MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. \u2014 State Senator Shevrin Jones is responding to a false and homophobic text message being sent to voters in Florida\u2019s 24th congressional district.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like, \u2018wow,\u2019\u201d Jones said. \u201cNow that\u2019s low.\u201d<\/p>\n
The message targets Jones, an openly gay candidate for Congress, by falsely claiming he has HIV. <\/p>\n
\u201cFirst, the message is false,\u201d said Jones. \u201cI am not HIV positive, but I want to be very careful about how I respond to that, because I refuse to defend myself in a way that stigmatizes somebody else.\u201d<\/p>\n
The text claims Jones was denied the chance to donate blood to a COVID survivor because he had HIV and links to a real news story from 2020, but that story makes no mention of HIV.<\/p>\n
Jones was actually turned away under a federal blood-donation policy in place at the time, restricting donations from gay and bisexual men.<\/p>\n
That policy has since changed. <\/p>\n
\u201cHIV is not something to be ashamed of and being gay does not mean someone has HIV,\u201d said Jones. \u201cWhat somebody did was take an old dangerous stereotype about gay people and HIV and weaponize it for political purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The message also claims it was \u201cpaid for by Equality Florida\u201d which is an LGBTQ advocacy group that has endorsed Jones, but the group says it did not send or pay for the text and is now trying to determine who did.<\/p>\n
Two of Jones\u2019 major opponents are also condemning the message.<\/p>\n
Miami-Dade Commissioner Oliver Gilbert called it a \u201clie\u201d and said the message was \u201chateful, homophobic and vile rhetoric.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kendrick Meek Jr. also spoke out against the text, calling it a \u201cfraudulent, homophobic smear\u201d and saying South Florida \u201cdeserves better.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the Aug. 18 primary now just one week away, Jones says he doesn\u2019t know who is responsible for the false text, but wants them held accountable.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople deserve to know actually who paid for it and who sent it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s dangerous, it\u2019s uncalled for and we should not allow people to get away with that type of behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfe0 News From Your Neighborhood<\/p>\n
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