White always rejected any criticism of homosexuality, although not gay himself. Ryan White was seen by some as an "innocent victim" of the AIDS epidemic. Ryan White and his family strongly rejected the language of "innocent victim" because the phrase was often used to imply that gays with AIDS were "guilty". Ryan's mother told The New York Times, Ryan White CARE Act In August 1990, four months after Ryan White's death, Congress enacted The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act (often known simply as the Ryan White CARE Act), in his honor. The act is the United States' largest federally funded program for people living with HIV/AIDS. The Ryan White CARE Act funds programs to improve availability of care for low-income, uninsured and underinsured victims of AIDS and their families. Ryan White programs are "payers of last resort," which subsidize treatment when no other resources are available. The act was reauthorized in 1996, 2000, 2006, and 2009 and remains an active piece of legislation today. The program provides some level of care for around 500,000 people a year and, in 2004, provided funds to 2,567 organizations. The Ryan White programs also provide funding and technical assistance to local and state primary medical care providers, support services, healthcare providers and training programs. The Ryan White CARE Act was set to expire on September 30, 2009, but an extension was signed by President Barack Obama. See also Eve van Grafhorst – an Australian pre-schooler who received HIV via a blood transfusion and was subsequently banned from her pre-school in fears of spreading the illness. References External links Ryan White Indiana Dance Marathon Ryan White interview 1986 Photos and essay by photographer Taro Yamasaki, who documented White's life 1971 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American people AIDS-related deaths in Indiana American child activists American health activists Burials in Indiana HIV/AIDS activists People from Kokomo, Indiana People with haemophilia Recipients of contaminated haemophilia blood products History of HIV/AIDS