according to public health officials.<\/a> Advocates say wider access to the medication \u2014 including through insurance coverage and telehealth services \u2014 is critical to reducing new HIV infections across the United States.<\/p>\nThe day began with a panel in the ornate Kennedy Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building, where the Housewives shared personal stories about the importance of HIV prevention.<\/p>\n
Many of the Housewives offered personal accounts of why HIV prevention matters to them.<\/p>\n
Bassett drew on her experience under the Obama-Biden administration in public affairs and spoke about how policy decisions can directly impact marginalized communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore my career in entertainment, I actually worked in the White House Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, and part of my job was to liaise between the White House and communities,\u201d Bassett shared to the crowded room. \u201cAnd so I got to see firsthand the effect that federal policy could have on those communities and the outcomes that could come out of that work, particularly marginalized communities.\u201d<\/p>\n
She then looked toward her fellow Housewives, pointing out that the issue does not affect all communities equally, with minority groups disproportionately impacted by HIV.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd just what Phaedra said about this disease and HIV and AIDS, and how it disproportionately affects so many, particularly Black people \u2014 we make up, as you said, 12 percent of the population, and we are 40 percent of those affected by HIV. Just let that sink in. Let the walls hear that \u2026 It\u2019s so important that we have these conversations, not just in forums like this, but around your kitchen tables, in your group chats, on the street \u2014 wherever we are. We need to be talking about what we can be doing as communities and as individuals to combat HIV and AIDS.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nAfter the panel, the group moved to the Lincoln Room, part of the Majority Whip\u2019s office suite, where they continued conversations with lawmakers and staff about access to care, education, and prevention.<\/p>\n
Bassett, fresh out of \u201cThe Traitors\u201d castle, emphasized the need to humanize heavy topics like HIV.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile you may not have anyone in your direct family affected by HIV, six degrees of separation \u2014 everyone knows someone who has been affected,\u201d Bassett told the Washington Blade. \u201cIf you can tie the nature of dealing with illness back to families, they have to hopefully see themselves in it. People want community. Social media has done a good job connecting us in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bassett encouraged attendees to be brave, to educate themselves about preventive measures, and to take advantage of telemedicine through platforms like MISTR.<\/p>\n
\u201cStep out and have faith that the people who are supposed to bind you are supposed to help you,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Schukraft said the turnout reflected the public\u2019s strong interest in HIV prevention and awareness.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver 400 people attended the panel, and we had to turn people away,\u201d Schukraft told the Blade. \u201cThese are real communities across the country, sharing stories and emphasizing the importance of HIV prevention and long-term care. Telemedicine is key \u2014 it helps rural and urban communities, reduces stigma, and allows people to consult doctors from home. The more honest you are with the doctor, the better care you get.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Leakes, using her iconic voice to educate others was a natural extension of her platform.<\/p>\n
\u201cTalking about sex, HIV, those topics can be embarrassing,\u201d she admitted. \u201cAtlanta has a high HIV rate, particularly in the Black and gay communities. Confidence to speak and educate my community feels good. The number of people that came out to support us this morning \u2014 some were turned away \u2014 was amazing. It\u2019s important to make the conversation fun and approachable for the younger generation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAtlanta has a high HIV rate, particularly in the Black and gay communities,\u201d Leakes added to the Blade. \u201cThe South, Miami, Houston \u2014 these areas remain high, and ignorance contributes. Confidence to speak and educate my community feels good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parks echoed the sentiment, highlighting both the challenges and the resilience of the LGBTQ community.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany people need this incentive and don\u2019t have a voice. Medical care is expensive and inaccessible for some, so MISTR provides resources and telemedicine access to PrEP,\u201d Parks said. \u201cThe LGBTQ+ community fights battles daily; sometimes they lose, but they keep going. Housewives show that women can stay the course.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lawyer, who also teased some new and upcoming projects, highlighted Atlanta\u2019s return to Bravo on April 5 with \u201ctwo new peaches in the house,\u201d which she assured would be must-see TV. She also mentioned her upcoming role in \u201cDancing with the Stars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Patton said that the atmosphere on the Hill was very welcoming (more so than Andy Cohen\u2019s couch at reunion time, one might assume.) She also noted that by working with Schukraft and MISTR, she was able to see firsthand how technology and telehealth can remove barriers to care.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone\u2019s been so friendly, enthusiastic, and encouraging,\u201d said Patton. \u201cI was impressed with MISTR \u2014 how they get medication to people who can\u2019t see a doctor or don\u2019t have funds. Telehealth and medication delivery reduce stigma and help prevent the spread of HIV. Access needs to be available for prevention to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jayne gave the Blade a more personal reflection, particularly touching on how much treatment has changed since the disease began in the 1980s.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up in the late \u201880s and early \u201890s, an HIV diagnosis meant death,\u201d she said. \u201cThe stigma was terrible, and I lost many people in the arts community. Now, people live longer, but the disease remains. I think it\u2019s important to use whatever influence I have to educate.\u201d<\/p>\n
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), the first openly lesbian senator who has long advocated for HIV research and prevention, said the Housewives\u2019 visit underscored the importance of public awareness and celebrity influence in the fight against HIV.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first got involved, AIDS was a death sentence \u2014 no treatment, no cure. Now we know so much more due to public education and health research. Advocacy spreads awareness that PrEP exists, prevents transmission, and funds research toward a cure. Bipartisan pressure is needed to keep funding going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baldwin continued, explaining that this is not a one-and-done effort. To end the epidemic, all of Congress must come together to fight a virus that does not recognize political party, class, sexuality, or gender.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the end of this epidemic within our reach, but we have to keep focused on it. We have to keep investing. That\u2019s why what we\u2019re doing today, and why \u2026 the Real Housewives coming to Capitol Hill with their celebrity and pressing this topic is so important because we have seen this administration, the Trump administration, propose cuts globally, drastic cuts globally, to the fight against AIDS, but also locally. I\u2019m in a position as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee to fight back, to actually fund programs that they\u2019re trying to cut, but that\u2019s not a given, and we need to really keep the pressure up on a bipartisan basis to keep that funding going.\u201d<\/p>\n
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