• mhague@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    He was president during the aids epidemic. His admin would all but laugh at the idea of people being gay, the “gay plague”, did not care one iota even after thousands had died.

    The white house’s stance was basically “if you care then you must be gay, and if you’re gay that’s funny”

    I wasn’t alive for this moment but I’ll never forget it just the same:


    Lester Kinsolving: Does the president have any reaction to the announcement by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta that AIDS is now an epidemic in over 600 cases?

    Larry Speakes: AIDS? I haven’t got anything on it.

    Lester Kinsolving: Over a third of them have died. It’s known as “gay plague.” [Press pool laughter.] No, it is. It’s a pretty serious thing. One in every three people that get this have died. And I wonder if the president was aware of this.

    Larry Speakes: I don’t have it. [Press pool laughter.] Do you?