Elton John: Global Conflicts Like Gaza War Are Overshadowing the Fight Against AIDS
Elton John has warned that the global fight against HIV and AIDS is being ignored amid current world crises, including the war in Gaza. The singer and activist said millions of people still cannot access life-saving treatment, even though the tools to end the epidemic exist.
John said he is frustrated by the lack of progress. “I just am enraged by it,” he said, pointing out that both the U.S. and other countries have shifted priorities and failed to help communities most at risk.
He highlighted regions in Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Russia, where LGBTQ+ people face heavy stigma, persecution, or criminalization. In Russia, the Elton John AIDS Foundation was banned as a subversive organization.
Even where treatment is available, John said access is often limited. He praised the use of drones to deliver HIV medication, referencing a $150 million U.S. government grant to Zipline’s program, but noted that overall funding is decreasing. “It’s so frustrating when you have the medicine, you have prep, you have the antiretrovirals. We can stop the spread of AIDS, if people just got off their backsides and treated human beings in a Christian kind of way,” he said.
John compared the ongoing HIV crisis to international conflicts. “You know, there’s a big war that’s being settled, hopefully. But there’s another war, with people who are suffering from HIV and AIDS that should be able to get their medicine but can’t, because governments won’t let them. It’s inhumane,” he said.
David Furnish, John’s husband, noted that Elton’s blunt style often cuts through detailed policy discussions. “Elton’s a little blunter than me,” Furnish said, reflecting on how his passion highlights the urgency of the issue.
John stressed that ending AIDS is possible if governments act and provide proper support, and he called for more global cooperation to remove barriers for the LGBTQ+ community.
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