AFTER UNVERIFIED REPORTS WERE LEACHED BY BUZZ
FEED THAT DONALD TRUMP ALLEGEDLY HIRED PROSTITUTES TO URINATE ON
A BED THAT THE OBAMA'S ALLEGEDLY SLEPT ON, PUTIN MADE SOME VERY
STRONG STATEMENTS AGAINST THE REPORTS, SAYING HE DIDN'T THINK
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED, BUT THEN HE MADE A STATEMENT ABOUT SEX
WORKERS IN RUSSIA, SAYING THAT, " RUSSIAN SEX WORKERS ARE OF
COURSE THE BEST IN THE WORLD."
IT WAS A STRANGE STATEMENT TO MAKE, ESPECIALLY IN THAT
CONTEXT.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THERE IS A VERY BLEAK REALITY FOR SEX
WORKERS IN RUSSIA THAT DOESN'T GET A LOT OF ATTENTION, AND I
THINK THE DAILY BEAST DID A GOOD JOB IN LOOKING INTO IT.
AND, BECAUSE OF PROGRESSIVE POLICIES IN RUSSIA, RELATED TO
BOTH SEX WORKERS AND THE LGBT COMMUNITY, AIDS AND HIV IS
RUNNING RAMPANT.
GIVE YOU THE DETAILS ON THAT.
"RUSSIA HAS ONE OF THE FASTEST-GROWING HIV EPIDEMIC IN
THE WORLD, ACCOUNTING FOR EIGHT OUT OF 10 NEW INFECTIONS IN THE
EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA" PARTS OF THE WORLD.
THEY SHAME PEOPLE, THERE'S A STIGMA ASSOCIATED WITH IT,
AND THEY DON'T FOCUS ON THINGS LIKE PROTECTION AND PREVENTION.
THINGS LIKE CONFERENCE OF SEX AND FOR INSTANCE.
SO THE PROBLEM CONTINUES TO GET WORSE.
"THE MOST EFFECTIVE HIV PREVENTION STRATEGIES FOR PEOPLE
WHO USE DRUGS ARE AGAINST THE LAW, AND COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY
EDUCATION IS NOT OFFERED IN SCHOOLS."
THE MOST INSANE PART OF ALL THIS IS THAT RUSSIA HAD A BIG
INFLUENCE ON THE WAY THAT THE U.N.
WANTS TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE OF HIV.
"LAST JUNE IN NEW YORK IT WORKS TO PREVENT COPPERHEADS OF
SEXUALITY EDUCATION AND REFRACTIVE HEALTH SERVICES FROM
BEING INCLUDED IN THE POLITICAL DECLARATION OF THE UNITED STATES
ñ UNITED NATIONS HIGH-LEVEL MEETING."
THAT'S AMAZING.
IS, BUT IT REMINDS ME OF RIGHT-WINGERS EVERYWHERE.
FIRST OF ALL, WITH DONALD TRUMP, CAN'T YOU JUST SEE HIM DOING
WHAT PUTIN DID?
SEX WORKERS ARE BAD AND YOU SHOULDN'T DO THAT, BUT WE HAVE
THE BEST SEX WORKERS OF THE WORLD.
BUT THEN TURNING AROUND, NO, YOUR RECORD IS ACTUALLY ABYSMAL.
WHAT ARE YOUR QUALIFICATIONS FOR DETERMINING THAT YOU HAVE
THE BEST SEX WORKERS?
ARE THEY THE HOTTEST?
THE CLEANEST?
I DON'T KNOW HOW PUTIN IS MEASURING THAT, AND I'M NOT SURE
I WANT TO KNOW, BUT THE WAY HE IS PREVENTING IT IS A RIGHT-WING
TRICK, YOU POP YOUR CHEST UP WHILE YOU THE EXACT OPPOSITE.
AND THEN TO GO FURTHER AND SAY, I'D LIKE TO SPREAD MY
MISERABLE RECORD ACROSS THE WORLD.
I'D LIKE YOU DO THE SAME THING ñ I'D LIKE YOU TO DO THE SAME
THING THAT WE DO, THAT HAS BEEN PROVEN TO BE DISASTROUS.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THIS, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE SEX WITH
SEX WORKERS, THAT'S WHY THEY ARE CALLED SEX WORKERS.
AND IS NOT JUST LIKE, THE SEX WORKERS ARE IMMORAL, THEY GOT
HIV ñ IF YOU ARE A RIGHT-WINGER ñ IT'S NOT JUST THEM, THE PERSON
WITH SEX WITH THEM ALSO GETS HIV, AND THEN THEIR WIFE, ETC.
BY THE WAY, YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT ANY HUMAN BEING,
REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEY DO FOR A LIVING.
THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM
HAPPENING IS PROGRESSIVE POLICIES.
I'M NOT SAYING THAT BECAUSE I'M ñ
I'M NOT JUST SAYING THAT BECAUSE I'M A PROGRESSIVE.
TAKE SEX WORKERS OUT OF IT, LET'S FOCUS ON AN EPIDEMIC WE
ARE FACING HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, REGARDING TO HEROIN
ADDICTION.
PEOPLE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES OFTEN SHARE NEEDLES AND
THAT IS ONE WAY THAT HIV AND AIDS GETS SHARED.
IN CANADA THEY HAVE OPENED UP SAFE INJECTION SITES, WHERE
DOCTORS WILL ADMINISTER THE DRUG AND OF COURSE OFFER
REHABILITATION TO HELP THEM FIGHT ADDICTION.
THE WHOLE POINT IS NOT LIKE, HEY WE WANT PEOPLE TO HEROIN!
NO, THEY ARE DOING IT BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S A
PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERN.
SO THESE PEOPLE ARE IN A TERRIBLE SITUATION.
IF THEY ARE SHARING NEEDLES, THEY ARE GOING TO GET THIS
DISEASE AND POSSIBLY SPREAD IT TO OTHER INDIVIDUALS.
IT'S A PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERN.
AND SO, PERCUSSIVE IDEAS ACTUALLY WORK IN CASES LIKE
THIS.
YOU NEED TO EDUCATE PEOPLE AND HELP THEM.
YOU DON'T, YOU KNOW, TREAT IT AS IF IT'S A TABOO AND ATTACH
A STIGMA TO IT SO THAT MORE AND MORE PEOPLE GET THIS
DISEASE AND STILL GET THE HELP THAT THEY NEED.
RIGHT-WINGERS HAVE A CARICATURE OF WHAT PROGRESSIVES THINK.
THEY THINK WE WANT EVERYONE TO HEROIN.
WHY WOULD WE WANT PEOPLE TO DO HEROIN?
THEY PROJECTS, BECAUSE IN THEIR MIND, THEY WANT EVERYBODY
TO ACT BASED ON THEIR BELIEFS AND THEIR MORALS.
SO THEY ASSUME WE DO LIKEWISE.
I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU DO.
YOU WANT TO DO HEROIN, I THINK IT'S A TERRIBLE IDEA BUT I'M NOT
YOU, YOU ARE THE MASTER OF YOUR OWN DOMAIN.
WE CERTAINLY DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO DO IT, AND THAT LEADS TO A
WHOLE NUMBER OF PROBLEMS.
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT, SINCE I DON'T WANT THEM TO DO
HEROIN, I'M GOING TO PUNISH THEM.
AND I WILL GIVE HIM CLEAN NEEDLES, AND HE'LL SEE!
NO, THAT'S STUPID BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO HURT OTHER PEOPLE.
AND I DON'T THINK GIVING HIM NEEDLES ENCOURAGES HIM, IT
KEEPS IT SAFE.
I HAVEN'T HAD ANY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH A HEROIN ADDICT.
EVERYTHING I SEE ñ BUT FROM EVERYTHING I SEE, IT'S A
LITTLE HARD TO GET THEM TO STOP.
I DIDN'T GIVE HIM NEEDLES, THAT WILL SHOW HIM, HE'LL STOP
TOMORROW.
NO, LIKELY WON'T STOP, HE'LL JUST USE DIRTY NEEDLES AND GET
EVERYBODY ELSE SICK TOO.
THESE ARE THE TYPES OF POLICIES THAT RUSSIA IS DEALING WITH, AND
I THOUGHT ABOUT PUSSY RIOT THE OTHER DAY, AND HOW OUTRAGED THE
WORLD WAS WHEN MEMBERS OF PUSSY RIOT PROTESTED AT A CATHOLIC
CHURCH AND THEN SPENT TWO YEARS IN PRISON AS A RESULT OF THAT.
UNBELIEVABLE.
I KNOW, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE, AND I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD GET TO A
POINT WHERE PROTESTERS HERE, OR MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA HERE
WOULD FACE SIMILAR REACTIONS FROM POLITICIANS, OR THOSE
IN POWER, BUT I FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT THAT FAR-FETCHED.
I FEEL LIKE THE CRAZY THINGS THAT WE REPORTED ON HAPPENING IN
RUSSIA IN 2012 ARE NOW SLOWLY BUT SURELY GONNA HAPPEN HERE.
WE'RE ONLY FIVE DAYS IN.
THERE'S FOUR YEARS LEFT TO GO,
BUCKLE UP.