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Since our beginnings in 1982, Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) has been a leader in HIV and AIDS prevention, care, and advocacy, and also an essential voice in raising up central issues related to HIV and AIDS in the political sphere. We have seen significant progress since the years of silence from the federal government in the 1980s. George H.W. Bush signed into law, and Bill Clinton increased funding and support for, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and the Americans with Disabilities Act; George W. Bush contributed to the global HIV and AIDS response; and Barack Obama implemented necessary healthcare reform as well as the first U.S. National HIV/AIDS Strategy. GMHC is proud to have contributed key feedback and data to President Obama’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy, as well as to New York State’s groundbreaking Blueprint to End the AIDS Epidemic.

Throughout these processes and future progress, we are proud and humbled to bridge the communication gap between those affected by HIV and AIDS and the officials elected to represent and serve us. To that end, GMHC developed a concise, non-exhaustive list of questions based on the goals and strategies of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy; research such as the NIAID Strategic Timing of AntiRetroviral Treatment (START) study, the World Health Organization’s Early Release Guidelines, and the development of PrEP and nPEP; and our 33 years of experience on the ground. This survey is not about endorsing any candidate. The goal of this survey is to ensure that all those affected by HIV and AIDS understand all the candidates' views on the HIV and AIDS epidemic. We now invite all 2016 presidential candidates to comment on the federal government’s role in addressing key drivers of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Please answer each question in no more than 200 words, keeping in mind the ways these topics relate to HIV prevention and treatment.

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* 1. Contact Information

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* 2. Over the last 30 years, GMHC has seen encouraging results when all levels of government, medical providers, and community-based organizations implement culturally competent, LGBT-inclusive sexual education and outreach that includes scientifically accurate information about HIV and AIDS. If elected, how will you direct your administration to continue and grow these best practices?

(see New York State Blueprint to End the AIDS Epidemic (ETE), Blueprint Recommendation (BP) 23; Getting to Zero Recommendation (GTZ) 5. National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States: Updated to 2020 (NHAS), Goal 1, Step C.)

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* 3. What is your position on federal protection from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, in housing, healthcare, the workplace, the legal system, privately-owned businesses, and access to federal benefits?

(see ETE, BP18, BP19, BP30; GTZ4. NHAS, Goal 1, Step C, Recommended Action 5.)

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* 4. What is your position on federal protection from discrimination based on HIV status? In particular, please share your position on the FDA lifetime ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men.

(see ETE, BP25, BP30. NHAS, Goal 1, Step C, Recommended Action 5; Goal 3, Step C.)

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* 5. Access to healthcare is a major driver of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. If elected, how will you improve upon the reach of Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act?

(see ETE, BP20; GTZ6. NHAS, Goal 2, Step A, Recommended Action 1.)

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* 6. If elected, will you direct the federal government to prevent price gouging by pharmaceutical companies for medications that treat and prevent HIV and related illnesses?

(see NHAS, Goal 2.)

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* 7. What is your policy on funding further efforts in research and programs for HIV education, prevention, and treatment?1 In particular, please discuss the federal government’s role in promoting the widespread use of newly developed interventions and treatments such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to combat the spread of HIV.2

(1. see NHAS, Goal 1, Step B, Recommended Action 1; Goal 2, Step A, Recommended Action 4; Goal 3, Step C, Recommended Action 1.)
(2. see ETE, BP11, BP12, BP13. NHAS, Goal 1, Step B, Recommended Action 3.)

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* 8. If elected, how will you direct your administration to research and address the intersection of HIV and gender-based violence?

(see NHAS, Goal 1, Step C, Recommended Action 4; Goal 2, Step C, Recommended Action 2; Goal 3, Step B, Recommended Action 2.)

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* 9. What is your policy on researching and expanding women’s access to preventative health services, including HIV and AIDS interventions and treatments like PrEP and PEP?

(see ETE, BP11, BP12, BP13. NHAS, Goal 1, Step B, Recommended Action 2; Goal 1, Step B, Recommended Action 3.)

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* 10. What is your policy on harm reduction strategies such as free condom distribution and syringe exchange programs?1 Please indicate your position on the use, by law enforcement and prosecutors, of condom possession as evidence for prostitution-related criminal offenses.2

(1. see ETE, BP15; GTZ3. NHAS, Goal 1, Step B; Appendix 1, Indicator 3.)
(2. see ETE, BP24; GTZ2.)

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* 11. If elected, how will you direct your administration to support screening for and referral to substance use and mental health services for people living with HIV and at risk for HIV?

(see ETE, BP8, BP15; GTZ3. NHAS, Goal 1, Step B, Recommended Action 2; Goal 2, Step B, Recommended Action 3.)

GMHC has always been a trusted source of information on issues relevant to HIV and AIDS. We look forward to your responses as they will aid us in our goal of educating the public, particularly those affected by HIV and AIDS.

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