TL;DR
- David Furnish warns of HIV aid cuts.
- Criminalization threatens LGBTQ health access.
- PrEP initiation has dropped significantly.
- ACT UP’s history is vital for activism.
- Equality is essential for public health.
In a fiery commentary, David Furnish, the Canadian filmmaker and husband of Elton John, has sounded the alarm on how politics is jeopardizing decades of progress in the fight against AIDS. Writing for Independent Voices, Furnish asserts that the real enemy isn’t the virus itself, but rather the political climate that is actively undermining community-led HIV responses.
“I am writing this because that legacy is now at risk. The threat isn’t the virus. It’s politics,” he declared, emphasizing that cuts to prevention and care systems are particularly harmful in areas where stigma already makes it challenging for LGBTQ+ individuals to access healthcare. With the rollback of essential services, Furnish fears that the hard-won advancements in HIV prevention are slipping through our fingers.
Furnish highlights the importance of newer prevention tools, such as long-acting PrEP options like lenacapavir, which he describes as “one of the most significant advances in HIV prevention in a generation.” However, he warns that these advancements are being overshadowed by alarming statistics: in the United States, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has seen a staggering 41 percent reduction in PrEP initiation. Furthermore, data indicates that 4.7 million fewer people were tested for HIV in 2025 compared to the previous year.
The roots of today’s HIV prevention and treatment systems can be traced back to the fierce activism of the 1980s and 1990s. Furnish recalls how the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) made waves with protests that led to significant changes in drug approval processes. “In October 1988, around 1,500 ACT UP members protested at the US Food and Drug Administration headquarters in Maryland,” he writes, noting that their efforts resulted in the FDA committing to shorten its drug approval process, a change that has saved countless lives.
Yet, the tide is turning again. Furnish points to a troubling trend: in 2025, UNAIDS confirmed that the number of countries criminalizing same-sex sexual activity and the gender expression of trans and gender-diverse people rose for the first time since monitoring began in 2008. This criminalization is accompanied by a defunding of LGBTQ+ civil society organizations, making it increasingly difficult for these groups to operate and support their communities. “When governments stop counting LGBTQ+ people, they make them easier to abandon,” he warns, underscoring the connection between equality and public health.
Furnish’s passionate plea serves as a crucial reminder that the fight against AIDS is not just a medical issue, but a matter of human rights. As he aptly puts it, “Equality is not separate from public health. It is public health.” With the stakes higher than ever, it’s time for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies to rally together and ensure that the progress made over the years is not lost to political negligence.
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