Hillary Clinton Praises Nancy Reagan for ‘Effective, Low-Key Advocacy' on HIV/AIDS

[closeupready]

Having had friends die of AIDS over the last 30 years*, knowing that research on treatments was stymied by the hostility of the Reagan administration to gay people and issues of concern to them, I have to admit this statement really makes me angry. And consider Rock Hudson's death - how could you ignore his appeals for help, having once called him a friend and knowing you could do something that may have helped him survive or lessen his pain?

Praise Nancy Reagan for her attempt to fight drug abuse, sure, praise her for advocacy on Alzheimers, sure. NOT on HIV/AIDS conversation.

Speaking before Nancy Reagan’s funeral on Friday, Hillary Clinton praised Nancy Reagan for her “effective, low-key advocacy” on HIV/AIDS during her husband’s presidency.

Clinton called to mind “how difficult it was to talk about HIV/AIDS” in the 80s and credited both Nancy and Ronald Reagan with helping to start a “national conversation” on the disease.

Said Clinton,

“And because of both President and Mrs. Reagan–in particular Mrs. Reagan–we started a national conversation when before nobody would talk about it, nobody wanted to do anything about it. And you know that too is something that I really appreciate with her very effective, low-key advocacy but it penetrated the public conscience. And people began to say, ‘Hey, we have to do something about this too.'”

Clinton’s praise for the Reagan record comes in stark contrast to the thunderous choir of voices in the LGBT community who have criticized both Nancy and Ronald Reagan for their ineptitude and silence on HIV/AIDS. Just today, The Guardian published a piece titled “The First Lady Who Looked Away” about the many activists on the forefront of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 80s who believe the Reagans turned “a blind eye” to the plight.

http://www.towleroad.com/2016/03/hillary-clinton-praises-reagan-record/

* I add in editing this includes people here in DU's GLBT forum.