AIDS: The Issue Is The Pope

Those of you who spend attention to the journal Science possibly currently know that they put an picture — just a body shot — of transgender ladies on the cover, to highlight a unique section on AIDS.

Here’s the offending picture:

There’s a good summary of the controversy here. Individually from the concerns of the male gaze and transgender rights, I want to stage out anything else: most of the troubles in combating AIDS have been due to men in electrical power: Ronald Reagan, the last three Popes, and a variety of other individuals. If you want to highlight the genuine challenges in defeating AIDS, they’re your cover picture they’re the ones who made policies that created it more difficult for vulnerable populations to get the 1 point we know protects against AIDS: condoms. A cover shot of headless transgender females is titillation that does not strike at the genuine dilemma: policy.

With no generating condoms obtainable, with out educating folks about their protective options, we exacerbate a dilemma the place we previously have a answer in hand. In that sense, the biggest obstacle to AIDS is none other than the Catholic Church.

In Could 2005, one particular of the very first items that Pope Benedict XVI deigned to tell us was that the traditional teaching of the Church is the only way to defend against HIV. This is madness we know condoms protect folks. It is not anti-science — it is anti-reality. And prior to you point out that we have a new Pope now, let me just present you that we’ve acquired far more of the identical coming from celibate males who don’t truly worry about feasible sexual assaults, dumb teenage sexuality, or youngster marriages. Kissing the feet of AIDS patients is not the very same as protecting the vulnerable, anything Francis has abjectly failed at.

It is also well worth reminding the planet about Ronald Reagan’s toxic legacy: I wouldn’t mind generating him the poster-boy for the epidemic, provided how small he did to cease it. Thousands, if not millions, of deaths can be laid right at his feet.

If you want to modify AIDS policy, make the face of AIDS troubles the policy-makers. Transgender prostitutes are frequently not in the exact same positions of energy to make selections that will result millions of folks. Target the real sinners: the ones who make the selections that harm the vulnerable.

*Full disclosure: I am Catholic. Although if the Pope decides to excommunicate me, I do not think I’ll thoughts it as well a lot occasionally that is the value you spend for morality and compassion.

AIDS: The Issue Is The Pope