Estrada said. “This could mean that if funding is maintained, it might be restricted to abstinence-only or heterosexual-focused programs, leaving LGBTQIA+ communities excluded from critical support.”
Beyond HIV response, Estrada fears that Trump could deprioritize LGBTQIA+ rights, “which could weaken international solidarity, reduce pressure on Philippine leaders to adopt anti-discrimination protections, and stall progress for LGBTQIA+ Filipinos.”
“Given these risks, Filipino LGBTQIA+ advocates can take proactive steps—strengthening local resilience, building strategic alliances, advocating for inclusive policy, and prioritizing education—to resist this new wave of challenges. These efforts can foster self-sustaining, lasting cultural and structural change within the Philippines,” Estrada said.
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