Hi, Brian Lairer here.

Up next, Brian Lairor Weekend,

three of our favorite segments from the week,

packaged together for you to listen to on the weekend.

So enjoy, and I'll see you back on the radio Monday at 10 a.m.

on WNYC and WNYC for our first show in the month of June, we say, happy pride. It is LGBTQ pride month.

And for our first segment about it this year, we will note that the LGBTQ community is among those unhappy about proposed cuts to public health programs.

And Mayor Adams' proposed budget for the new

fiscal year, which begins at the end of the month, technically July 1st. Council and the mayor are

deep into negotiations over all kinds of programs and their funding at a time when lower

revenues for a variety of reasons means there will be cuts. The question is where. As our health

reporter, Caroline Lewis, writes on Gothamist, HIV services, including a program that has

been shown to help hard to reach patients, patients reduce their viral loads, are among those

targeted for cuts. That would be $5.3 million less in spending on HIV programs as part

of $75 million overall in cuts to the health department. Caroline reports that the mayor's health

commissioner, Dr. Ashwin-Vosson, said about 80% of the cuts come from reducing department overhead and spending on non-public-facing

programs, but another $15 million is spread out among direct services to the public, including

the $5 million taken from HIV programs. So public health activists, including HIV activists, are activated,

and getting into that act is ACT UP, the legendary AIDS and HIV activist group that had

such an impact on awareness and policy in the 1980s and 1990s, especially, with us now two organizers

for ACT UP, NIA Notting and Brandon Quickey.

Nia is also with Come Forever Mutual Aid. Nea and Brandon, thanks for coming on. Welcome to WNYC.

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