New York, NY — This week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an Executive Order banning all non-essential, state-sponsored travel to North Carolina. The ban, effective immediately, was put in place in response to North Carolina’s new law that enables discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) North Carolinians.
The following is a statement from Ms. Jacquelyn Kilmer, Esq, Chief Executive Officer of Harlem United:
“On behalf of the over 16,000 clients Harlem United serves throughout New York City, I want to thank Governor Andrew Cuomo for standing up against discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in North Carolina and throughout the United States. Governor Cuomo knows that we will not be able to end the AIDS epidemic unless we comprehensively address stigma and discrimination, a leading driver of new infections among gay and bisexual men and transgender women of color. North Carolina’s discriminatory law will only increase the risk of HIV transmission among the LGBT populations already hardest hit by the epidemic.”
Basic facts about the AIDS epidemic in North Carolina (data from 2012):
- 26,437 people living with an HIV or AIDS diagnosis.
- 71% of people living with an HIV diagnosis were men, 29% were women.
- 65% of people living with an HIV diagnosis were black, 7% Hispanic/Latino, and 25% white.
- 68% of HIV cases in men were from male-to-male sexual contact.
Source: https://aidsvu.org/state/north-carolina/
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ABOUT HARLEM UNITED
Founded in 1988, Harlem United is a nationally recognized human services organization that provides full access to integrated health care and social services for individuals experiencing multiple and complex issues, including HIV/AIDS, social stigma, mental illness, chronic substance and alcohol use, homelessness, and extreme poverty — regardless of race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression. www.harlemunited.org
