Are HIV/AIDS Rates ‘Skyrocketing’ Among Austin Women?

Our weekly check-in with the Texas Truth-o-meter.
 

By Alain StephensOctober 7, 2015 8:30 am

Recently an Austin city council member, Ora Houston, made a startling claim: HIV/AIDS among women is “skyrocketing” in the capital.

But is that a fact?

Gardner Selby from the Austin American-Statesman’s Politifact Texas fact-checking brigade is here to set things straight.

So how did an Austin City Council member come to make this statement?

Houston was pitching for specific additional funding, wanting the council to budget $150,000 toward educating African American women about preventing HIV and AIDS. And while making that ask, she said, “HIV/AIDS among women is skyrocketing in Austin.”

And did anyone stop and ask for supporting data?

No. Things were moving fast as the council that day edged toward finishing up the city’s 2015-16 budget – which, by the way, which they did increase – but not to Houston’s requested figure.

How did Houston do on the Texas-Truth-o-Meter? Listen to our conversation in the audio player above, and read more from PolitiFact Texas.