One in five gay men in the United States has HIV, and almost half of those who carry the virus are unaware that they are infected, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. 2005 – 2008′s numbers showed AIDS once again spiraling out of control with white homosexual males living in Lexington and Louisville being the primary cases in the commonwealth.

Facing a deadline of midnight tonight to adjourn, legislative leaders have yet to agree on a budget. Governor Beshear told Kentucky lawmakers to “get their egos under control” and produce a budget by midnight as Kentuckians expect. Currently, the new budget has no funding for the Kentucky AIDS Drug Assistance Program, but an effort led by Kentucky Equality Federation effectively killed House Bill 350, a bill that would have dismantled the education and prevention efforts performed by the Kentucky HIV/AIDS Branch, a unit of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.

Budget negotiations in Frankfort collapsed Wednesday amid enormous differences over a sliver of the spending plan that would create a spate of state-backed construction projects while adding to the Commonwealth’s debt. Organizations across the Commonwealth have expressed alarm and dismay that the budget will be passed that does not include funding for the Kentucky AIDS Drug Assistance Program (KADAP).

In a proposed commonwealth budget that allocates over $3.4 billion for road projects, a small request of $3.5 million to fund the Kentucky AIDS Drug Assistance Program (KADAP) has been ignored, leaving hundreds living with HIV/AIDS facing difficult choices. The nearly 1300 patients enrolled in KADAP, which is currently unfunded, receive medications through a hodge-podge of resources that are temporary and unsustainable. In the meantime, Kentucky has the longest waiting list in the nation for drug assistance—numbering over 160 men and women—with more being added every day.

Since the termination of the Kentucky AIDS Assistance Program people living with HIV/AIDS are in need of assistance today more than ever. With December 1st being World Aids Day, I can think of no better way to contribute to the Worldwide event than to make a donate to AVOL, or attend their Red Ribbon Ball on December 5th at The Red Mile in Lexington.