From a Governor Comparing COVID Vaccine to ‘AIDS Vaccine’ to a Gay Man Attacked, This Week in Across the Country – SouthFloridaGayNews.com
This week read about Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp comparing the COVID vaccine to the non-existent AIDS vaccine, and a gay man getting attacked in California.
Governor Compares COVID Vaccine to ‘AIDS Vaccine’
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia has been critical of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and has argued that educating the public about vaccines would be more effective than mandating them.
Kemp recently appeared on a right-wing podcast hosted by Erick Erickson where he compared the COVID-19 vaccine with the nonexistent AIDS vaccine, HIV Plus Magazine reported.
“That is basically how the AIDS vaccine worked. People wouldn’t take it early on because it was mandated, they started educating people and now it is doing a lot of good out there,” Kemp told Erickson. “Same scenario, different year that we are dealing with right now.”
Kemp’s office stated that Kemp meant to reference the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine instead.
Despite the fact that there is no AIDS vaccine, Salon reported that Kemp has referenced it at least two other times this year.
While discussing mask mandates, Kemp previously said, “Well we are not going to have a statewide mask mandate … [Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health Dr. Kathleen] Tumi and I believe that they do not work. They did not work with the AIDS vaccine and they’re not going to work with the coronavirus vaccine.”
Gay Man Attacked in San Diego
Photo via PxHere.
Gersson Saavedra was near Cesar Chavez Park in San Diego with a couple of friends when two men approached him; he remembers little of the attack that followed.
On Sept. 12, the men approached Saavedra and, according to his friends, they asked him for a lighter. Saavedra’s friends said the men then began yelling homophobic profanities, NBC Bay Area reported.
By the time his friends turned around to see what was happening, Saavedra was getting punched by his attackers. He was knocked unconscious and his attackers were nowhere to be found.
“First thing I remember when I woke on the hospital bed is that one of the doctors asked me if I was gay,” said Saavedra. “I was like, that’s such a weird question to ask, but I said of course. And he was like, ‘Okay, you were a victim of a hate crime.’”
As a result of the attack, Saavedra had a spinal cord injury, a fractured nose, and a fractured eye socket.
According to the Attorney General’s office, hate crimes in California have increased by 31% last year and 15% of those were crimes related to sexual orientation.