The day before April 10’s National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD), youth activists from Advocates for Youth met on Capitol Hill with congressional lawmakers and staff from the office of Rep. Barbara Lee (California, 12th Dist.) for a briefing on what Congress can do to support young people living with HIV. While Congress saved HIV funding from Republican proposed cuts, the activists called on lawmakers to ensure that those dollars are allocated to the most-needed programs.
“Through my work as a peer support advocate for people living with HIV, I know firsthand how hard it is for young people like me to access care and navigate the medical system,” said DáRon Davis Henderson, NYHAAD youth ambassador from North Carolina. “We need government funding for HIV-inclusive sex education to make sure everyone understands how to prevent and treat HIV.”
The activists and Advocates for Youth asked Congress to co-sponsor the Real Education & Access for Healthy Youth Act (REAHYA). Co-sponsored by Reps. Lee, Pramilia Jayapal (Washington, 7th) and Alma Adams (North Carolina, 12th), and Senators Mazie Hirono (Hawaii) and Cory Booker (New Jersey), the measure would provide the first federal grants for comprehensive sex education on the U.S. and end abstinence-only education. It would also increase funding for HIV prevention, treatment and care for young people.
Youth ambassadors Peggy Owusu Ansah and DáRon Davis Henderson address the briefing room audience
“When health classes don’t address HIV treatment and prevention, students leave with misconceptions that continue the cycle of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV,” said Amaka Agwu, NYHAAD youth ambassador from Maryland. “There needs to be a more standardized, comprehensive sexual health curriculum taught by educators with the relevant and accurate knowledge to help young people practice safer sex habits, know the ways in which we are at risk, and reduce stigma.”
In addition to REAHYA, Advocates for Youth is urging Congress to support a number of other appropriations for fiscal year 2025. Among them:
• $395 million for the Ending the HIV Epidemic plan, including $100 million to create a National PrEP Program to support equitable access to HIV prevention medications
• $3.082 billion for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program
• $150 million for the Minority HIV/AIDS Fund and $610 million for other programs of the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative
• $150 million for a teen prevention program from the Office of Adolescent Health, under the Department of Health and Human Services
• $100 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health
“Young people face unique barriers to accessing health care. Many of us don’t have parental support, medical insurance, reliable transportation or even flexible schedules that allow us to make appointments,” said Peggy Owusu-Ansah, NYHAAD youth ambassador from Tennessee and the District of Columbia. “These barriers are even harsher for Black youth, who are more likely to contract HIV but often encounter misinformation, stigma and medical mistrust. Young people’s needs have to be taken into account when we consider creating inclusive care for all people.”
