By Sesali B. • @BadFatBlackGirl • 12 years ago

Photo of the Day: The really naked truth about budget cuts to HIV/AIDS programs

Naked AIDS activists, with painted slogans on their bodies, protest inside the lobby of the Capitol Hill office of House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012, prior to World AIDS Day, Dec. 1.

If there was ever a reason to take your clothes off for a Republican, this is it!

Three women were arrested yesterday after a direct action protest in which they, along with several men, got completely nude in House Speaker John Boehner’s office.

“Three women AIDS activists saying they wanted to highlight the ‘naked truth’ about potential spending cuts in HIV programs were arrested Tuesday after taking their clothes off in the lobby of House Speaker John Boehner’s office.

The trio had the words ‘AIDS cuts kill’ painted on their bodies and had linked arms with four men who also disrobed as part of the protest. The nude protesters, along with dozens of other clothed demonstrators chanted slogans, including: ‘People with AIDS are under attack. What do we do? Fight back.’

“People with AIDS are sick and tired of being pushed over the cliff,” said one of the women who was arrested. “We need to make sure they stop going after people with AIDS.” 

Their actions were profound not only because they shed some light on the “naked truth” about how dangerous these potential spending cuts are, but because they did so by drawing attention to the body itself–the thing most directly affected by HIV/AIDS. Using their own bodies, they magnified the fact that other people’s bodies, health, and lives are at stake.

Feministing's resident "sexpert", Sesali is a published writer and professional shit talker. She is a queer Black girl, fat girl, and trainer. She was the former Training Director at the United States Student Association and later a member of the Youth Organizing team at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She received her bachelors in Women's and Gender Studies from Depaul University in 2012 and is currently pursuing a master's in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality studies at Georgia State University in Atlanta. A self identified "trap" feminist, and trained with a reproductive justice background, her interests include the intersections of feminism and: pop culture, youth culture, social media, hip hop, girlhood, sexuality, race, gender, and Beyonce. Sesali joined the team in 2010 as one of the winners of our So You Think You Can Blog contest.

is Feministing's resident sexpert and cynic.

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