World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day is a global movement to unite people in the fight against HIV and AIDS. Since 1988, communities have stood together on World AIDS Day to show strength and solidarity against HIV stigma and to remember lives lost.

The Trump Administration is not a big fan:

The State Department issued a terse statement last week saying, "an awareness day is not a strategy."

The result is that on December 1, the United States is not commemorating World AIDS Day. It's the first time the U.S. has not participated since the World Health Organization created this day in 1988 to remember the millions of people who have died of AIDS-related illnesses and recommit to fighting the epidemic that still claims the lives of more than half a million people each year.

The move is typical:

The decision not to mark World AIDS Day is in line with the administration's broader approach to WHO and the United Nations more broadly. Trump has been critical of multilateral organizations like the U.N. and of WHO's handling of COVID. One of his first moves, on inauguration day, was to start the process of removing the U.S. from the WHO. 

However, the Trump Administration has marked other days designated by the UN, such as World Autism Awareness Day. The White House issued a proclamation for that day.

It is not totally off limits:

Employees and grantees may still “tout the work” being done through various programs “to counter this dangerous disease and other infectious diseases around the world,” the email said. And they may attend events related to the commemoration.

But they should “refrain from publicly promoting World AIDS Day through any communication channels, including social media, media engagements, speeches or other public-facing messaging.”

Chris Geidner has more.