After President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last week, his views on HIV and other health issues impacting the LGBTQ community have raised concerns about how he would lead the agency if his nomination is confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
The controversial environmental lawyer has promoted untrue, dangerous, and conspiratorial claims about science and medicine, most notably misinformation about lifesaving vaccines, including the debunked idea that they are linked to autism diagnoses in children.
During an interview last year, RFK Jr. said endocrine disrupting chemicals in drinking water are responsible for homosexuality and gender dysphoria among young people, a claim that is unsupported by scientific evidence.
He has also falsely claimed that HIV does not cause AIDS — arguing that the culprit is, rather, the “gay lifestyle,” including the recreational use of amyl nitrate (poppers) by men who have sex with men — and proposed that U.S. health officials take a “break” from studying infectious diseases, which may raise questions about the future of HHS’s Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy under his leadership.
Additionally, RFK Jr. has challenged health care interventions for transgender minors that are considered safe and medically necessary by mainstream scientific and medical organizations, earning support from conservative groups like the American Principles Project, which opposes abortion, same-sex marriage, transgender rights, and voting rights legislation.
Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, who is gay, drew backlash after posting on X in support of RFK Jr.’s nomination on Thursday, writing, “He helped us defeat vaccine mandates in Colorado in 2019 and will help make America healthy again by shaking up HHS and FDA.”
Polis touted RFK Jr.’s promises to “cap drug prices so that companies can’t charge Americans substantially more than Europeans
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