One of the many unfortunate things about our president is that he just doesn’t like to know things. He isn’t a fan of facts, reading or really any sort of intellectual rigor, which is why no one was surprised see that Bill Gates had to explain to Trump that the human papillomavirus (HPV) and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are two different viruses—twice.
The lack of surprise doesn’t make it any less scary that the Oval Office occupant has a lot of control over American’s reproductive health—and he’s clearly doing it from a place of deep ignorance. The Free Speech Coalition—a trade group of “leaders of the adult pleasure products and film industry—penned an open letter to Mr. Trump to try and give him some supplemental education about sexual health.
The May 18 letter starts off with full-on snark, referencing Trump’s fondness of sex workers like Stormy Daniels and an “alleged” history of paying them. They also use the opportunity to pour some praise on sex workers, who are often targets of violence and ridicule far too often.
As the Trade Association of the Adult Industry, we are honored by the tremendous efforts you have paid for showcasing industry talent. The spotlight on our industry has never been bright, and we have we admiration for the humility you must possess to allow such social marginalized workers as those in the sex trade to be permitted to demonstrate that their business aptitude and political savvy is on par (or even greater!) than the Office of the President of the United States of America.
The letter is three pages long, which may be a bit too much reading for our president. The FSC seems to be aware of that; two paragraphs later they say “science is hard, and certainly a challenging concept for people who do not believe in facts.” Burn.
The letter isn’t all fun and games; they actually dive into explaining the differences between the viruses and break it down pretty well. Yet at the end, they did have one serious request: keep our names out of your mouth. Well, sorta. They framed it as a “humble request.”
… [W]ould you ask the GOP to stop referring to porn as a public health crisis? We understand that we’re a convenient scapegoat — sex is a powerfully evocative conceptive, and it is easy to hear those of us who peddle in it. However, no one has ever died from porn. There are many people—like yourself—who derive great pleasure from it. There are many people whose livelihoods depend on it.
Welp, there’s just a lot of facts and truth in this letter. It’s quite well done and worth a read. Check out the full letter here.