Following his recent homophobic comments, which led to him being banned from several events, it was announced Tuesday that DaBaby met virtually with Black leaders from HIV organizations last week.
During the meeting, HIV facts were discussed by representatives from the Black AIDS Institute, Gilead Sciences COMPASS Initiative Coordinating Centers, GLAAD, National Minority AIDS Council, The Normal Anomaly Initiative, Positive Women’s Network-USA, Prevention Access Campaign, the Southern AIDS Coalition, and the Transinclusive Group.
One hundred twenty-five organizations support an open letter to the “Suge” rapper, which states, “When HIV continues to disproportionately impact Black Americans and queer and transgender people of color, a dialogue is critical. We must address the miseducation about HIV expressed in your comments, and the impact it has on various communities.”
A joint statement added, “We believed that if [DaBaby] connected with Black leaders living with HIV that a space for community building and healing could be created.”
At the Rolling Loud festival last month in Miami, DaBaby said on stage, “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two or three weeks, put your cellphone light in the air.” During the meeting, DaBaby apologized for his comments.
The leaders said after the meeting, “We wish for him to use his platform to relay that critical information to his fanbase and encourage people to get tested and know their status. During our meeting, DaBaby acknowledged that the HIV facts we presented, many of which he himself was unaware of, are what every American needs to know. HIV is preventable and when treated properly, cannot be passed on.”
They added, “Celebrities and influencers of all backgrounds have the power to defeat the stigma that fuels the epidemic.
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