{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/69b433341b5a7dfbdf67e05b/6a7a3a945a90490c3400e6b7?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":" ‘HIV Is Too Woke’: Why This Gay Doctor Resigned From Trump’s CDC ","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/69b433341b5a7dfbdf67e05b/1786395222396-4c434ef1-f886-48d5-b04a-6893d41486c5.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>Dr. Demetre Daskalakis is one of the foremost LGBTQ health professionals in the U.S. In November 2020, the waning months of Trump’s first term, he was <a href=\"https://www.hivplusmag.com/news/2020/11/19/new-yorks-demetre-daskalakis-lead-cdcs-aids-prevention-efforts\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">appointed</a> director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through part of his tenure with the Biden administration, he also served as the <a href=\"https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/02/president-biden-announces-team-to-lead-monkeypox-response/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">deputy response coordinator</a> for mpox at the White House as well as the <a href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20240926200951/https://www.cdc.gov/about/leadership/ncird.html\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">director</a> of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.</p><p><br></p><p>While he continued a lot of this work after Biden left office, he didn’t last long under Trump 2.0. In August 2025, Daskalakis resigned from the CDC over the direction that health policy had taken under Trump and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>In his resignation letter, which garnered <a href=\"https://x.com/dr_demetre/status/1960843433473376602\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">widespread attention</a>, he said he was “unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.” He cited changes to the CDC’s immunization schedule, a lack of scientific communication from HHS leadership and the growing influence of anti-vaccine sentiments in the department.</p><p><br></p><p>A year after his resignation, we wanted to hear from Daskalakis, who is now serving as chief medical officer of the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, an LGBTQ health clinic in New York City. In this episode of “UNCLOSETED with Spencer Macnaughton,” Daskalakis speaks about his time working for the Trump administration, the erosion of scientific rigor under RFK Jr. and the troubling future for HIV and LGBTQ healthcare in the U.S.</p><p><br></p><p>“UNCLOSETED with Spencer Macnaughton” is a new podcast by Uncloseted Media, an investigative LGBTQ-focused nonprofit news publication.</p><p><br></p><p>Subscribe to our <a href=\"https://youtube.com/@unclosetedmedia\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube channel</a>.</p><p>Read our <a href=\"https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">full investigations on Substack</a>.</p><p>Find us on <a href=\"https://www.instagram.com/unclosetedmedia\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram</a>.</p><p><br></p><p>Host: Spencer Macnaughton</p><p>Social producer/Design: Sophie Holland</p><p>Editor: Laury Peyssonnerie</p><p>Audio Production Intern: Bella Sayegh</p><p>Additional reporting: Hope Pisoni</p><p><br></p>","author_name":"Spencer Macnaughton"}