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5 Ways The Trump Administration Is Literally Making LGBT People Sick

Is there a doctor in the House—or Senate?

Just hearing the words "president" and "Donald Trump" in the same sentence is enough to put us off our breakfast, but in barely 100 days the current administration has launched significant attacks against the well-being of the LGBT community.

And with the Affordable Care Act on the chopping block, many of those attacks have serious health consequences.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 02: (AFP OUT) U.S. President Donald Trump meets with executives and union representatives from the Harley Davidson company at the White House on February 2, 2017 in Washington, DC. At the end of the photo opportunity, Trump said "nothing is off the table" in relation to current disagreements between the U.S. and Iran. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Here are five ways the White House is making us sick—literally.

Trying to repeal ACA

MIAMI, FL - DECEMBER 15: An Obamacare sign is seen on the UniVista Insurance company office on December 15, 2015 in Miami, Florida. Today, is the deadline to sign up for a plan under the Affordable Care Act for people that want to be insured on January 1, 2016. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Should Republicans get their way, get used to hearing the words "preexisting condition." Everything from acne to HIV, domestic abuse to gender dysphoria, will fall under that umbrella and potentially preclude you from getting insured or treated.

Before the Affordable Care Act, 24% of HIV-positive people had no health insurance. The ACA subsidized private insurance, expanded Medicaid, and made sure having HIV wouldn't prevent you from getting insurance. (It also covered HIV testing and cut the rate of gay/bi people who were uninsured by 50% in two years.) Should the Republican plan pass the Senate, thousands of people with HIV will find themselves uninsured again. (The number of people getting tested will also drop, allowing the virus to flourish.)

Beyond HIV, Trump's plan would remove anti-discrimination protections in healthcare based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Nearly one in five trans Americans has been turned away by a medical professional because of their gender identity. (Some 30% said they've put off seeking treatment out of fear of being discriminated against.)

Don't look to the government to help: Roger Severino, who heads the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights, believes doctors with moral objections shouldn’t be forced to treat transgender patients.

Granting "religious" exemptions to healthcare coverage

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Last week, Trump signed an executive order that would allow churches to endorse (and attack) political candidates.

But the Executive Order on Promoting Free Speech also directed federal agencies to exempt certain religious groups—like the Little Sisters of the Poor—from providing birth control to employees, as is currently required by the Affordable Care Act. Such reasoning could easily be applied to PrEP and even antiretroviral medication used to treat HIV. (It wasn't long ago that evangelicals referred to AIDS as God's punishment against homosexuals.)

Gutting AIDS funding

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In March we reported the White House handed Congress a lengthy list of budget cuts, including slashing $350 million from HIV/AIDS research.

President Trump is planning to gut $242 million from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a key initiative that has been successful in curbing the virus in the developing world. An additional $50 million in cuts are planned for the domestic HIV/AIDS budget, as well as another $50 million trimmed from the CDC’s Global HIV/AIDS program.

The White House claims the cuts "would eliminate less effective HIV research and prevention activities," but even George W. Bush, who launched PEPFAR in 2003 says that's a bad idea.

And if we're siding with George Bush, you know we're in real trouble.

Pissing us off

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A toilet in a public lavatory

After being in office just one month, Trump rescinded President Obama's directive to schools to allow trans students to use bathrooms, lockers and other facilities that aligned with their gender identity.

Studies have show that trans and gender-nonconforming people who feel unsafe about using public bathrooms will hold it in rather than risk harassment or violence.

A study from the Williams Institute found that 54% of respondents experienced health problems as a result of avoid using the restroom, including dehydration, kidney infections, and urinary tract infections. Not draining properly allows bacteria to build, which can lead to infection, and over time, can cause urinary retention, when the bladder can no longer fully empty.

One national survey found a higher percentage of suicide attempts among trans people who had reported having been denied access to a restroom.

Stressing us the f*ck out

As our enemies are emboldened by having an ally in the White House, we've seen discrimination rear its ugly face, with an increase in hate attacks and vandalism targeting the LGBT community.

President Trump has already gutted an Obama-era requirement that companies receiving large federal contracts demonstrate they have complied with federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender stereotypes. According to American Progress, 43.7% of LGBT people say discrimination has negatively impacted their physical well-being. (When it comes to mental health, that percentage jumps to 68.5%.)

That's not even addressing how anxiety contributes to insomnia, indigestion, depression, and suicidal ideation—as well as negative lifestyle behaviors like smoking, drinking and even unsafe sex.

And if we've ever lived in an age of anxiety, it's now.

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