AFA: HIV To AIDS Link A “Scam” And People With AIDS “Reap What They Sow”
Bryan Fischer, the public face of the certified anti-gay hate group, American Family Association, continues to promote the lethal and widely-discredited theory that HIV does not cause AIDS, by touting the cherry-picked research of Peter Duesberg, whose work has led, some say, to the infection and/or death of hundreds of thousands of HIV/AIDS infected babies in South Africa. Fischer today called the scientifically-proven HIV to AIDS link a “hoax,” a “scam,” and said that people with AIDS “reap what they sow.” But in a surprising turn, Saddleback Church founder Rick Warren — no friend of the LGBT community himself — has denounced Fischer and Duesberg’s cruel and lethal AIDS denialism.
“In Duesberg’s scientific judgment, HIV is harmless passenger virus,” Fischer states today, pinning any real responsibility on Duesberg. “Literally millions of people, for instance, have HIV but do not have AIDS (does the name Magic Johnson ring a bell with anyone?) Killing off HIV thus wouldn’t do thing one to slow down the spread of AIDS. According to Duesberg, it is the intensive drug use in the homosexual culture, particularly of inhalants such as alkyl nitrites, that is the culprit. We know for a dead certain fact what these drugs do to break down the immune system.”
In blaming people with AIDS, Fischer adds that “unbiblical behavioral patterns can in fact be responsible and people do in fact reap what they sow.”
“It’s worthy of note that Pastor Warren has been duped by another supposed scientific consensus, the one on the human causation of global warming. That hoax is being debunked virtually every single day, and former warmists are fleeing the ship like the crew of the Costa Concordia. Warren was wrong on the global warming scam, and he is wrong on the AIDS scam.”
(As an aside, it looks like almost three dozen people may be dead from the Costa Concordia tragedy. Note how Fischer uses it without a blink of compassion.)
Fischer also claims that “research money is entirely tied to maintaining the HIV hoax,” rather offensively.
A few weeks ago Fischer — whose apparent main goal is the marginalization and annihilation of gay men (and, no doubt, lesbians, and bisexual and transgender people, too) — interviewed on-air Peter Duesberg, and concluded that Duesberg’s theory was fact, given that Magic Johnson has been HIV-positive for two decades. Both Duesberg and Fischer ignore the fact that Magic Johnson, being a man of means and connections, was able early on to acquire life-saving HIV anti-retroviral drugs and access the finest healthcare in America.
Fischer’s screed is in response to his fellow religious anti-gay bigot Rick Warren’s assertion that “[s]ince 1985, when the virus that creates AIDS was isolated, every doctor on the planet, except Peter Duesberg, has known that HIV is the only cause of AIDS.” Warren, and his wife Kay, sent Warren Throckmorton a lengthy statement in response to Bryan Fischer’s attack on science and promotion of Duesberg.
“To imply the disease is caused by anything besides HIV is quack science, like claiming the earth is flat, or the moon is made of cheese,” the Warren statement reads. They add:
Duesberg’s denial of the entire body of research, and his rejection of thousands of scientific trials and papers, would be laughable if millions of lives weren’t at stake.  But his view is deadly. Unfortunately, Duesberg convinced some people in Africa that HIV was not the cause of AIDS and as a result many people there needlessly became infected with the virus, and some have subsequently suffered and died.
It is frustrating – and frightening – for those of us in AIDS ministry to see someone like Dr. Duesberg play to people’s bias and prejudices. For the past eight years we have worked with thousands of churches around the world and in America who have ministries to those infected and affected by AIDS. No one deserves this illness, and we must not ignore those among us who are infected or affected by HIV and AIDS. There are numerous ways to acquire the virus – sexual activity, blood transfusions, being born to an HIV positive mother, dirty needles –  but what matters isn’t  how a person became infected as much as how we will respond. People with living with the virus are people that Jesus created, loves, and died for. Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan teaches us that when you find someone bleeding on the side of the road, you don’t say “Was it your fault?†You just help them in love!
Let’s be very careful about what reality we deny; lives are at stake.
Chances are good that Fischer isn’t terribly concerned about the lives of people with HIV/AIDS, especially when those people are gay.
Throckmorton, who is a maven when to comes to Uganda, among many other topics, writes:
First of all, Uganda has reduced the AIDS rate by reducing HIV transmission among straights. According Harvard AIDS prevention expert, Edward Green, gays have a very small impact on the situation there. The ABC approach (abstinence, be faithful, condom use) has been quite helpful there, but this is not what Fischer suggests in his very next paragraph. Instead, Fischer’s advice to men in Uganda — “stop using poppers, stop having sex with other men and don’t shoot up†— would be nearly meaningless. Fischer and Duesberg’s Stop, Stop and Don’t Shoot won’t stop HIV but the ABC method does.
What Fischer does not do is confront the horrendous consequences of his campaign already realized in South Africa. As the Warrens pointed out, the South African government took Duesberg’s advice from 2000-2005 which led to thousands of babies being infected and over 330,000 deaths, as estimated by two follow up studies.
Yesterday, I wrote the AFA’s Tim Wildmon to ask if the AFA agrees with Fischer’s views. No reply has come as yet.
Why would it? Fischer does much of the AFA’s dirty work.
Â
Enjoy this piece?
… then let us make a small request. The New Civil Rights Movement depends on readers like you to meet our ongoing expenses and continue producing quality progressive journalism. Three Silicon Valley giants consume 70 percent of all online advertising dollars, so we need your help to continue doing what we do.
NCRM is independent. You won’t find mainstream media bias here. From unflinching coverage of religious extremism, to spotlighting efforts to roll back our rights, NCRM continues to speak truth to power. America needs independent voices like NCRM to be sure no one is forgotten.
Every reader contribution, whatever the amount, makes a tremendous difference. Help ensure NCRM remains independent long into the future. Support progressive journalism with a one-time contribution to NCRM, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you. Click here to donate by check.
 |
U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) is accusing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents of pepper-spraying her in her face while she was at a local Tucson, Arizona restaurant.
Rep. Grijalva in a video on social media said she saw about 40 mostly-masked ICE agents at a restaurant she frequents weekly.
The agents were “in several vehicles that the community had stopped right here, right in the middle of the street, because they were afraid that they were taking people without due process, without any kind of notice.”
READ MORE: Warning Signs Flash as Trump Slump Raises Fears of 2018 Blue Wave Rerun: Conservative
She said that the community was “protecting their people” when she was “sprayed in the face by a very aggressive agent,” and “pushed around by others when I literally was not being aggressive.”
“I was asking for clarification, which is my right as a member of Congress,” she continued. “So, once I introduced myself, once I did, I assumed that it would be a little calmer, but there was literally only one person that was trying to speak to me in any kind of civil tone, and everyone else was being rude and disrespectful, and I just can only imagine if they’re going to treat me like that, how they’re treating everybody else.”
Congresswoman Grijalva said she saw “people directly sprayed,” including “members of our press” and staff members.
She blasted President Donald Trump, saying that he “has no regard for any due process, the rule of law, the Constitution — they’re literally disappearing people from the streets.”
Critics slammed the agents’ action.
READ MORE: Trump: Democrats Are Plotting ‘Total Obliteration’ of Supreme Court
U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) wrote that Rep. Grijalva “was doing her job, standing up for her community.”
“Pepper-spraying a sitting member of Congress is disgraceful, unacceptable, and absolutely not what we voted for. Period,” he added.
“This is unacceptable and outrageous,” observed Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. “Enforcing the rule [of] law does not mean pepper spraying a member of Congress for simply asking questions. Effective law enforcement requires restraint and accountability, not unchecked aggression.”
The Bulwark’s Sam Stein noted, “quite the beginning for Grijalva, who wasn’t seated for weeks, [cast] the decisive vote to get the Epstein files, and now has apparently been pepper sprayed in the face by immigration agents.”
Also calling the action “outrageous,” U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) wrote: “We are Members of Congress with oversight authority of ICE. Rep Grijalva was completely within her rights to stand up for her constituents. ICE is completely lawless.”
“First they tackle a sitting Senator,” noted U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY). “Now they’re pepper spraying a Representative. It’s clear ICE is spinning out of control. We will hold the agency accountable.”
ICE just conducted a raid by Taco Giro in Tucson – a small mom-and-pop restaurant that has served our community for years.
When I presented myself as a Member of Congress asking for more information, I was pushed-aside and pepper sprayed. pic.twitter.com/gPx0p3IXP2
— Rep. Adelita Grijalva (@Rep_Grijalva) December 5, 2025
READ MORE: Trump’s Ballroom Seen as ‘Key Evidence’ He’s Out of Touch as Cost of Living Spikes
Image via Reuters
A well-known conservative commentator has a warning for the Republican Party: take action now or face a repeat of the 2018 midterms when the GOP lost 41 House seats in a landslide. And this time, he says, the Senate could go to the Democrats as well.
Award-winning writer and journalist Bernard Goldberg reminded readers at The Hill that in 2018, during President Donald Trump’s first term, “Republicans got walloped … and a good chunk of that had President Trump’s name written all over it.”
Trump’s “approval ratings were in the low 40s, and independents — the folks who usually decide elections — had seen enough. They broke hard for the Democrats,” Goldberg noted. “Now here we are, staring down 2026, and you can almost hear history clearing its throat, getting ready to repeat itself.”
READ MORE: Trump: Democrats Are Plotting ‘Total Obliteration’ of Supreme Court
Goldberg noted that Trump’s approval rating is currently the lowest it’s been this term.
“Among Republicans, his support dropped from 91 percent right after the 2024 election to 84 percent last month. Among independents, it cratered — from 42 percent to just 25 percent.”
“If the trend continues,” he warned, “Republicans could be headed for another blue wave — and this time, it could wash away not just the House majority, but control of the Senate too.”
Why?
“It’s the economy — still,” he wrote.
“Trump is out there saying the economy is humming. Biden said the same thing before him. But voters didn’t buy it then, and they’re not buying it now. Why? Because it’s not GDP numbers that matter. It’s affordability,” Goldberg noted.
READ MORE: Trump’s Ballroom Seen as ‘Key Evidence’ He’s Out of Touch as Cost of Living Spikes
That’s a word that President Trump continues to call a “con job,” while his own administration tries to claim he is focused on.
He pointed to a Karl Rove Wall Street Journal column and wrote: “The Republicans may have ‘avoided disaster’ in Tennessee, but the result should be a wake-up call for Republicans. He’s right.”
Goldberg asked: “will anyone in the Republican Party actually pick up the phone?”
“Because if Republicans don’t wake up — and fast — they’re going to find out the hard way what happens when you keep rerunning the same movie and expecting a different ending. To lose in 2026, all they have to do is nothing. And right now, that’s pretty much what they’re doing.”
READ MORE: Trump Urges Judge Aileen Cannon to Keep Jack Smith Report Secret
President Donald Trump is claiming that the top priority of Democrats is the “total obliteration” of the U.S. Supreme Court. His remarks came just hours after SCOTUS gave Republicans a 6-3 win along partisan lines, in the form of approving Texas’s redrawn mid-decade congressional maps that could help add five GOP-held seats to the U.S. House of Representatives. A lower court had ruled the redrawn Texas maps were likely racially biased.
Although there are different ways to measure, one study by Court Accountability this fall found that the Supreme Court has ruled in Trump’s favor 90% of the time.
“Most of these wins for the president came from the court’s ‘shadow docket’ slate of opinions — where the court has typically, in the past, only ruled on administrative measures,” according to Truthout. “However, in recent years, the Supreme Court has been making announcements on cases, issuing injunctions or allowances of actions to remain in place, that have the same effect, essentially, as a final decision.”
READ MORE: White House Touts Trump’s ‘Track Record’ on Affordability
On Friday, the president declared that the “Democrats number one policy push is the complete and total OBLITERATION of our great United States Supreme Court.”
“They will do this on their very first day in office, through the simple Termination of the Filibuster, SHOULD THEY WIN THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS,” he wrote.
Trump has strongly advocated for Republicans to eliminate the Senate filibuster.
“The Radical Left Democrats are looking at 21 Justices, with immediate ascension,” he wrote, claiming that Democrats would more than double the current size of the court.
“This would be terrible for our Country. Fear not, however, Republicans will not let it, or any of their other catastrophic policies, happen. Our Country is now in very good hands. MAGA!!!”
Some court reform advocates have suggested the Supreme Court be expanded to 13 justices, one for each of the thirteen U.S. Courts of Appeals.
READ MORE: Trump’s Ballroom Seen as ‘Key Evidence’ He’s Out of Touch as Cost of Living Spikes
Image via Reuters
Trump: Democrats Are Plotting ‘Total Obliteration’ of Supreme Court
White House Touts Trump’s ‘Track Record’ on Affordability
‘Disgraceful’: ICE Slammed After Allegedly Pepper-Spraying US Congresswoman
Warning Signs Flash as Trump Slump Raises Fears of 2018 Blue Wave Rerun: Conservative
‘Disgraceful’: ICE Slammed After Allegedly Pepper-Spraying US Congresswoman
Warning Signs Flash as Trump Slump Raises Fears of 2018 Blue Wave Rerun: Conservative
Trump: Democrats Are Plotting ‘Total Obliteration’ of Supreme Court
White House Touts Trump’s ‘Track Record’ on Affordability
Trump’s Ballroom Seen as ‘Key Evidence’ He’s Out of Touch as Cost of Living Spikes
News4 days agoTrump Urges Judge Aileen Cannon to Keep Jack Smith Report Secret
News4 days agoTrump Seen Struggling to Stay Awake Repeatedly in Cabinet Meeting Video
News4 days agoGOP Touts ‘Gulf of America Act’ in Bold New List of Party ‘Accomplishments’
News3 days agoTrump Overrules Johnson in Dramatic GOP Showdown
News4 days ago‘No Republicans Willing to Negotiate’: Health Care Subsidy Deal in Doubt
News2 days agoTrump’s Ballroom Seen as ‘Key Evidence’ He’s Out of Touch as Cost of Living Spikes
News3 days agoAmid Johnson’s ‘Exodus Problem’ One House Republican Declares ‘Fresh Blood Is Good’
News3 days agoJohnson Slammed After Timeline to Swear In Newest GOP Member Revealed
