“Our tax dollars no longer fund employment for transgender Nepalese sex workers. Thank you for reminding us why defunding USAID was long overdue.”
Approximately 100 LGBTQ+ aid workers in Nepal have "turned to sex work to survive" after the United States slashed USAID funding last year, the AP reported. The outlet's sympathetic story was blasted online, as many mocked the outlets reporting and said that it is a good thing that the US is not spending taxpayer dollars on helping LGBTQ sex workers in Nepal.
"Our tax dollars no longer fund employment for transgender Nepalese sex workers. Thank you for reminding us why defunding USAID was long overdue," Rep. Brandon Gill said in a post to X.
https://twitter.com/realBrandonGill/status/2080356071974089049?s=20
The AP post highlighted Lama, a transgender aid worker impacted by the cuts, and said that he now sexually solicits himself on the streets next to the very people he used to help. The outlet reported fears about a potential spike in HIV, citing that the US foreign funding cuts eliminated access to HIV prevention medication in Nepal. Lama said in a AP's post that condoms used to be free, but aren't anymore because of the cuts.
Reporter Logan Hall posted a meme in reaction to the post from the AP, and said, "Our taxes were being used to fund free condoms for transgender prostitutes in Nepal?"
https://twitter.com/loganclarkhall/status/2080276313852518412?s=20
Daily Wire commentator Matt Walsh said in response to the report, "Wow very grateful that my tax dollars are no longer funding a bunch of random trannies in Asia. Is that the point you were trying to make or did you expect us to be somehow sad about this?"
https://twitter.com/MattWalshBlog/status/2080303894941307177?s=20
In January 2025, President Donald Trump froze USAID funding following a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) audit of the agency, which revealed that American taxpayers had been dishing out billions of dollars to foreign countries, including hundreds of millions of dollars to Nepal, for unnecessary causes. Around 300 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), non-profits, and consultancies in Nepal lost USAID funding, according to local reports.
The AP reported that Nepal's leading LGBTQ+ advocacy group, the Blue Diamond Society, immediately disbanded after being cut off from US taxpayer dollars. The group, primarily staffed by trans and LGBTQ individuals, received 85 percent of its funding from USAID and ran 20 clinics across Nepal. They distributed HIV medications and testing services to prevent the spread of the sexually transmitted disease.
Since the Nepali government does not support the transgender community, transgender individuals have a more difficult time gaining employment outside of NGOs. Roughly 35 percent to 45 percent of the society's former staffers have turned to sex work. Lama told the publication that it's become a matter of survival, either selling his body or facing starvation.
Other transgender former society employees reported being subjected to violence, including gang rape, as a result of hitting the streets.
The Trump administration defended the USAID cuts, saying the United States provides more financial assistance to other nations than any other country in the world. "The rest of the world needs to contribute more and share the burden," the US Department of State said.
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