AP post on USAID cuts backfires as critics question taxpayer-funded Nepal transgender jobs
An Associated Press social media post about transgender aid workers in Nepal reportedly turning to sex work after US foreign-aid cuts prompted conservative criticism. Critics argued that the report undermined the case for restoring USAID funding by highlighting taxpayer-funded employment linked to transgender issues overseas.
The AP said about 100 LGBTQ aid workers in Nepal had lost jobs following US funding cuts and, facing limited legal employment opportunities in a socially conservative country, had turned to sex work to survive. The reaction focused on whether such programmes should receive US public funding and reflected the wider political dispute over the scale and purpose of foreign aid.
- USAID cuts left Nepalese LGBTQ aid workers without jobs.
- AP’s report triggered conservative criticism of overseas aid.
- Debate centres on taxpayer funding and foreign-aid priorities.