Jill Biden Visits LGBT, HIV/AIDS Clinic
- By
- Carlos Santoscoy
- | January 23, 2021
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden on Friday visited an HIV/AIDS clinic in Washington.
Biden visited Whitman-Walker Health, a DC-based community health center and clinic that serves the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities.
Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, said that the visit marks a departure in priorities from the Trump administration.
“By prioritizing the foremost LGBTQ community health center in Washington, D.C. as one of her first public visits, First Lady Dr. Jill Biden has highlighted that the health and wellness of our community is a top priority,” David said in a statement. “For decades, Whitman-Walker Health has provided crucial services and support to LGBTQ people and people living with HIV and AIDS. Today, they serve as one of the critical resources for our nation's capital as we combat COVID-19.”
“Dr. Biden’s visit proves she and the Biden administration understand the importance of providing resources to LGBTQ focused health centers and addressing health disparities among the most vulnerable. From Day One, the President and the First Lady’s commitment to taking immediate action to improve the lives of LGBTQ people has been a welcome breath of fresh air,” he said.
Jill Biden's office said that the visit served “to highlight and promote support services for cancer patients and caregivers, as well as hear about the impact of COVID-19 on access to health care, including cancer screenings and prevention efforts.”
Biden reportedly met with Naseema Shafi, CEO of Whitman-Walker Health, and Kim Thiboldeaux, chief executive officer of the Cancer Support Community.
In her public remarks, Biden said that President Joe Biden's highest priority is getting Americans vaccinated against coronavirus.
According to the Washington Blade, Former First Lady Barbara Bush in 1989 visited the clinic, where she held a baby and hugged a gay man, both of whom had terminal AIDS. Hillary Clinton as first lady also visited the clinic.