With an incoming Trump Administration, Republican-controlled U.S. Congress and the right-wing shift of our courts, we are moving into an increasingly violent political environment for communities most impacted by HIV. We must be prepared for more targeted, state-sanctioned attacks against BIPOC, queer and trans people, immigrants and migrants, people involved in the sex trade,

substance users, imprisoned and detained people, people with disabilities, and no- and low-income people. In the words of PWN’s Co-Executive Directors, “those who oppose our very existence and survival will try to wear us down, but we must not be deterred… Our strength lies in our shared resilience, mutual support, and unwavering vision of a brighter, inclusive future.”

As we prepare for 2025, it is important to nourish our communities with the wisdom, dexterity and rigor of those who have been here before. We asked long-time HIV and reproductive justice movement partners for their thoughts because, as Keiva Lei Cadena and Marnina Miller expressed in PWN's post-election statement, “we’ve always known the government and the systems of oppression already in place were not going to liberate us—we will liberate us.”

“During the upcoming Trump presidency, we can expect challenges similar to those faced previously, including policies that exacerbate barriers for immigrants living with HIV,” said Martha Sichone-Cameron, former PWN Special Projects Coordinator and current Executive Director for the International Community of Women Living with HIV-North America (ICWNA). We should be on guard against reduced funding for federal HIV programs, such as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, and policies that increase discrimination and stigma against asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants. “Renewed narratives stigmatizing immigrants, particularly those with HIV,” Martha warned, “could fuel xenophobia and discourage immigrants from seeking care.”

We should be prepared for hate-fueled attacks on bodily autonomy. “We'll unfortunately see attempts to severely cut funding for sexual, reproductive, and gender-affirming care coverage, for millions of people on Medicaid by implementing block grants to states and work requirements,” said Arneta Rogers, former PWN Policy Director, current Executive Director of the Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice at Berkeley Law. “There will be attempts to ban gender-affirming care (GAC) for young people and end access to GAC for PLHIV through the Ryan White Programs. They will try to enact a nationwide abortion ban by criminalizing access to medication abortion, reviving the Comstock Act, and federally recognizing fetal personhood. They'll try to rollback non-discrimination and civil rights policies in HHS that invalidate the existence of trans and nonbinary people and create barriers to people receiving care.  And, of course, the threat of mass deportations, disastrous environmental policies and deregulation, and tax breaks for the ultra rich on the backs of marginalized communities will impact our ability to control our reproductive futures and have self-determined families.”

Exhaustion, fear and isolation are tools that fuel white supremacy and pit our communities against each other.  Ronald Johnson, Chair of the U.S. People Living with HIV Caucus, advises intentionality, collaboration and nimbleness in the coming fights. “Try to avoid a broad, ‘resist everything’ approach,” he warned. “Remember that there are other advocates who are working on the other issues in which you are interested.” Ronald expressed that it will be imperative to develop clear policy objectives, clear messages, and action steps. “Try to have positive and people-centered objectives [and]…determine the right balance between grassroots mobilization and grasstops advocacy.”

Based on her experience during the previous Trump presidency, Martha Sichone-Cameron found that sustaining resistance requires a combination of strategic planning, community care, and coalition-building. In her words:

1. Center community care. Advocacy work can be exhausting, especially during difficult political climates. Ensure that PWN members prioritize self-care and create safe spaces for sharing challenges and celebrating wins. Sustainable resistance starts with taking care of ourselves and each other. 

2. Use every tool available. Leverage media, social platforms, and public storytelling to highlight the lived experiences of people living with HIV. These stories humanize our cause and counter harmful narratives.

3. Stay informed and organized. Anticipate policy changes by staying informed and proactively crafting resistance strategies. During the previous administration, quick, organized responses were crucial to mitigating harmful policies.

In the face of a largely united opposition, it is more important than ever before to build relationships and work in coalition when possible.  “Know that our fights can’t be waged alone,” said Arneta Rogers. “It’s a time for deeper and more intentional cross movement collaboration because the work of holding the line is too much for any one movement or community to carry when attacks are so multifaceted. During the previous administration, we deepened our racial justice commitment, our gender-justice work grew deeper and even more inclusive of our trans and non-binary siblings, we fought alongside immigrant rights movements to thwart public charge, and drew upon lessons from the disability justice community in direct action organizing to save health care. All the lessons and all the intersectional people power was and remains critical.”

• What to expect: The Trump administration has proposed a number of attacks on LGBTQ+ people’s rights and protections. Legal experts have already started to weigh in on how viable these policies are and what steps people can take to protect themselves.

• This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on United States v. Skrmetti, a case which will decide whether gender-affirming care bans for trans youth are unconstitutional. The ramifications of the case are far-reaching; Tennessee has banned gender-affirming care for trans youth, where the same treatments are available for cisgender youth. If the ban is upheld, the ruling potentially enables other discriminatory healthcare policies.

• People in California, Colorado, and Hawaii voted to enshrine the right for people of all genders to marry in state law. Thirty-five states still have a constitutional ban or statute outlawing same-sex marriage.

• What to expect: President-elect Donald Trump intends to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services, and Mehmet Oz (“Dr. Oz”) to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. 

  • RFK Jr. has taken extremely dangerous positions on vaccines, abortion, and LGBTQ+ issues. However, there is a limit to what he could do as head of HHS.

  • Mehmet Oz has a history of profiting from fringe theories with little to no scientific backing. He also has a long history of endorsing private-sector alternatives to government health insurance.

• Republicans now control the White House, the House, and the Senate, which could lead to significant changes to the Affordable Care Act. Potential risks include curtailing Medicaid expansion, raising the uninsured rate, weakening patient protections, and increasing premium costs for millions of people. However, whatever path they pursue, anti-ACA actors will face various procedural and administrative hurdles.

• The Center for American Progress has recently released a report indicating that half of the people living with HIV in the United States reside in places that are vulnerable to extreme weather and climate disasters. The climate crisis is an issue that significantly impacts people living with HIV.

• What to expect: Advocates across the country are preparing for the restrictions to reproductive freedom a Trump administration will bring. Reproductive rights organizers are planning to challenge anti-abortion policies in court, organize protests, and lobby lawmakers to oppose bans. Politicians in blue states have already made vows to install an expansive net of reproductive health protections in anticipation of attacks.

• Seven out of the ten confirmed state abortion ballot measures succeeded – shoutout to the incredible work of our PWN members in Colorado and Texas! However, a Trump presidency does make these protections vulnerable.

• After two preventable deaths occurred in Texas due to sub-standard reproductive care, Texas lawmakers have renewed a push for new exceptions to the state’s strict abortion ban.

• President-elect Trump has nominated Linda McMahon for Secretary of Education. McMahon is a vocal proponent of voucher programs, which were first deployed in the American South during desegregation so authorities could fund segregated private education.

• In Missouri, Alaska, and Nebraska, people overwhelmingly voted to expand paid sick leave. The initiatives will give workers earned sick time depending on the size of their employer.

• What to expect: the Trump administration ran on their anti-immigrant agenda, and immigration enforcement is certain to increase rapidly in the coming months. There are a number of helpful guides breaking down your rights if you’re confronted by ICE.

• More than 60 members of Congress have demanded that President Joe Biden grant clemency to the thousands of incarcerated people serving unjust sentences or sitting on federal death row. Project 2025 advises the next presidential administration to obtain finality for the 44 prisoners currently on federal death row, and to pursue capital punishment in new cases. Here are some other steps President Biden can take to promote criminal justice reform during his remaining time in office.

• Proposition 6, which would have ended forced labor in California prisons and jails, failed this November. However, Nevada residents successfully voted to amend their constitution to protect incarcerated people from forced labor and involuntary servitude.