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October 15, 2021, 10:09 am
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has once again made herself a target of human rights supporters not only for calling the NBA “fascist” because Nets player Kyrie Irving was benched for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but for simultaneously throwing everyone with HIV under the bus. In a recent tweet, Greene evoked basketball legend Magic Johnson, who retired in 1991 after testing positive for HIV during a physical, returning to the game years later.
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“The fascist NBA won’t let Kyrie Irving play for refusing a vaccine,” she tweeted. “But yet they still let Magic Johnson play with HIV.”
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The fascist NBA won’t let Kyrie Irving play for refusing a vaccine.
But yet they still let Magic Johnson play with HIV.
— Marjorie Taylor Greene
(@mtgreenee) October 14, 2021
Irving was barred from playing or practicing with his teammates after refusing to get vaccinated, with the NBA citing both the risks to everyone who comes into contact with Irving as well as the fact that due to New York vaccine mandates, he wouldn’t be able to play any home games. The Nets player has not given a specific reason for declining to get vaccinated, only saying that he’s “doing what’s best for me” in spite of the fact that it may end his career.
Greene comparing this to fascism is on-brand for a woman who compared mask mandates to the Holocaust, which she was forced to apologize for, but taking a huge dump on people with HIV while doing so was widely found to be completely unnecessary and harmful.
HIV is only able to spread through direct internal transfer of bodily fluids, such as penetrative sex or use of a contaminated needle. Magic Johnson himself did a ton of work helping to educate the populace on the basic HIV facts, helping to quell fears and let people know that you can absolutely play basketball with an HIV-positive person with zero risk of contracting the virus. Previously, panic based on misinformation led to mass discrimination and prejudice against HIV-positive folks, some of which clearly still lingers today.
The COVID-19 virus is pretty much on the opposite side of the spectrum from HIV in terms of how contagious it is, with SARS-CoV-2 being one of the most highly spreadable viruses the human species has ever faced. You can absolutely catch it from facing off with a sweaty basketball player who has the illness.
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All of this has been explained to Greene time and time again in the comments of her tweet, and usually in not such kind terms.
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*First Published: October 15, 2021, 10:09 am
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