HIV-positive men gathered at the U.S.-Mexico border in Tijuana Sunday to mark World AIDS Day with a defiant demonstration of queer love and affection in front of Donald Trumps border wall.Queer health and human rights organization MPact Globals third annual Besoton Sidoso Internacional/International HIV Kiss-In took on new significance amid the administrations ongoing attacks on immigrants and its abnegation of the U.S.s role in fighting HIV/AIDS around the world. Related HIV activists block D.C. intersection to protest Donald Trumps cuts to life-saving programs In a video posted to MPact Globals Instagram on December 1, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives and Communications Alex Garner described the event as a bold political demonstration of the value of the sexuality of queer people living with HIV and the fundamental human rights of queer migrants. View this post on Instagram A post shared by MPact (@mpact.global) Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today As The Advocate notes, a 2018 report from the National Institute of Health indicated that migrants living in high-income countries are disproportionately affected by HIV and are frequently unable to access the care they need. The outlet also cited a February 2025 study from the Williams Institute, which found that as many as 288,000 undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. identify as LGBTQ+.As of [SIC] one of the only openly HIV-positive Executive Directors of a global organization, I am inspired and heartened by this highly visible action for the rights of all people living with HIV, especially queer migrants, when theres so much fear and disinformation out there, MPacts Andrew Spieldenner said of the kiss-in, according to The Advocate. Garner told the outlet that MPact works with local communities to stage its annual kiss-in demonstrations as a bold, provocative, and revolutionary act to publicly demonstrate the sexuality of people living with HIV and declare the human rights of queer migrants.Weve transcended borders of sexuality and of gender and borders cannot restrict our fight for queer migrants and people living with HIV as we utilize the power of a kiss, Garner said.Last week, The New York Times confirmed that the U.S. State Department had sent an email directing employees and grantees not to use federal funds to mark World AIDS Day on December 1. State Department employees were instructed to refrain from publicly promoting World AIDS Day through any communication channels, including social media, media engagements, speeches or other public-facing messaging. 2025 is the first year since 1988 that the U.S. government has not commemorated World AIDS Day.According to the Times, the State Department email noted that the directive was part of the Trump administrations policy to refrain from messaging on any commemorative days. But as The Guardian reported, since returning to office in January, Trump has signed at least a dozen proclamations for various awareness days and other commemorative observances.Alongside its brutal crackdown on undocumented immigrants, the Trump administration has also drastically cut federal funding for HIV prevention worldwide. An estimated 127,073 adult and 13,527 infant deaths have been caused by the effects of HIV/AIDS due to Trumps cuts in funding for the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a program that has saved an estimated 25 to 26 million lives since its inception in 2003.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.