Meeting at Soho Square at 12 midday, the lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer and intersex collective asks attendees of all genders and persuasions to bring doctors and nurses uniforms, scrubs, condoms, lube, dental dams and toys for the event, which is part of UK Uncut’s “Emergency Operation” against Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s plans for the NHS.

The London Sisters of Perpetual Indugence, part of a worldwide order of Nuns who promote universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt, will be blessing the gathering on the day and there will be a a range of performers and speakers.

These cuts come as figures show that HIV diagnoses in the UK have almost doubled in the last decade, with a rise of 70 per cent rise in gay and bisexual diagnoses. Given that it is more cost effective to prevent rather than treat a person with HIV over their life time, the implications of these cuts are concerning, not only at a human level, but at governmental level in terms of future economic cost.

When marking World Aids Day on 1 December 2010, David Cameron commented: “We have made a lot of progress in fighting HIV and AIDS so far and I believe that by working together, we can help reduce the stigma, reduce the number of new infections and enable those living with HIV to lead full productive and happy lives.”

These government imposed cuts are not consistent with these comments - and it’s clear we are not “all in this together”. Queer Resistance demands a stop to the slashing of funding for HIV prevention services, in addition to a complete rethink of these ideological cuts which are hitting the most vulnerable in our society. There are alternatives - leave the NHS alone and cut benefits to bankers.

Current cuts to the NHS amount to a £20bn ‘efficiency drive’ whilst taxpayers continue to subsidise the banking sector by up to £100bn/year, which is equivalent to the entire NHS budget.

Groups affected by the funding cuts include GMFA, Terrence Higgins Trust and PACE, who are part of the Pan London HIV Prevention Programme, which is funded by PCTs and commissions a range of small organisations to tackle HIV in the capital.

Stay in touch:
• Twitter -  http://www.twitter.com/queerresistance; Hashtag - #queeruncut
• Facebook event -  https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=213268158693389
• Queer Resistance Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/qresistance
• Phone - 07804 067766.

Links:
1. Pink News - London HIV groups say funding cuts will lead to more infections -  http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/03/23/london-hiv-groups-suffer-43-per-cent-cut-in-nhs-funding/
2. London Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence -  http://www.londonsisters.org
3. Pink News - Gay and bisexual HIV infections rise 70% in ten years-  http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/03/23/gay-and-bisexual-hiv-infections-rise-70-in-ten-years/
4. Number10.gov.uk - David Cameron marks World AIDS Day -  http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/latest-news/2010/12/pm-marks-world-aids-day-57643
5. UK Uncut targets banks in 'emergency operation' against NHS shakeup -  http://www.ukuncut.org.uk/blog/uk-uncut-transform-banks-save-nhs
6. LGBT Labour - Diane Abbott MP accuses David Cameron of marginalising HIV prevention -  http://www.lgbtlabour.org.uk/abbott-hiv-prevention,2011-03-31
7. Time Out - Is London set for a new HIV epidemic? -  http://www.timeout.com/london/gay-lesbian/article/2320/is-london-set-for-a-new-hiv-epidemicr