Today—December 1—we join millions across the globe in remembering the lives lost to HIV and AIDS, honoring those living with HIV, and recommitting ourselves to justice, compassion, and public health. This year, federal agencies were instructed not to publicly commemorate World AIDS Day—ending a bipartisan tradition observed every year since 1988.

But this year, for the first time since 1988, the United States federal government has declined to recognize World AIDS Day.

This silence is not neutral.

This silence communicates something dangerous.
This silence tells people living with HIV and AIDS—and those who love them—that their lives are not worth naming, mourning, or fighting for.

And it comes at the very moment when:

• HIV/AIDS nonprofits are struggling due to federal cuts, demoralizing delays, and disrupted grants.
• Women-led and community-based HIV organizations are reporting severe impacts, with many reducing services or closing programs.
• Millions of Americans face skyrocketing health insurance premiums, threatening their access to lifesaving care.
• Millions more could lose SNAP benefits, forcing many to choose between medication and food.

This is not a time for the church to sit quietly inside our cozy buildings.
This is a moment for public witness, prophetic love, and embodied solidarity! 

For those living with HIV: We see you. You matter. You deserve joy, dignity, and abundant life.

For caregivers, families, activists, and advocates: Your work is holy.

We remember those we have lost, and we honor their lives and their legacy.

And for all of us in faith communities: silence is not our calling. Love is! 

Ways You Can Support the ONA Coalition on World AIDS Day 

1. Individuals: Join the Sustaining Circle. Monthly giving provides steady, year-round support. It helps us respond quickly to crises, offer coaching to churches in hostile environments, and build long-term resilience across this movement.

We didn’t unlock the full matching grant last week (all donations of up to $250 matched)—but  we were close ($195) and there is still time to join before the end of the year. Click Here to become a Sustaining Supporter.  

2. Congregations: Become a Sustaining Church.  

Congregations can give once or twice per year (June/December are common), or more if able. Many churches give at least $1 per active member, though any amount strengthens the work.

Sustaining Churches help us offer training, resources, and coaching at low or no cost to the ministries that need us most. Click here to fill out the form to commit to being a sustaining church.  

3. Give Through Our 2-for-1 Matching Grant (Now thru12/31/2025): We are excited to share that the Coalition has received a 2-for-1 matching grant: for every dollar donated, a generous supporter will give two dollars, up to a total of $10,000 raised. If our community contributes $10,000, the donor will add $20,000—providing $30,000 to strengthen this movement!

Every dollar you give becomes three:

$25 becomes $75

$100 becomes $300

$1,000 becomes $3,000

If our community raises $10,000, a generous donor will contribute another $20,000—bringing $30,000 to support this movement at a time when it is urgently needed.  Click here to help us raise funds towards this matching grant!

A Final Word

World AIDS Day has always been a testament to community—especially queer, Black, brown, poor, trans, immigrant, and disabled communities who refused to be erased.

If the federal government chooses silence, then the church must choose courage.

If the administration will not honor this day, then we will honor it—with our voices, our prayers, our dollars, our activism, and our love.

SILENCE = DEATH.
SOLIDARITY = LIFE.

Let us choose life, loudly and without apology.

In the struggle and the hope,

Rev. Derek Terry, Acting Executive Director
Open and Affirming Coalition United Church of Christ

Let’s keep this movement alive and strong.

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A Death Sentence for the Most Vulnerable

PEPFAR has been one of the most successful global health programs in history, saving millions of lives by preventing and treating HIV/AIDS in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. By cutting off PrEP access to LGBTQ+ people and sex workers, the Trump administration has ensured that HIV infections will rise, leading to unnecessary suffering and death. This policy is not about fiscal responsibility or public health—it is about catering to a conservative, heteronormative worldview that sees certain lives as expendable.

As people of faith committed to justice and inclusion, we must call this policy what it is: an act of state-sanctioned violence. It is an extension of the same hateful rhetoric that demonizes LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. and beyond. It is a direct attack on the dignity and worth of God’s beloved children.

What This Means for LGBTQ+ People in the U.S.

Although this particular policy targets foreign aid, it sends a chilling message to LGBTQ+ people everywhere, including in the United States. If the government is willing to let queer people abroad suffer and die rather than provide them with access to basic healthcare, how long before similar policies are enacted here? We have already seen efforts to restrict access to PrEP domestically, including legal challenges to insurance coverage and conservative-led state efforts to defund LGBTQ+-inclusive healthcare programs.

This policy reinforces the idea that LGBTQ+ lives are expendable, that their well-being is secondary to the political agendas of those in power. It fuels stigma, emboldens discrimination, and puts more people—especially Black and Brown LGBTQ+ individuals—at risk of contracting HIV. It deepens the shame and fear that many queer people already feel when seeking medical care, pushing them further to the margins.

We must reject the false narrative that this is simply a political or budgetary decision. This is about control, about punishing people for who they are, and about erasing our existence.

What Can Churches and Individuals Do?

As Open and Affirming churches and justice-seeking people of faith, we must respond with action, not just words. Here are concrete ways we can push back against this harmful policy:

1. Advocate for Policy Change – Contact elected officials and demand that they restore PEPFAR’s full funding and PrEP access for all high-risk groups. Urge Congress to push back against these unjust restrictions.
2. Support Organizations Fighting HIV/AIDS – Donate to and partner with organizations providing PrEP, treatment, and education, such as the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, AVAC (AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition), and local LGBTQ+ health centers.
3. Educate Your Community – Host forums, webinars, or discussions in your church or community to educate people about HIV prevention, the impact of these policies, and what we can do to help.
4. Provide Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ People – Ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals in your congregation and community know they are welcomed, affirmed, loved, and supported. This includes offering tangible resources, such as health referrals, support groups, and affirming theology.
5. Raise Awareness Through Social Media – Use your platform to amplify the voices of those impacted by this decision and to call for justice. Share stories, petitions, and updates to keep people informed and engaged.
6. Push for Expanded Domestic PrEP Access – Support local and national efforts to ensure PrEP remains widely available and affordable in the U.S. Push back against religious exemptions that allow healthcare discrimination.
7. Pray and Preach for Justice – Include prayers for those affected by these policies in your worship services. Preach boldly about the call to resist injustice and care for the most vulnerable.

The decision to restrict PrEP access is an attack on the sanctity of life itself. As followers of Christ, we cannot remain silent while our siblings around the world suffer. Let us stand together in faith and action, refusing to let discrimination and indifference dictate who gets to live and who is left to die.

God’s love is for all people—unconditionally, unapologetically, and without restrictions. May we be the hands and feet of that love in this critical moment.

As followers of Christ, we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. On World AIDS Day, we stand in solidarity with all those affected acted by HIV/AIDS, offering compassion, support, and a commitment to justice and a cure. We reject stigma and discrimination, remembering Jesus’ own embrace of all those society marginalized. We intentionally embrace those living with HIV/AIDS as the beautiful, beloved of God’s family.

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” – 1 John 4:18

Let us work towards a world free from AIDS, where all are loved, valued, and treated with dignity and respect.