RELEASE: Congresswoman Friedman Hosts LGBTQ Roundtable
Highlights Trump Admin’s Attacks on the LGBTQ Community & Cuts to HIV Prevention Funding
LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, June 2, 2025, at the LA LGBT Center, Congresswoman Laura Friedman (CA-30) hosted an LGBTQ roundtable with local advocates and organizations to discuss the Trump Administration's attacks on LGBTQ rights and the impact of delayed HIV prevention funding.
The conversation also highlighted the urgent consequences of the Trump Administration’s decision to withhold Congressionally approved HIV prevention funding — a move that has already forced Los Angeles County to terminate contracts with 39 health providers. The cuts threaten to halt critical services like HIV testing, PrEP navigation, STD screening, and community outreach. Friedman recently led 23 Members of Congress in demanding that HHS and the CDC immediately release the withheld funds and improve transparency with grant recipients.
Friedman was joined by leaders from the LA LGBT Center, AMAAD Institute, APLA Health, Bienestar Human Services, St. John's Community Health, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Essential Access Health, APAIT, and Equality California.
Participants raised concerns about the broader pattern of anti-LGBTQ actions under the Trump Administration — from executive orders targeting transgender individuals, to funding rollbacks, and the erasure of LGBTQ language and data from federal health guidance.
“Today’s roundtable was about hearing directly from the people on the front lines and I’m taking your voices back to Washington with me. These cuts aren’t just numbers — they’re patients who won’t get healthcare and more people put at risk,” said Congresswoman Laura Friedman (CA-30). “That’s why I led 23 of my colleagues in demanding that HHS and the CDC release these critical HIV prevention funds. Our providers deserve consistent support — not an administration that treats fellow Americans as less than equal.”
Trump’s Attacks on the LGBTQ community include:
- Attempts to roll back anti-discrimination protections.
- Politicization of public health funding, especially in regard to HIV investments.
- Attacks on transgender service members.
- Targeted HUD housing policies in an attempt to deny housing to transgender individuals.
- Threatening universities’ federal funding because they provide resources for LGBTQ+ students, among others.
Below: Friedman hosting an LGBTQ roundtable with local organizations and advocates.
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