A&U Magazine February 2022

art & understanding for 31 years

• Theodore (ted) Kerr • Tyler TerMeer • Jeffrey Long • John Francis Leonard Pays Tribute to Betty White • Melanie Anne Haskin Reese

grace

DETREVARAH Helps Create Opportunities for Individuals Impacted by Incarceration & Health Disparities and Advocates for Trans Liberation

FEBRUARY 2022 | ISSUE 328

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®

This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

(bik-TAR-vee)

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:

BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:  Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section.  Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY.  Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY.  Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat.  Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain.  The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).

 Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your

healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.

ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements.

BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains:  dofetilide  rifampin  any other medicines to treat HIV-1

BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you:  Have or have had any kidney or liver problems,

including hepatitis infection.  Have any other health problems.  Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby.

Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY.  Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed.

Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take:  Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-

counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.

 BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other.

Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.

These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.

HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.

GET MORE INFORMATION  This is only a brief summary of important information

about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.

 Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5  If you need help paying for your medicine,

visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.

BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, and LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: February 2021 © 2021 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0370 04/21

ZACH LIVING WITH HIV SINCE 2009 REAL BIKTARVY PATIENT

KEEP EXPLORING. Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you.

See Zach’s story at BIKTARVY.com.

Featured patient compensated by Gilead.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.

Contents

February

2022

14

RUBY'S RAP

Ruby raps with Baltimore Advocate Melanie Anne Haskin Reese

COVER STORY

28

A&U's Chael Needle Talks to Grace Detrevarah About Post-Incarceration Empowerment & Advocating for HIV

20

FEATURE

Tyler TerMeer Joins San Francisco AIDS Foundation as Its New CEO

FEATURES

36 Giving Back Jeffrey Long Champions HIV Healthcare Access & Education in North Carolina

DEPARTMENTS 4 6 10

Frontdesk Digital Footprints NewsBreak

cover photo by Stephen Churchill Downes

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GALLERY

Theodore (ted) Kerr Curates a Person-Centered Exhibition of AIDS Posters

viewfinder 8

Bright Lights, Small City

lifeguide 40 41 42 47 48

Access to Care Lifeguide In Brief The Culture of AIDS Lifelines Tribute: Betty White

Frontdesk From the Editor

Where Do We Go From Here?

F

or everyone out there, I have one question: Where do we go from here?

And, yes, you can interpret that question literally. People are afraid to travel across town, let alone go on holiday——the crisis has impacted every city and country on the globe. How can someone book a trip, when someone doesn’t know the final destination of the various viruses that are disrupting our lives?

People are hunkered down, living like there is no tomorrow to look forward to.

But you can also interpret that emotionally. An explosion of COVID cases has led to hospitalizations and medical disruptions——many are now simply stressed from the thought of getting sick, any type of sick. We are mourning the deaths of loved ones from COVID. And we are often separated from getting together to offer support to friends and family members in person.

The political situation only adds to our anxiety. Biden is often blocked in his efforts, even by Democrats. Russia wants to invade Ukraine, and diplomacy seems almost dead. Yes, where do we go from here?

We tried to return to some semblance of normalcy and our cultural institutions have encouraged us to go to the movies or attend a play or enjoy a concert.

Yet as soon as some venues opened they closed again.

Broadway lit up only to shutter some of their shows due to COVID. Some musicians are still playing live, but Adele postponed her Vegas residency because of the virus.

From New York City to Los Angeles and communities in between, to cities large and small, art galleries are closing left and right and museums are limiting the number of people allowed in tight spaces. Most art magazines have gone on hiatus. The Grammys are canceled, and the Academy Awards are in question.

Maybe we have to face the fact that we cannot return to normal.

Maybe we have to face the fact that we have to adapt——permanently. And adapt again, if necessary.

That’s what we did from the early days of the AIDS pandemic until now——we adpated. We adapted again.

And again.

That responsiveness to changing needs and changing situations is never so evident as it is in Afro-centric responses to the AIDS pandemic here in the U.S. Partly in response to white-biased exclusionary practices and an absence of culturally tailored services, a “for us, by us” approach helped launch organizations like the Black AIDS Institute, Us Helping Us, and the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, to name a few.

Over the years, we have featured advocates of African descent who have not only bettered the lives of all people living with HIV/AIDS but also made sure that Black lives mattered, too, when it came to outreach, services, and engagement in the care continuum——Sheryl Lee Ralph,

AMERICA’S AIDS MAGAZINE issue 328 vol. 31 no. 2 February 2022 editorial offices: (518) 205-5024 Editor in Chief & Publisher David Waggoner Managing Editor: Chael Needle Senior Editors: Dann Dulin, Hank Trout Editor at Large: Chip Alfred Special Projects Editor: Lester Strong Arts Editor: Alina Oswald Fiction Editor: Raymond Luczak; Nonfiction Editor: Jay Vithalani; Drama Editor: Bruce Ward; Poetry Editor: Philip F. Clark; Copy Editor: Maureen Hunter

Debra Frazer-Howze, Keith Boykin, Ron Simmons, Phill Wilson, Laverne Cox....And now we are pleased to feature a special individual who is making a difference in the lives of those who are made vulnerable by systemic neglect: individuals who are BIPOC, who are transgender/gender non-conforming (TGNC), who have been discriminated against and abused by the justice system: Grace Detrevarah. About her work at the Osborne Association and as an independent advocate, she says: “My speaking up was a process, when it came to me wanting to empower myself and those with histories such as mine, Femme, Trans and definitely [individuals who are] marginalized, homeless, incarcerated and street-wise, especially those who were affected by living while being TGNC, Black and different.” Interviewed by Managing Editor Chael Needle and beautifully photographed by Stephen Churchill Downes, Grace is someone who always steps up to answer the question: Where do we go from here?

So do the other advocates in this issue: Tyler TerMeer, PhD, the new CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation; Baltimore-based advocate Melanie Ann Haskin Reese; and North Carolina-based advocate Jeffrey Long. They all have important insights about how to adapt our HIV/AIDS services as the pandemic evolves. They all know that we cannot go back to a time when society’s first response was to blame people who had been Othered: gay men, people of transgender experience, Black people, people who were sex workers, people who used injection drugs——anyone that the mainstream could call “not innocent.” Where do we go from here? Let me hear it loud: Not Back There!

Contributing Editors: Reed Massengill, Kelly McQuain, Lesléa Newman, Robert E. Penn, Nick Steele Contributing Writers: Ruby Comer, Alacias Enger, Claire Gasamagera, John Francis Leonard, Corey Saucier Art Director: Timothy J. Haines Contributing Photographers: Davidd Batalon, Tom Bianchi, Holly Clark, Stephen Churchill Downes, Greg Gorman, Francis Hills, Tom McGovern, Annie Tritt, Tommy Wu National Advertising Director: Harold Burdick, Jr. Sales & Marketing: David L. Bonitatibus Advertising Sales Office: (518) 205-5024 National Advertising Representative: Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Subscription Info: (518) 205-5024 Board of Directors President: David Waggoner Vice President: Harold Burdick, Jr. Secretary: Richard Garcia Founding Board Members: Mark S. Labrecque, 1961–1992, Christopher Hewitt, 1946–2004, Mark Galbraith, 1962–2011 In Memoriam: Bill Jacobson, 1939–2005 Rhomylly B. Forbes, 1963–2011 • Chris Companik, 1957–2012 • Nancy Ellegate, 1959–2015 • Patricia Nell Warren, 1936–2019 • Jeannie Wraight, 1968–2021 • Robert Schelepanow, 1946–2020 • Richard Garcia, 1951–2021 A&U (ISSN 1074-0872) is published by Art & Understanding, Inc., 4 Hall Street, Hoosick Falls, NY 12090, USA. For A&U advertising information please call 518-205-5024; for subscriptions and address changes please call 518-205-5024; for letters to the editor and unsolicited manuscripts write A&U Magazine, 4 Hall Street, Hoosick Falls, New York 12090; or e-mail: mailbox@aumag. org. All unsolicited manuscripts that do not have a S.A.S.E. cannot be returned and will not be acknowledged. ©2021 Art & Understanding, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. A&U may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher. A&U and the graphic representations thereof are the registered trademarks of Art & Understanding, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Individual Subscription rates: $24.95 (12 issues). Institutional rates: $80.00 (12 issues). For subscriptions outside the USA and possessions, $30.95/Canada, $49.95/international, payable in advance in U.S. currency. First North American serial rights revert to contributors upon publication. A&U retains the right to anthologize work in further issues, as well as in microform or reprinting on the Internet within the context of each issue. Statements of writers, artists and advertisers are not necessarily those of the publisher. Readers note: subjects and contributors to A&U are both HIV-positive and HIV-negative. In the absence of a specific statement herein concerning the serostatus of any individual mentioned in, or contributing material to, this publication, no inference is made with respect thereto and none should be implied. Letters written to A&U or its contributors are assumed intended for publication. Art & Understanding, Inc. assumes no responsibility or liability for unsolicited submissions and does not guarantee the return thereof.

PostMaster: Please send address corrections to A&U Magazine, 4 Hall Street, Hoosick Falls, NY 12090 USA

Printed in USA • Visit our Web site at www.aumag.org DAVID WAGGONER

Digital Digital D ig igi git ita taal Footprints Fo Footprints ootpprint in nts ts

mostloved

When Saul Bromberger and Sandra Hoover photographed and Hank Trout interviewed Sean San José, magic was created!

mosttweeted Photo by Saul Bromberger & Sandra Hoover

Musician Emily Wells discussed her tribute to early AIDS artists and activists, including David Wojnarowicz. Her insights resonated!

WELLS PHOTO BY RACHEL STERN

mostshared Painter Boré Ivanoff’ discussion of dismantling HIV stigma struck a nerve with readers.

@AmericasAIDSMagazine

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@au_magazine

@au_americas_aids_magazine • FEBRUARY 2022

BRIGHT LIGHTS, SMALL CITY

by John Francis Leonard

FOR BETTER OR WORSE...HE'S MY MAN

F

You Can't Fit Love and Intimacy into a Box

or some of us, we come to a certain point where expectations are tempered by reality.

Not in a negative sense, but simply for the reason that we have learned many lessons in life already. I’m a grateful, happy, and proud fifty-two-year-old gay, HIV-positive man. To be honest and clear, I’m a lot of things actually, but my generation still strove, to their deficit, to put everyone in a box. It’s so thrilling to see how ideas about sexuality, and even gender itself, have evolved. Myself, I’ve always identified as a gay man, at times vociferously. I’ve never been able to even imagine myself romantically or sexually involved with the opposite sex. That being said, I hold so many women in the highest esteem and with the greatest affection.

Suffice it to say, I have always had this Technicolor, Hollywood-scale, drama-filled dream of a relationship with another man. My first was certainly all of those things; my subsequent relationships were more practical than romantic, so I took the rough with the smooth (as my grandmother would so often say.)

I learned early on to settle, in exchange for a certain kind of life. What I often settled for was dysfunction and very often infidelity, infidelity on both sides. Not as in a healthy, open relationship, but infidelity with an agenda, if you will.

For much of the past twelve years, I’ve avoided relationships. For the first time I was navigating sex and dating as an HIV-positive man of a certain age, and it was a mixed bag to say the least. More importantly, I was changing. But my heart hadn’t quite caught up with my head. Eight years ago, I met the man with whom I’d have the longest relationship I’ve ever had. Would it look like my perfect fantasy of love and marriage? No, but if nothing else it has been the most natural and the most real relationship I’ve yet to know.

I met Dwayne on an app, Scruff, if I remember correctly. I was still using the dating and hook-up apps to connect with other men. With misguided and unclear intent I was repeating old patterns, lessons I’d thought I had already learned. My HIV status was the most likely villain to explain my failures, but to be honest, it went much deeper. I just wasn’t ready for something whole, something healthy. My first mistake? I was looking in the wrong place for the right thing. Casual hook-ups just did not do it for me anymore so instead I would use an app to begin a dialogue with the rare man not looking for just sex, who might or might not be a good pick, but lived in a larger city miles away. There would be a huge build-up with high expectations on both sides culminating in a meeting in person which always ended in complete failure and disappointment, on

8

both sides. Certainly on both sides.

Dwayne was something different from the start.

After our first session of (frankly) mind-blowing sex, we had a long talk. I can’t say we’d achieved a real intimacy at this nascent stage, but it felt natural.

It felt real. He said at the time that he was bi, but things felt different to me. But if there’s one thing I’ve come to realize living in a much smaller community, that not everyone is out. Some men even identify as straight, but still have sex with other men, from time to time. Not everyone fits in that box you had ready for them. Dwayne certainly did not. I won’t insult Dwayne or anyone by telling myself, or friends, that he’s on the “down low” either.

Dwayne has another life, the life of a black man of a family to whom faith and family are paramount.

I get the sense that no one in his family would be shocked by his sexual identity; they just choose to politely ignore it. I respect that——it wouldn’t work for me——but I respect it. Everyone’s journey looks different and life is not tallied by point, especially in the much smaller community I now find myself.

That was an important thing to learn.

Our relationship is primarily sexual. We meet up in the early hours, before Dwayne’s shift at the sheet metal factory where he’s a manager. I can guarantee he’s not out at work either, but it works for him. That was always my excuse for us not having a “real” relationship. How could we within such parameters? What we do have is an intense sexual dynamic that only comes of deep love and intimacy.

I love him and, more importantly, trust him. We can take things to the edge and it’s a thrill. Every single time. I disclosed my HIV status to him in that first encounter and kept him apprised of U=U over our first few years together. Eventually he was comfortable without a condom, which we both preferred, but it took many conversations and much back and forth before we gave them up altogether.

That took love, it took trust, and it made our physical relationship even more special. To be clear, we’ve never really “dated.” And eventually it became clear to us both that, with rare exception, it was, yes, a sexual relationship, but, by default or design, an often monogamous one.

A few years ago Dwayne started to express a desire for something more than what we shared already. I was far too busy on an elusive search for some gay Prince Charming to listen. By the time I realized what I had in him already, the moment was gone. So it has been business as usual, but it’s not.

I see clearly now, I see Dwayne clearly, and it breaks my heart that I missed what was right in front of me.

Do I want more? Yes? Maybe? I know one thing;

viewfinder I’d be more than willing to take the chance. Yes, on the surface, we’re merely sex buddies, but there’s so much more there. We express our love and fondness for each other as often as our seemingly out-of-control sexual attraction. Recently, after satisfaction was once again achieved, he surprised me. I knew his mother had recently passed after a long battle with cancer and I very well knew how devastated he was. Just recently, after I tried to console him, he had left my home close to tears, but unable to let me see them. Culturally for black men, and so many men in general, showing emotion is a weakness; it’s hard to let go of those early lessons.

Choking back sobs as he opened my door to leave, his words to me were, I just can’t let you see me like this, baby. In this subsequent moment, he saw that I was hurting and made me look him in the eye while he asked, with much tenderness, what was bothering me. I’ve come to a point in my life where my emotions are all at the surface, so I told him. He held me in his arms while I told him about both my mother’s Alzheimer’s and my own health challenges. Crying in his arms was the safest and the most complete I’d felt in more years than I can count.

Then, he opened up. He told me the complete story of his mother’s painful death. I listened and when he cried, I held him. I got you, I told him as he let go. It was two sides of a coin that was valuable currency to both of us.

The point at which I find myself isn’t necessarily unique. Regardless of gender or gender expression, regardless of sexual orientation, regardless of all that which makes us whole, everyone who is aging with HIV with whatever grace and sense of worth that we hold share something very important in common——challenging relationships. I’ve had the privilege of interviewing some of the best advocates, artists, and activists in the field of HIV and learned so many different perspectives on what it means to live successfully with HIV, but there is a commonality to them all——relationship war stories of people rejecting them, people being rude and unkind to them, people stigmatizing them.

Anyone who might read this has another story particular to them. For everyone, relationships can be hard to navigate. I firmly believe that until one is happy with oneself, they are doomed to failure or extended unhappiness. Coming through what I have, I’m left with expectations that are much more pragmatic. When I achieved a love for myself, Prince Charming didn’t show up, seemingly out of nowhere at my doorstep. That’s okay. To quote a favorite song, you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you just might find, you get what you need.

John Francis Leonard is an advocate and writer, as well as a voracious reader of literature, which helps to feed his love of the English language. He has been living with HIV for fifteen years.

His fiction has been published in the ImageOutWrite literary journal and he is a literary critic for Lambda Literary. Follow him on Twitter @JohnFrancisleo2.

• FEBRUARY 2022

Without health justice, we cannot end the HIV epidemic.

Show your support at sfaf.org/shop

NewsBreak In Memoriam: David Stuart David Stuart, a pioneering British advo-

cate, activist, writer, poet, and support worker who coined the term “chemsex” and worked tirelessly to help the LGBT+ community with substance misuse, has suddenly died. His death was announced on January 12, 2022, by the staff at 56 Dean Street, London’s LGBTQ sexual health clinic, where David had worked for the last eight years.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden death of our colleague and friend David Stuart,” the announcement read. “He has been pioneering in his work and has dedicated his time as an advocate, activist, support worker, campaigner, lecturer and researcher. David is known and respected internationally for his tireless work with gay, bi and queer communities which he did with passion, empathy and kindness. His work with our patients has undoubtedly saved many lives and his loss immeasurable.”

On his website, Stuart explained that after a decade of using and selling drugs himself, “I found myself sober-ish, with a criminal record for drug dealing, a considerable accumulation of traumas and with a fire in my belly that drove me to raise awareness about chemsex. I have tried to raise awareness about the chemsex epidemic that is responsible for (yes, great amounts of pleasure) and also unfair, disproportionate experiences of trauma, psychosis, suicides and overdoses amongst (mostly) gay men all around the world. Nearly every gay man in the world knows someone who has been affected very poorly by chemsex.”

In addition to his sexual support work, Stuart, who considered writing “a hobby,” also wrote a semi-autobiographical novel called A Loud Exhaust and a book of essays and poetry called Predators, Sex and Politics: Humanity.

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Matthew Hodson [A&U, August 2019], Director of NAM Publications, said of Stuart, “He... devoted his life and energies to supporting people who struggled with [chemsex]” he explained.

“He admitted his own struggles. We worked,

played and vented our frustrations together. His loss is immense.”

For more information and to download his free books, go to: davidstuart.org.

• FEBRUARY 2022

Reunión

Latina

R

egistration for the Reunión Latina 2022, an annual two-day training institute that focuses on how to rethink and respond to HIV, viral hepatitis, STIs, stigma, and other health issues in Hispanic/Latinx communities, is now open.

The event will take place at the Hilton Hotel in Albany, New York, on March 10 and 11, 2022.

The Latino Commission on AIDS has hosted Reunión Latina since 1996 and has provided a space for providers and stakeholders to discuss ways to improve services, share strategies on how to overcome health challenges, unify our efforts to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic, address viral Hepatitis and STIs, and craft a common vision to eliminate health disparities in Latino communities.

In a press release, the Latino Commission on AIDS, sponsors of the event, outlined the agenda: Open Plenary: National leaders, researchers, and health officials will discuss the need for a new approach to work around HIV, viral hepatitis, and STIs in a world shaped by COVID-19.

Day 1: Educational Workshops: Learn specific strategies for working with HIV long-term survivors, youth, transgender, cisgender Latinas, and other populations. There will also be educational sessions about cancer, mental health, and the opioid crisis within the Latino community, Day 2: Capacity Building Workshops: Explore culturally responsive, status-neutral approaches to HIV prevention and address medical mistrust/ distrust and community engagement with an understanding of the challenges and strategies to address it.

Registration for the training event is $150.

For more info, visit: latinoaids.org.

FEBRUARY 2022 •

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with gender-affirming care under attack, U.S. Supreme Court supports healthcare discrimination lawsuits

O

n January 18, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to overturn a lower court ruling that allowed the North Carolina State Health Plan to be sued for denying comprehensive gender-affirming healthcare coverage to transgender state employees or their transgender dependents.

This move upheld rulings from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit which ruled that the North Carolina State Health Plan, a state entity, could be sued under claims that its actions violated the healthcare nondiscrimination law that is part of the Affordable Care Act. They found that by accepting federal financial assistance the state entity had

waived its “sovereign immunity” (the legal doctrine that precludes bringing a lawsuit against the state without its consent). Determined to continue denying healthcare coverage for transgender state employees, the State Health Plan appealed to the Fourth Circuit.

The Fourth Circuit decision from 2021 marked the first time that a federal appellate court in the United States has ruled that claims of “sovereign immunity” do not protect state entities from liability under the Affordable Care Act if they receive federal funding.

Omar Gonzalez-Pagan, Senior Attorney and Health Care Strategist at Lambda Legal, one of the plaintiffs in the case, Kadel v. Folwell, said in a prepared release, “We are pleased that the Supreme Court decided not to review this case and that we can now focus on holding North

Carolina’s State Health Plan accountable for its discriminatory and harmful refusal to provide comprehensive health care coverage–—including for gender-affirming care——to all its state employees and their dependents... Today’s decision protects the rights of marginalized people, including LGBTQ people and people living with HIV, to seek justice and obtain relief in court if they are subjected to health care discrimination.”

cause the theaters were dark. But for the same reason, this is a time of enormous need within the theater community with so many people unable for so long to work and keep insurance, even as their medical and other needs increased. That makes me especially glad to make this contribution from the Ebb Foundation.”

In addition to their yearly donations to BC/EFA, the Fred Ebb Foundation helps artists and musicians strive for greatness through the Fred Ebb Award, given annually to an aspiring songwriter or songwriting team that shows true excellence and potential. In 2021, the award of $60,000 was given to the team of Isabella Dawis and Tidtaya Sinutoke.

To celebrate the Fred Ebb Foundation’s historic donation and to honor the Kander and Ebb team,

the current cast of Broadway’s Chicago created a special video of “Hot Honey Rag” featuring onstage and backstage company members, clips of iconic Chicago performers and a tribute to iconic dancer Ann Reinking, who died in 2020. You can view the video at https://bit.ly/33BMBcj. “Fred and Mitch give us the means and ability to respond with strength and reach those struggling in our theater community as well as in communities across the nation in the hope that a brighter tomorrow belongs to us all,” Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Executive Director Tom Viola said.

For more information about Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, log on to: www. broadwaycares.org.

BC/EFA receives largest gift ever

A

s 2021 ended, the Fred Ebb Foundation, founded by legendary lyricist Fred Ebb, awarded $2.6 million to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the foundation’s largest donation ever, cementing its place as the largest single donor in Broadway Cares history.

In his will, Ebb, who created Tony Award-winning musicals with John Kander, provided that royalties earned on his works would be distributed each year to BC/EFA through the Fred Ebb Foundation. With an initial donation of $300,000 in 2005, his contributions have continued to grow exponentially; the Ebb Foundation has donated $24.8 million to BC/EFA since that first gift.

The year-end gift was put to work immediately, with $1.5 million in additional support sent to The Actors Fund to provide assistance for everyone in entertainment and the performing arts, particularly through The Friedman Health Center, the Artists Health Insurance Resource Center and the COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund.

Ebb’s nephew and head of the Foundation, Mitchell S. Bernard, said in a prepared release, “The pandemic has limited the foundation’s income be-

12

• JANUARY 2022

by Ruby Comer

Melanie Anne Haskin Reese

A

ctually, I’m not sighing. Your columnist is introducing this month’s subject, Melanie Reese, Executive Director of OWEL (Older Women Embracing Life), which is pronounced: “Oh Well.”

This busy woman has quite a history. In a nutshell, Melanie boasts, “I’m thriving with HIV for twenty years!” At the age of forty-seven she was diagnosed. It happened as a date rape…

Gee, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start at the beginning.

In Melanie’s first seven years on this planet, she was a self-proclaimed Army brat. Born in Seattle, she roamed from San Francisco to Japan and then to Virginia. After her Pop served twenty-plus years in the Army, Melanie, her brother, and parents returned to California (Berkeley)——a favorite destination of Melanie’s mom.

Melanie attended the University of California, Berkeley, for two years then at age twenty, moved to Sacramento and transferred to California State University, Sacramento, majoring in art, art history, and journalism. Having a baby during her senior year didn’t allow her to finish her last semester. To enhance her career opportunities, though, she took accounting and in 1983, she landed a bank teller position. Within eleven years, after learning and performing various duties, she was promoted to Vice President of Bank Operations. Well deserved!

Regrettably, this new position was not to last. In 1992, the iconic film, Boyz in the Hood was released to grand fanfare, and Melanie and her family were enthused to see it. They attended the opening day in Sacramento, where they were living, and stood in line a long while to purchase tickets. When they walked into the cinema, the place was jammed!

As the movie played, there was back and forth talking between some audience

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Ruby illustration by Davidd Batalon; photo by David Muller Photographyi

“Oh well...

• FEBRUARY 2022

Ruby illustration by Davidd Batalon; all photos courtesy M. Reesei

members, and even shouting at the screen. A fight broke out in the film, and swiftly an actual skirmish erupted in the audience as well. Loud words were exchanged and then screaming and running.

Audience members were whizzing by Melanie like rushing buffaloes. It all happened so fast. Melanie was shoved to the floor, which inflicted serious injuries. She went on disability in 1994.

Five years after being disabled, Melanie was targeted in a rescue intervention, removing her from an abusive relationship, on the heels of Melanie’s divorce after twenty-three years of marriage. The interventionists were her mother, sister, daughter, girlfriend, and ex-husband. Within a few days, after packing and getting affairs in order, Melanie was plopped onto a plane by her mother that was flying to Baltimore. Melanie’s daughter picked her up at the Baltimore/Washington International airport and drove her mom to her house.

At the time, Melanie was angry and felt betrayed by everyone involved. Today, she’s grateful for their love and determination that changed the trajectory of her life.

For twenty-years Melanie lived with her daughter. Shortly after arriving in Baltimore, Melanie soon became involved in a catfish situation. What partly propelled her to pursue another man was the anger she suffered over her abduction. This new man in Baltimore raped her and her sexual assault unfortunately resulted in an HIV diagnosis. Afterwards, she smartly sought help and learned all she could about the disease. Melanie explored her inner being and immersed herself in the HIV community, including advocating for others and fighting stigma. She spreads the word by telling her own story.

During the height of COVID-19 (September 2020) Melanie moved out of her daughter’s home and rented her own apartment. “My daughter and I are both very happy about that,” exclaims Melanie, who’s thrilled to have her own place.

In one word, Melanie describes herself as “persistent.” That’s undeniable! Proof is in the following achievements. For fourteen years Melanie served as a member of the Greater Baltimore HIV Health Services Planning Council in various leadership capacities, spending her last two years as Planning Council Chair. For five years each, she’s been a part of the HIV Prevention Group for the Maryland Department of Health, as well as Baltimore City Department of Health HIV/AIDS Commission and HIV Prevention Group. She is active with Johns Hopkins Institute of Clinical and Translational Research Community Research Advisory Council and is involved with clinical trials and research studies community/stakeholder advisory boards. Joining OWEL in 2005, Melanie has also addressed HIV issues on Capitol Hill.

You want two more accomplishments? Her kids, Kamila, forty-six, and Rashaad, forty-four.

In her everyday life, Melanie likes to grocery shop, prepare meals, and decorate her new apartFEBRUARY 2022 •

AIDS Walk 2019 ment. Her fave color is purple, and her all-time fave sitcom is All in the Family. Oh my, what memories I also have of watching Archie Bunker rant and rave on the groundbreaking seventies series created by Norman Lear, who turns 100 this year! There was no subject or issue of the day that was avoided. Had AIDS been around during that time, they’d have written an episode about the disease.

On a recent afternoon, the lightning rod, Melanie, and I FaceTime. Boy, her vivaciousness is only outdone by her positive attitude.

Ruby Comer: Hello, Baltimore from Los Angeles! Why you’re in John Waters’ land [A&U, July 2011]! [Melanie grins and chuckles.] My god, you’re turning the Big Seven-O this year and you look twenty years younger! What is your secret?

Melanie Anne Haskin Reese: I keep all of my [doctor’s] appointments, take my medications as prescribed, do my best to stay active, and eat well.

[She takes a beat.] I listen to my body, take power

naps when I can, and make every effort to get seven to eight hours of sleep per night. I also keep my body moisturized!

Good for you! Say, I want to know more about how you became disabled, Melanie—— and while attending Boyz in the Hood?!

At that time, gangs were becoming an issue in Sacramento and the movie was about gang activity in South Los Angeles. My children were teenagers in high school and wanted to see the movie on the opening day, so we developed a plan in case something went awry. We planned to drop to the floor, crawl out the nearest exit, and meet at the car.

[Melanie’s breathing changes, recalling the trauma.] The children sat up front and my husband and I sat near the back of the theater. A brawl broke out in the audience and I stood up to see if my children followed the directions they were given. Ruby, people were screaming and running! I was sitting in a seat near the aisle and a huge gentleman used my shoulder as a brace to jump over the seats. I

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tan Area (EMA) as well as wrap-around social services and the amount of allocation for each service category. [She’s on a roll, indeed proud of her triumphs.]

I spent twelve years as a planning council member holding various leadership positions.

Wow, tell me more.

The first organization outside of my clinic that I connected with was Sisters Together and Reaching (STAR). I attended their “Lunch and Learns,” which provided PLWHA the opportunity to gain knowledge and skills to manage HIV and manage their lives. I was becoming more comfortable with my HIV diagnosis and wanting to live well. Shortly thereafter, I started attending OWEL.

Saving Our Sisters Conference 2018 spun out into the aisle. I was knocked down and was trampled by people up front running for their lives. My husband realized I wasn’t behind him anymore and came back to pull me up from the floor. He helped me get my bearings, then escorted me to the car. Two years later after physical therapy, surgeries, and more physical therapy, the chronic pain was intense and debilitating. I went on disability.

a test. What I was able to start immediately was seeing a therapist.

Holy Mother of God. Melanie! I need to take a moment. Whhhhew. [We both sit, staring at one another. I express sympathy.] Okay…well. Moving on. I wanna know who you consider heroes in the AIDS epidemic?

That’s an easy one, Ruby: Ryan White, Arthur Ashe, women living with HIV, and long-term survivors.

What was your immediate reaction when you received your diagnosis?

It was…shock, and fear of dying. I was still in therapy and my therapist helped me process my diagnosis and helped me to sign up with a social worker who would help me get into treatment.

Grand. Tell me about your unfortunate encounter years ago with the man who raped you.

Well, Ruby, I was in a hurry to get into a relationship when I first arrived in Baltimore.

I was still angry about getting plucked from Sacramento. I placed a personal ad in the paper.

Each letter and space cost money, so I read many [example ads] to get the hang of it. After seeing him for a short while, one of the individuals that answered the ad date-raped me.

Oh Melanie, I am so awfully sorry….

I had to go to the doctor for treatment. That’s where I learned that he had lied to me——name, cell number, address where he lived, where he worked. I was in pain physically and emotionally.

I got tested for everything, including HIV. My test came back negative. Not really a relief since the antibody buildup was too soon to be captured by

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You took care of you. Bravo.

Yes, and I became celibate after that trauma.

I was tested at each follow-up visit for care of injuries sustained because it does take time to seroconvert. I socialized in group settings, mostly at church.

You railed against this disease and succeeded.

I disclosed my status so as to get others to realize that this was not just a gay men’s disease, or an injection drug user’s disease. [I lift my arms to the heavens, celebrating her intention.] I got involved in the Consumer Advisory Board of the Moore Clinic. I learned about Project LEAP and signed up to participate. I began to attend the Ryan White Planning Council meetings and the sub-committee meetings.

Please elaborate on this, Melanie.

The Ryan White CARE Act Legislation mandated that unaffiliated persons living with HIV and AIDS had to be appointed to the planning council and thirty-three percent of the seats were to be held for them to occupy.

Oh yes, I see.

The planning council was a decision-making body that determined what treatment and care services were to be offered in our Eligible Metropoli-

Impressive…quite a résumé of activism, Melanie. What a role model. [She modestly turns her head, and then peacefully smiles.] How have you thrived with HIV for over twenty years?

I have kept all my appointments and fully believed in myself. [I urgently shake my head.] I was forty-seven when I was diagnosed with HIV. I was fifty when I left Kaiser to receive treatment at Johns Hopkins East Medical Campus at the Moore Clinic. I did that because I was determined to live and also determined to prevent anyone else from hearing they were HIV-positive.

Kudos, Ms. Reese! How do you continue to stay healthy?

I do my best to make healthy food choices and limit snacking between meals. I hydrate with water; however I drink Crystal Light lemon iced tea instead of soda. I’ve put on COVID-19 pounds during lockdown. I became sedentary.

The only exercise I got was walking to and from the refrigerator, to and from the bathroom, and getting to and from my bed. Prior to COVID-19, I volunteered, attended meetings, went to workshops, participated in community health fairs, and tabling events, attended support groups, sat on panels at conferences and workshops. …and with the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, how are you being affected?

I now walk six days a week for forty minutes. I want to take yoga and tai chi classes to help with flexibility and balance. I meditate for short periods, though I’d like to become more disciplined.

Self-care is extremely important to overall well being. That’s how I stay productive.

What’s your number-one mission at OWEL? [Melanie clears her throat, planting her hand on her chin.] Our mission is to make sure that everyone knows that women were infected and affected by HIV and AIDS from the start of the epidemic. It should never have been called GRID, Gay-Related Immune Deficiency. [She sits • FEBRUARY 2022

up, sturdily erect, emitting revved energy. Her concerned voice is unshakeable.] To this very day, society still believes that HIV and AIDS is a gay men’s disease. [I nod.] It’s very difficult to inform and educate people that EVERYONE is susceptible to becoming HIV-positive. You must know your HIV status and take safer sex practices seriously when engaging in consensual sexual relationships. [Melanie sways to and fro, deep in thought and then speeds forward.] Everyone has an HIV status! Either you are HIV-negative and need to learn how to stay negative or you are HIV-positive and need to get access to treatment and care, take your medications as prescribed, attend all your medical appointments including seeing a therapist and getting into a support group. We are in End the HIV Epidemic mode; EVERYONE has something they can do to end HIV! OWEL has been talking about aging with HIV since 2004.

I’m extremely joyful that you are such a driving force, a beacon, Melanie. What do you want readers to know about being older and living with HIV? First, I want the readers to know that getting older by itself is not easy….

Ha, Ha! Bette Davis said it best, “Aging is not for sissies.”

[Melanie nods eagerly.] Being HIV-positive accelerates the aging process so we experience symptoms much earlier. Aging can begin at fifty.

Many ID [infectious disease] doctors don’t know about geriatrics and gerontology, and they may not know about HIV. Those of us aging with HIV didn’t expect to live long enough to experience aging. No one else thought that we would live long enough to age. We are the first cohorts to age with HIV and there are many coming behind us. [She pauses and clicks her tongue.] Stigma is still a barrier to accessing care, retention in care, staying adherent to ART, finding safe affordable housing, and being able to have quality services and resources to live a quality life.

Well spoken. What would you say to longterm survivors?

Long-term survivors or LTS: Realize that you are not alone. Nobody, including ourselves, ever imagined that we would still be here. Advances in research and development have lead to less toxic and better-tolerated medicines, many [are on] one pill a day. What you need to do is continue to take your medication as prescribed.

When keeping your appointments with your provider or providers, let them know how you are feeling, any changes that you have noticed since your last visit, if you have fallen, be honest, it could be an indication that something may be occurring. Once you take a fall, the next fall may happen sooner and could result in injuries that FEBRUARY 2022 •

could change the quality of your life even if it is temporary.

Hear, hear. Falling is one of the most common ailments of aging, you bet.

We all need to advocate for robust resources to cover services that we will need that aren’t covered currently. [Melanie gently caresses her face and then continues.] Remember that perinatal-infected persons are living longer and are under fifty years of age, but may be experiencing conditions that happen as you age. Think about it, you have had HIV your whole life! Every development stage you were HIV-positive, even in your mother’s womb. What long-term effects will that have on quality of life? Will aging begin earlier than fifty for them?

all people with HIV healthy and productive.

I know you’ve lost numerous people to this dreadful disease….

I have lost many friends, Ruby, fellow advocates, and health planners along the years.

Each loss was painful and I cling to the wonderful memories I shared with each of them. [She halts.]

Anyone that has HIV and AIDS and transitions, whether I personally knew them or not, truly affects me in a painful way. It pushes me to get more vocal, wanting everyone to get involved in...

Ending The HIV Epidemic.

Dynamite points, Melanie. I read where you once said, “When I get angry, I get active.” I love that! Where did that spirit come from?

From my ancestors and my parents who had to fight to be treated as whole human beings, deserving of civil rights and dignity while pursuing upward mobility. I could write a whole dissertation on this. I use my voice, my face, my written words, and my presence to make change and to educate.

You sure do….

You’ve been to Capitol Hill many times. What did you address?

I went with a grass-roots advocacy group, LifeLinc of Maryland. [She ponders, glancing upward.] The most memorable time was when we were invited to the House Chamber by Maryland Congressman John Sarbanes discussing the Reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, continuing to make planning councils mandatory with thirty-three percent being non-affiliated consumers. Another time on the Hill, was about ADAP (AIDS Drug Assistance Program) across the U.S. covering all medications not just HIV meds to keep

Melanie celebrates her sixty-ninth birthday.

Melanie, I know you’re a busy lady and I appreciate these moments with you. Tell me what motto you live by?

“If they don’t give you a seat at the table—— bring a folding chair,” by Shirley Chisholm.

Ruby Comer is an independent journalist from the Midwest who is happy to call Hollywood her home away from home.

Reach her by e-mail at MsRubyComer@aol.com.

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the AIDS activist project Faces from the frontlines of the fight against AIDS

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TRUE RESILIENCE Tyler TerMeer, PhD, the new CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation, talks about leadership, HIV/AIDS, and navigating “dueling pandemics”

by Alina Oswald “As you flip the page to a new chapter in 2022 and look for a fresh start, don’t leave all of 2021 and its turbulence behind. Sit in the discomfort, challenge yourself to grow, and remember for some of us turbulence is common.” January 1, 2022.

R

ecently, while browsing through Instagram, I came across the above quote by Tyler TerMeer, PhD. It speaks to a reality that has defined some individuals’ lives, day in and day out, for many years. I read and reread those words, and realized just how deeply they resonate with me, and quite possibly with many others, and felt compelled to find out more about the person who wrote them.

Dr. Tyler TerMeer is the new CEO of San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF), an organization that, for the past forty years, has promoted health, wellness, and social justice services for communities most impacted by HIV. He is the first BIPOC serving as CEO of SFAF. Holding a doctorate in Public Policy and Administration from Walden University, he has served as CEO at Cascade AIDS Project and Prism Health, in Portland, Oregon, as the Director of Public Policy and Government Relationships at AIDS Resource Center Ohio, and as Director of Ohio AIDS Coalition. In 2012, the White House named him one of the Nation’s Emerging LGBTQ+ Leaders, and, one year later, honored him as part of the Nation’s Emerging Black Leadership.

“As a person who has been living with and working in the field of HIV for nearly eighteen years, I have always admired the work of San Francisco AIDS Foundation,” he tells me over the phone. “They are bold, courageous and inspiring in the way that they approach their work. In finding out that this CEO role was going to be a possibility, I was eager to explore and learn more about the opportunity. I’m just incredibly thrilled and honored to be taking the helm in February.”

In an article posted on SFAF's website, Dr. TerMeer talks about the “pivotal moment in the HIV movement” in which we live. “I think we’re in a pivotal moment,” he reiterates, “because forty years into the HIV and AIDS pandemic, through the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, we finally have the blueprint, tools and resources necessary to end HIV,

20

• FEBRUARY 2022

FEBRUARY 2022 •

someone to follow; hence, I have to ask, what makes a good leader?

“For myself, [it] is someone who is present,” he answers. “It took me a long time to understand the difference between being visible and being present, authentic.” That means being “honest and transparent about my decision-making processes and how I arrived at those decisions, really engaged in listening not just to be there, but listening to learn, hearing directly from the community about their experiences with the larger movements, also [being] willing to just sit in the discomfort of knowing that every decision that’s been made in the past, and also the ones that will happen in the future aren’t going to be everyone’s favorite. That means acknowledging where there have been missteps in the past, asking for help, and working together as a team to ensure that the people who need us the most have the access they need.

“I have had a really amazing mentor early on in the epidemic or rather in my journey with the epidemic. He was my first boss in the HIV space, former executive director of the Ohio AIDS Coalition, Kevin Sullivan. He used to talk about how as a leader it was his job to build up the people around him in the best possible way that he could, to help them become strong advocates and help people who are living with HIV and AIDS to feel empowered to use their voice and their story as a tool for advocacy and a tool for empowerment and education in what we hope will be the final chapter [of HIV] in our country. I have grounded myself in that throughout my time as a leader, building a community of people around me and whenever possible lifting up people living with HIV so that we’re making decisions that are in the best interest of the community and for the community.”

Looking ahead, Dr. TerMeer is eager to work with SFAF and develop a thorough understanding of the depth of programs and services that are offered, to assess the effects of COVID on the community and do “a thoughtful listening tour of all of those groups of that community to understand that organization’s history——the highs and the lows——knowing that that will put me in the best possible position to lead the team as they work forward towards a future where justice is achieved for all people who are living with and at risk of HIV.” He believes in the importance of having a strong grounding in community, in order to find the best ways to be supportive, especially of communities that are most impacted by HIV——black and brown communities, people over the age of fifty and in support of the drug-user health movement in San Francisco. “I don’t take for granted how important this role is, you know,” he says. “We have a very powerful and important organization with many years of history and impact in the community, and I think that any leader who is coming in [should] hear from the community and figure out how we move forward in such an important time in the world.”

He adds, “I come to [SFAF] with a strong foundation of most of the work that the San Francisco AIDS Foundation is doing, through my time as the CEO of Cascade AIDS Project in Portland, Oregon, where we have been able to focus on building a robust set of social services and direct care options for people living with HIV and the broader LGBTQ+ community by being thoughtful and responsive to what we were hearing from the community, and I hope to continue that.”

Learn more about San Francisco AIDS Foundation by visiting: www.sfaf.org.

Alina Oswald, Arts Editor of A&U, is a writer, photographer, and educator based in the New York City area. She’s also the new Arts Editor of Out IN Jersey Magazine.

Contact her online at alinaoswald.com .

21

photo courtesy San Francisco AIDS Foundation

possibly in our lifetime. However,” he cautions, “that requires political will, and us uniting to help not only the community we’re directly serving but ensuring that there’s an end to HIV in all parts of the country.” That means, ensuring that all people living with HIV across the country can access the vital care treatment that they need.

“The HIV movement, in particular, is a very beautiful case study of what true resilience looks like,” he comments. “It has shown that, in order to continue making strides, we need to [remain] thoughtful and intentional about how we move forward in the epidemic.”

The Foundation has continued to make strides, even in a time of COVID. Yet, all the socioeconomic issues that the most recent pandemic has brought to surface and that are very prevalent in the media right now are not new. They have been the underlying driving factors of HIV in the country for quite some time. “This is a complicated time,” he says, and there’s no “playbook” to help us navigate through all the challenges. What we can do, he advises, is to work together and learn what’s happening in various communities, what’s working and what’s not, and help support the organizations providing programs and services that are responsive to this “time of dueling pandemics."

Truth is that, during COVID, traditional HIV service organizations around the country have had to offer services in a virtual environment, which required that people they serve have access to a computer and regular Wi-Fi…which is not a reality for many people. The lack of physical appointments, and feeling uncomfortable using virtual health appointments have led to increased isolation and decreased access to medical providers. Add in the increased need for food for those who have been afraid of leaving their home in a time where they might be more susceptible to COVID; and an increased need for emergency rental assistance or housing assistance for those who have lost their jobs or are unable to make the same level of income that they did before the pandemic, and a more detailed picture of life in a time of today’s “dueling pandemics” comes into focus. And that’s only scratching the surface.

“We [also] can’t have any legitimate discussion about HIV without having discussions about all of the other social disparities that are impacting communities and all of those social drivers,” he adds, “including a discussion in our country about racism and white supremacy that have continued to fuel the epidemic, now more so than they’ve ever been,” he points out. “So, one of the reasons I was incredibly impressed throughout the [SFAF] interview process is they have made a strong commitment in their strategic plan over the last several years to ensure that whatever group of folks that they’re talking about, whether it is about black and brown communities or their white counterparts, whether it’s about those who are in a drug user help community or those who are over the age of fifty and living with HIV, that they are focused on racial justice throughout that process, recognizing that all their social drivers impact people in different ways.”

Nowadays, perhaps more than ever, it seems that many individuals are seeking a good leader, a role model, someone to admire and trust,

a people's

pandemic

Theodore (ted) Kerr Curates an Exhibition of AIDS Posters that Draw Us In

by Chael Needle

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Illustration of men viewing Bobbi Campbell’s AIDS poster in the early 1980s produced by HealyKohler Design, 2021. Courtesy National Library of Medicine • FEBRUARY 2022

a&ugallery

S

electing from the AIDS poster archive at the National Library of Medicine (NLM), independent curator Theodore (ted) Kerr has created an engaging and powerful exhibition that moves beyond the technical, informational aspects of public-health outreach to highlight the collective power of artists, activists and community workers to create a place for individuals to “gather, mourn, organize, and inspire,” as the introduction states. Alongside this tactic, “AIDS, Posters, and Stories of Public Health: A People’s History of a Pandemic” explores how AIDS posters (and postcards) may function to dismantle isolation and strengthen togetherness and use personal narrative and messaging in language that connects with intended audiences and with cultural specificity.

The capacity of drawing is given special focus. The introduction states: “Drawing can bridge the divide. As a technique, drawing provides an opportunity for a person to make and share visuals that do not yet exist and that no one else but the artist themselves can see and create.”

The exhibition is categorized by theme, highlighting those who produced the posters: Minority AIDS Project; Native People Respond to HIV/AIDS; The Whitman-Walker Clinic; “Please Be Safe” by the Northwest AIDS Foundation; South Carolina AIDS Education Network (SCAEN); Harm Reduction/Clean Needles; and Postcard Politics. Analyses provide cogent insights into the empowering choices made in the dance of words, images and real life.

Importantly the exhibition is careful not to anchor AIDS messaging in the past, as if AIDS is history. As the introduction reminds: “Today, AIDS posters continue to be valuable resources for the ongoing epidemic.

“Hey man, let me use your works”: famous last words, People of Color Against AIDS (Organization), 198-, Seattle, Washington (?). Courtesy National Library of Medicine

They teach us about community organizing processes and the ways that groups dealing with HIV heal, share fears, and strategize toward wellness together.” AIDS is not over; the need to create and survive is ever-present.

Artist, writer, teacher and organizer Theodore (ted) Kerr has long foregrounded the collective and creative efforts of individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS. During his tenure at Visual AIDS as the nonprofit’s program manager, he worked to bring social justice to the fore. POZ honored him in 2016 with a Best Journalism award for an article he wrote on race, HIV, and art for HyperAllergic. He is a founding member of the What Would An HIV Doula Do? collective, which, according to its website, is “a community of people committed to better implicating community within the ongoing response to HIV/AIDS.” This year, Duke University Press will publish a book he wrote with Alexandra Juhasz: We Are Having This Conversation Now: The Times of AIDS Cultural Production.

A&U corresponded via email with Theodore (ted) Kerr recently.

Learn to live: learn about AIDS, SCAEN, Inc., circa 1988, Columbia South Carolina. Courtesy National Library of Medicine

FEBRUARY 2022 •

Chael Needle: The subtitle of the exhibition is “A People’s History of a Pandemic.” Yet, when one hears “AIDS posters,” at least today, one might think of campaigns by public health organizations and ASOs, that is, institutions rather than people. As curator, why was it important for you to emphasize people in the present moment?

Theodore (ted) Kerr: All AIDS posters are part of a tradition that not only dates back to the civil right era, early women´s liberation efforts, the American Indian Movement, anti-war protests, the fight for gay rights and so much more, they are also all an echo of the earliest AIDS activism.

23

For example, Bobbi Campbell was a nurse and gay rights activist, who would go on to be one of The Denver Principles authors and a self-appointed AIDS poster boy. In 1981 he took a photo of lesions on his body and put them on a piece of paper. At the top of the page he wrote: GAY CANCER. At the bottom, he told people that if they had similar marks they should seek medical attention. He hung his homemade creation in the front window of a Castro pharmacy, where word of an illness impacting gay men was already spreading.

I start the exhibition with Campbell. I think he made the first AIDS poster in history, and he reminds me that before public health organizations

24

took notice of HIV, or ASOs even existed, people living with a then-mysterious illness used the tools they had to generate action and care. As much as I emphasize people in the exhibition, I also work to draw attention to the tactics they use to help themselves and others survive and thrive. The making and distribution of posters is a common and vital tool used by people in almost any modern fight for life we can imagine, even in the digital age.

I love the lead image created of individuals looking at the Campbell poster! In the process of curating, what did you learn about tactics that you hadn’t thought of or deeply

considered before?

I started the project thinking I would use no images from ASOs or government bodies, a way to double down on the idea of ẗhe people´s pandemic.

And with that approach I found a lot of amazing posters: I am thinking specifically about the illustrated poster by an unnamed artist that came out of DiAna DiAna South Carolina hair salon, or Silence = Death from the Silence = Death Project. But soon enough I came to remember that people make up ASOs and governmental organizations and to not include them would be to ignore the hard work that often comes from the inside. Once I opened up my parameters I found really powerful work that • FEBRUARY 2022

a&ugallery Ricky Ray, circa 1990s,publisher unknown. Courtesy National Library of Medicine According to NLM: "Ricky Ray was the oldest of three boys, all of whom had hemophilia and contracted AIDS after receiving blood transfusions as babies.

In 1987, when the Ray brothers, aged ten, nine, and eight, won the court-appointed right to attend school, arsonists destroyed their Florida home. In 1992, Ricky passed away from AIDS-related complications at age 15. The middle brother, Robert, also died of AIDS-related diseases when he was 22....the youngest brother, Randy, is...still alive."

Love carefully: AIDS infection may come from a single sexual contact , White Mountain Apache Tribe/Health Education Department, 1988, Arizona/Department of Health Services. Courtesy National Library of Medicine

AIDS is still a crisis, postcard. Courtesy National Library of Medicine speaks to how people working together——whether it is protesting on the streets, or speaking truth to personal experience within an office space——is what is at the heart of the ongoing response to AIDS. The poster that opened me up to this way of thinking is the one that features “HIV” spelled out in ASL produced by AIDS Rochester, Inc. It is really important that someone is tasked and compensated with ensuring HIV information is available to anyone and everyone, regardless of disability, language, etc. So, I guess to answer your question directly, I would say I learned two things: sometimes I have to get out of my own way and ensure I am letting the power of the work dictate the project, and that as romantic as the idea of “the people”-makFEBRUARY 2022 •

ing-change narrative is, the truth is, sometimes those people are not rugged individuals, but people within systems trying——and doing——their best. Also, there is no binary. Sometimes the person yelling the loudest at the protest is also the middle manager from an ASO. Perhaps the same idea about abandoning either/or thinking might apply to messaging via AIDS posters. Sometimes the most effective, engaging poster does not have the highest production values. I’m thinking of posters such the “how to use a condom” poster by Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center continued on page 44

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Advocating with

Grace Grace Detrevarah Talks to A&U’s

Chael Needle About Her Journey of Empowerment as an HIV Long-Term Survivor, Helping Others Who Have Been Marginalized Take the Next Step & Her Fight for Trans Liberation and a More Humane Justice System Photographed Exclusively for A&U by Stephen Churchill Downes

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• FEBRUARY 2022

FEBRUARY DECEMBER2022 2021 ••

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“

W

e’re going to have our moment of silence,” said Grace Detrevarah, LGBT Liaison–Senior Reentry Peer/ Health Facilitator, Osborne Association, as she facilitated the organization’s Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) webinar panel last November.

“Let me say something about the moment of silence. I want you to think about that trans male, that trans woman, that LGB person, that nonbinary person that you recognize or see in your travels. If you are cisgender, if you are an ally, please...honor us by acknowledging us, simply saying hi, as you travel about your day. As you read the names of those who have been murdered, not ‘died,’ not ‘passed away,’ murdered, realize that, when you are on that train or in Walmart buying something or at your pharmacy, you may recognize us, you may see us——acknowledge us with a smile, acknowledge us with a head bow. It matters, because the strife that we go through as a community, we don’t even get that.

“So I ask you as you look at these names, these young people, these older people, these trans males, these trans women, nonbinary, the LGBTQIA, they all matter. A moment of silence.”

The speakers assembled——Mimi Shelton, Destination Tomorrow, the Bronx LGBTQ Center; Javon Martin, Princess Janea Place; LaTravious Collins, Brooklyn Ghost Project; Tabitha Gonzalez; Tatiana Fermin, Bridges for Life; Dr. Thomas Ryer and Liz Gaynes, Osborne Association; and keynote speaker Cecilia Gentili, as well as those who tuned in——memorialized and mourned those individuals of transgender/gender nonconforming/nonbinary (TGNCNB) experience who had so far been murdered in 2021. TDOR is an annual observance, on and around November 20, to honor individuals of transgender experience who have been killed because of who they are and to commit to fight for justice and changes in society that will make a positive difference in the lives of people who are transgender.

The need to address the violence is urgent. According to the Human Rights Campaign’s 2021 report on fatal violence against transgender/gender non-con-

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fomring people, 66% of the victims were Black women; 86% were people of color; and 69% were killed with a gun. At the time of the report’s publication, at least forty-seven people had been murdered. It should be noted that this number suffers from underreporting, commonly because of misgendering and dead-naming by police and other officials.

Along with Detrevarah, the advocates spoke out to end the violence, all violence, interpersonal and systemic violence, and all that makes trans people vulnerable to oppression in all of its forms. In this regard, they advocated for the needs of many individuals who are TGNCNB, including greater and sustained healthcare access and affirmative support along the care continuum; housing; increased employment and professional development; increased educational opportunities; and equity when it comes to policing and the criminal justice system, among others.

Some of the advocates also pointed to the support needed for those facing challenges as a result of stigma and discrimination; immigrant status; disproportionate rates of HIV (especially among transgender women); and the • FEBRUARY 2022

and practices, and focuses on “equity, healing and transformation” while seeking to dismantle mass-scale, long-term incarceration.

Osborne, she says, creates an environment for the advocate within to flourish.

Malcolm Davis, Program Manager, Wellness and Prevention at Osborne Association, tells A&U that “Grace has proven to be an asset as a regional and nationally recognized advocate representing TGNC individuals who are affected by the criminal justice system; as a formerly incarcerated individual who has evolved forward in her professionalism; and as a dedicated and productive employee with the Osborne Association.

“Grace has begun national discussions on reentry as it pertains to TGNC folks returning back to their communities. Grace also began virtual discussions which can be used as a guide to inspire and empower TGNC folks: Grace puts a lot of emphasis on physical and mental health resources.

“As a public speaker Grace continues to collaborate with other community advocates who are concerned with individuals returning back to the community post incarceration. Grace is always looking for more ways to better service the TGNC Community, she is admired by many and she has proven to be a voice for those unheard.”

As a Peer Advocate-Health Facilitator, she often visits the homes of participants in the organization’s programs for reentry and reintegration, and housing support. “Most times they are SROs or shelters,” she explains. “It’s one of the most humbling of my duties. One gets to observe how folks are concurrently [experiencing] homelessness, but at the same time other issues like drug addiction [and/or] tackling medication regimens. Visiting these establishments can really affect one’s advocacy because of the visuals——medical wasting, lack of nutritional diets, and mental health. Therefore, I seek to address the forgotten ones, those in these marginalized places.”

She adds: “My type of advocacy is to tackle what in my opinion isn’t enough.” She takes a holisitic, bread-and-roses approach, of which securing housing for individuals is a first step on a grander staircase that helps people move “from temporary to independent living, [and accessing] medication, mental health services, education, and for some, employment.” criminalization of sex work. Some reminded listeners of the simple need to feel safe. The need for organizations and governmental agencies to create and support trans-affirming policies and to fund programs that endure. The need for everyone to work on trans empowerment for the other 364 days of the year.

Importantly, the advocates also championed the need for friendship, allyship, and community.

They celebrated the contributions made by individuals of trans experience, as professionals, as friends, as colleagues, as family members, as spouses, and so on. They touted past accomplishments, such as the passage of New York’s GENDA (Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act), the repeal of the Walking While Trans law, and the amplification of Trans Day of Visibility, while they looked toward the future.

“There is so much I am doing and love doing; it’s my breath,” shares Detrevarah, about the TDOR webinar and her many other duties and accomplishments at the Osborne Association. As part of the team at Osborne, Grace Detrevarah has found a space where she has been able to bring her expertise and skills to bear. Osborne provides direct support services to individuals who have been through or need alternatives to the criminal justice system. It promotes people-centered policies FEBRUARY 2022 •

As a former client of Osborne, Detrevarah knows what it is like to rebuild a life, both inside and outside of prison and as an HIV long-term survivor. She has worked hard——as a person of trans experience in the justice system——to survive, to educate herself, and to thrive.

According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, the justice system has failed to protect people of trans experience and has often multiplied their punishments in pernicious ways. Often, police harass and profile trangender people of color and betray their trust, so much so that, “according to the 2015 US Transgender Survey, a majority (57%) of transgender people are afraid to go to the police when they need it.” In prison, with gender-appropriate accommodations, transgender people face disproportionately high rates of physical abuse and sexual assault by staff and fellow inmates. Staff often deny TGNCNB inmates proper medical care, including hormones and other

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gender-affirming care, and torture them through long bouts of solitary confinement. TGNCNB inmates are also at higher risk of acquiring HIV compared to cisgender inmates.

According to the Women & Justice Project’s fact sheet, “The Incarceration of Trans, Nonbinary, Intersex & Gender Expansive People”: • Trans, non-binary and gender expansive people, particularly Black, Indigenous andPeople of Color, and especially Black trans women, are targeted, criminalized, and incarcerated at extremely disproportionate rates.

• 1 out of 2 Black trans & GNC people have been incarcerated during their lifetime • 8 in10 trans & GNC people report emotional pain due to having to hide their gender identity in prison The fact sheet also underscores the lack of data: “Incarcerated trans, nonbinary & gender expansive people are routinely erased in government studies because gender is reduced to sex assigned at birth. No federal government studies provide data about incarcerated nonbinary, intersex, or gender expansive people.”

Detrevarah is passionate about why she is steadfast in her commitment to individuals who are impacted by incarceration. “When it comes to TGNC prisoners in NYC/NYS jails and prisons, GBTQ prisoners have ongoing dilemmas, whether it’s simply existing, or having to hope to make it through a day without harassment, name-calling, and other horrific situations. As the 2000s came along, with national attention on prison reform, New York City and State Corrections began creating task forces to address sexual assault, harassment, and other disparities.”

She points to a recent op-ed she wrote for USA Today, based on the now-updated groundbreaking report, It’s War in Here, started by Sylvia Rivera Law Project. In the article, she discusses her rape and physical assaults while in prison and her choice not to report them for fear that doing so would hurt her chances to reenter society.

The last update of the report, It’s Still War in Here: A Statewide Report on the Trans, Gender Non-Conforming, Intersex (TGNCI) Experience in New York Prisons and the Fight for Trans Liberation, states: “Housing placements do not affirm gender identity, are structured to recognize only a male/female binary, and are otherwise unsafe. TGNC people diligently advocate to transfer to safer housing placements, but are often ignored by formal systems. Instead, many TGNC people have no other option but to intentionally receive disciplinary tickets or be placed in solitary confinement in order to remove themselves from unsafe housing situations. Nearly all participants had been in housing other than general population during their time in New York State Prisons.”

TGNC people do resist through the proper channels and do advocate for themselves, the report points out, but are often met with punishment for seeking resolution and justice.

Says Detrevarah about her own experience: “When it came to disclosure of my health status while incarcerated, I was disrespected all the time. It was in a time——eighties and late nineties——where fear ran wild when it came to HIV. “ On Rikers Island, she notes, staff commonly assumed that anyone who

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identified as GBTQ was living with HIV/AIDS. To survive this culture of fear at Rikers and elsewhere, she says, “many GBTQ individuals in custody either denied [being GBTQ] or just lived the best they could.”

As for Detrevarah: “I just took my medication at the time: Combivir, Truvada. Though, later, I would come to have issues with taking my medications. I just was numb in the reality of my status. All I had was a feeling of wanting to live.”

The feeling of wanting to live won out.

During her carceral experiences, explains Detrevarah, “I became fascinated and empowered by ‘prison law’; therefore, I became a ‘jailhouse lawyer,’ which empowered me on how to challenge directives, rules and case law. When I returned to the street, I wanted more in my life——I was tired of jail, prison, and all that brought me to ‘that world.’”

That point in her life was a long way from her HIV diagnosis in 1988, when she went on an “unfortunate journey of denial.” To survive and help others survive she enrolled in P.A.C.E. (Prisoners for AIDS Counseling and Education) while in the NYS-DOCCS Sing Sing prison facility. She joined an in-custody group focused on HIV, hep C and other health disparities.

“This was brave and potentially dangerous in the

• FEBRUARY 2022

JANUARY 2022 •

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nineties. An out TGNC individual in prison.” P.A.C.E. attendees and facilitators were commonly individuals who were Muslim, gang members and others who Grace assumed might discriminate against her. She explains why she persisted: “I knew that the information which P.A.C.E. had in their space held life-saving pathways.”

Her step forward allowed other GBTQ prisoners to attend P.A.C.E. classes, studying and helping educate about HIV, hep C, and STIs. In 2000, when she was transferred to another facility, Fishkill Correctional, she continued with classes with P.A.C.E. as a facilitator. Upon release in 2002, she was encouraged to address her HIV health by attending the Osborne Bronx site.

Joining P.A.C.E. classes was indeed helpful and she has continued to educate herself and be an educator. While incarcerated she participated on several Prisoner Advisory Boards (including that of Sylvia Rivera Law Project) and clerked in a prison law library, one of the first out GBT prisoners to do so. Later she studied at The Audre Lorde Project’s TransJustice Community School, and of course works at Osborne. She also serves on NYC Boad of Correction’s Task Force on Issues Faced

by TGNCNBI People in Custody.

Detrevrah is cautiously optimistic about the pace of progress for individuals who are TGNCNBI and experiencing incarceration. “In my opinion the prison-industrial complex is slowly listening to representatives of prisoners. However, there will always be those zealots with political power who detest any form of humane-ness. Whether

they are LGBTQIA or not, I believe that LGBTQIA prisoners will always need advocates and the public to keep corrections humane. When it comes to those affected by HIV, hep C and COVID-19 I’d like to hope that the stigma which comes with HIV will not be [multiplied]. Till that occurs, it’s best that those incarcerated equip themselves with education, safety, and support…. ” Detrevarah knows the true meaning of support, both material and emotional.

When released from NYS-DOCCS in October 2017, Grace found a helping hand and a fundraising drive in her name. Daniel Williams had created a TGNC-LGB community-based care package drive, #Hope4Grace, for at-risk trans women, particularly black women, post-incarceration, post-rehabilitation or dealing with a chronic illness.

The care package included reentry items, such as meal and gift cards, Metrocards,

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hygiene products, journals, self-help books, and so on. Williams reflects: “My relationship with Grace Detrevarah came unexpectedly. #Hope4Grace was the beginning of my support for black Trans women coming out of prison. I knew of Grace; however, we weren’t close. Meeting her and staying connected changed my life.”

The Peer Adherence Educator at Sun River Health and ThriveBX continues: “Watching and learning more about her made me feel like a proud parent. In the first six months Grace came home and got a job and little decent place to stay. It was a prime example of how coming home with good support systems can assist in folks thriving past their circumstances. Now, Grace is a strong advocate and supporter for others. Working in this community requires one to be sound and stable person. Grace has been both those things as an advocate and professional in the community.”

Carmen Neely, President, Harlem Pride, who honored Grace for her advocacy in 2020, shares: “I consider Grace Detrevarah to be a friend and colleague. She is also an outstanding community advocate and activist. Her work in the LGBTQ community generally, and with the formerly incarcerated specifically has helped countless people get back on their feet and living better lives. Grace is dedicated, hard-working, and thorough. Not only is her heart in the right place, but her work ethic is too.

She doesn’t just talk about reform and community needs; she is a change agent who plans and works diligently to make things happen. I am excited to see what she does in the future because once Grace takes on a task or project, she is an unstoppable force seeing it through to its success. We as a community are lucky to have her leadership and I count myself lucky to have her as a peer.”

“What can I say about my Lady Grace,” says Neje Bailey, who helped Grace post-incarceration through Cookie’s Joint and has since become a godparent.

“Since she has come into my life I’ve seen what growth and self-love can accomplish. I’m honored to know and love her.”

Detrevarah comments on her own evolution of her efforts to create a better life for herself and others: “My speaking up was a process, when it came to me wanting to empower myself and those with histories such as mine, Femme, Trans and definitely [individuals who are] marginalized, homeless, incarcerated and street-wise, especially those who were affected by living while being TGNC, Black and different.”

Asked what it was like growing up as an individual of transgender experience, Detrevarah says, “To be clear and direct, I grew up a Femme; I grew up to become Transgender in my late forties.” She did not find a safe space in her family nor hometown of Detroit, Michigan, for expressing her gender identity, and, at eighteen, she eventually ran away and landed in New York City in 1983 as “a young, attractive and ‘green’ femme individual.” She found a nurturing and protective trans community, but struggled with homelessness. She met a choreographer who lived in Harlem and moved into his condo, staying with him for two and a half years.

After he died of AIDS-related causes, Grace was forced to survive on the streets, she says, in the “‘Deuce’ (42nd Street), trying to participate in sex work. Which I was never good at, because I was more concerned about not being on the street. So I found myself begging ‘dates’ to give me a place to stay. Like I mentioned, I was ‘green.’ I would ultimately [increasingly engage in] ‘criminal’ activity full-time and eventually completed three prison terms.”

She says she began to transition at forty-two, taking prescribed estrogen along with her HIV meds. “Growing up as a feminine young person, my evolution was a problem for others. I lived in my truth when it was uncomfortable, even dangerous.

However, I transformed late in life, dressing in women’s apparel, taking bootleg medications—— hormones and other medication. It’s been a process which hasn’t [been easy] and still comes with making many sacrifices.”

Throughout her own experiences as an individual who had been homeless, engaged in survival sex work and incarcerated, “I was always transformed into wanting to make pathways for myself and others in similar predicaments.”

Doing so energized her. Part of her work while incarcerated involved being a liaison between prison adminstrators and prisoners. Understandably, she says, “I always found myself being somewhat of a big mouth!”

About her HIV health, she says, “I would not see the seriousness till 2012, after returning back to the community from a parole violation.” She became certified in various health and labor modules, but by that time she had become seasoned as an • FEBRUARY 2022

educator addressing HIV and hep C, among other issues.

“I became known for inspiring and empowering LGBTQIA prisoners through educating those who attended P.A.C.E. classes. I would eventually be offered a peer educator position with Osborne in 2017. This would be my ‘coming out,’ i.e., an opportunity to bring the LGBTQIA to the table in a planned and empowering type of way at Osborne.” With her guidance, Osborne started groups with “sex worker organizations and community groups which had no space to mobilize or educate LGBTQIA on health disparities.”

Since then, as a representative of Osborne and as an independent advocate, Detrevarah has spoken at regional and national conferences/events and been sought after for speaking engagements, television and radio appearances, and op-eds and features in newspapers and magazines. Her educational efforts have taken her to John Jay College–CUNY, Parsons School of Design, and the New York City Department of Health, among other sites that are concerned about the needs and empowerment of TGNC-LGB folks.

She appears in the Episode 4 (“The 1980s”) of FX’s Pride, now streaming on Hulu. She has also been featured in the book Trans New York: Photos and Stories of Transgender New Yorkers, by Peter Bussian, which, Grace says, is set for a relaunch.

In closing, Detrevarah shares: “As one who advocates for the Transgender (female/male) who are affected by HIV and AIDS, I’ve found that intersectional work with communities which communicate with the LGBQ & Transgender individuals, families and allies [is vital]. My mission has been personal because historically the LGBQ community has not fully communicated or brought Transgender individuals to the discussion regarding policies, monies or positions (which are not salaried positions, only temporary grant positions). Therefore, my mission primarily has been to connect with and update communities [that are] not necessarily vocally inclusional when it comes to TGNC people regarding health disparities [around] HIV, PrEP and COVID-19, with the purpose of providing information [and] referrals to all communities.” She tackles “uncomfortable subjects,” too, like housing, sex work, and surviving in a major city.

Over the years, Detrevarah has come to realize that transgender community activists and advocates are very often not included when it comes to “service, employment and the positions to inform, inspire or empower. We of the TGNC community have had to do outreach, front-line work to save us.”

To this end, she is building a “regional and national platform specifically for those affected by HIV/AIDS. Especially those in the sex work community (transgender women and men) and those in the prison-industrial complex, specifically in NYC-NYS facilities. “ Asked about her top three goals as an advocate, Detrevarah says, “First, to continue to be healthy to ‘do the work’ I call ‘legacy building.’” That means, in part, inspiring and empowering those in the cis community as well as in the LGBQ community to stop ignoring or excluding individuals who are TGNBNC and their concerns. Gender-based stigma and shame pervade langauage and policies, and that has to stop.

Says Detrevarah: “It has and continues to silently hurt that far too many advertisers, community centers, hospitals/clinics employ and/or provide information on HIV/AIDS, through the common and comfortable settings with LGBQ folk. However, Transgender advocates on HIV/AIDS aren’t seen or provided representation.”

FEBRUARY 2022 •

Secondly: “To have Transgender individuals, especially those who have been trained, certified and have degrees, are sought after for positions regarding health, safety, social work. Not some position which is safe or disposable.”

And thirdly, she wants to be remembered as an advocate grounded in reality who championed health disparities, as well as “a survivalist of transphobia.”

Of all the possible descriptions of her journey, Grace is most proud to call herself a survivor: “It has been a task to be darn near sixty years old, thirty-three years of it all, I carried this virus, HIV ,with me, everywhere. As I continue to live life, loving life.”

“As I continue to become more comfortable with my past, my estrangements with family and friends, and my diagnoses, I have earned a place in this world to save my own life, by being a vessel for TGNC folks, especially those affected by the disparities [caused by] HIV diagnoses and incarceration.”

For now, Detrevarah will continue working on her memoir and adapting her advocacy in the time of COVID to find ways to address more than one pandemic.

When COVID first impacted the U.S., she became apprehensive, based on her experience living with HIV since the eighties and having a career in the health/ reentry community. Why? “Stigma and other health and soul-destroying methods. I waited for the avalanche,” she says. Yet, even as the numbers affected escalated, the animus was not comparable to that of the AIDS pandemic.

COVID-related suffering and deaths shocked her, of course, and she became apprehensive again. “I would go through several moments of worrying about those affected——but I gotta be honest: I was concerned about my tribe, those affected with HIV and other health disparities and those affected by the criminal justice system, as an advocate for ‘the marginalized’ [at Osborne].”

She worries about stemming COVID and HIV codiagnoses and supporting those who might be struggling with illnesses related to one of the viruses or both. Says Detrevarah: “Come to terms with vaccination, stay vigilant taking meds. Survive and live!”

Grace Detrevarah will not stop highlighting what is possible: “I’m just satisfied that I have created a legacy along with those pioneers, advocates, and activists who, like myself, simply are bound by passion, love of community, and survival.”

Grace gives thanks to Ceyenne Doroshow, an activist and founder of Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society (GLITS) for being her “inspiration, friend and Sista.” She is also “eternally grateful to her ‘Godparents’ for being there through it all, at the right times.”

Big thanks to dirty sugar studios in Ridgewood, New York City, for the generous donation of space and time. Visit them at dirtysugarstudios.com.

Make-up, hair and styling by Madison Gathers of Faces of Cassis.

For more about photographer Stephen Churchill Downes, visit: stephenchurchilldownes.com.

For more information about the Osborne Association, log on to: osborneny.org.

Chael Needle is Managing Editor of A&U. He interviewed poet and activist Steven Reigns for the September 2021 cover story. Follow him on Twitter @ChaelNeedle.

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Giving Back Jeffrey Long Talks with A&U's Chael Needle About Dedicating His Life to Advocacy

36

photos courtesy J. Long

H

ealth comes first, as HIV/AIDS advocate Jeffrey Long knows. But health is intertwined with advocacy, too. So his advocacy became limited but never squelched when COVID hit close to home.

First, his mother acquired the first variant, shares the Cherokee, North Carolina-based advocate and it “knocked her down to the bare minimum of life....” He sought caregiving advice online from his doctor and nurse friends, who, always on stand-by, offered tips and a sense of calm. And he coped through humor, too——the best medicine. “I played around on social media as Nurse Ratched,” he jokes, referencing the stringent and bullying One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest character. He needed the outlet, he says. “I was freaking the **** out.”

His mother, who is now recovered, was part of the first wave of COVID infection, before the first shot had become available. Long says: “My mother did pull through two and a half months later. I mean, it really put her down, muscle aches, slept the whole time, no desire to eat, no taste, smell, hard to breathe, memory loss, you know, all those symptoms."

“She is seventy-four and in pretty good health, a diabetic as most Natives are because of our high fat diets. I was taking her food, making her get up and walk a bit, making her shower, changing the sheets every time I got her out of bed, Lysoling everything, cleaning everything, My adrenaline shot through the roof. I barricaded my driveway because Tribal members take care of their own, [and] once they hear you have it, they are bringing you medicines to get over this Uktena, this snake that is killing us. I left a bin outside for people to drop and go,” he explains about the safety measure.

“I never wore a mask around my mother, living with HIV; she is my rock, if she was going, I was going too. I never contracted COVID through the whole bout with my mother,” he says. As his mother’s convalescence happened in the middle of everyone getting their shots, he suspects his antiretroviral medication and his adherence to it saved him. Now everyone is boosted.

His mother’s first steps to recovery surprised him: “All of a sudden, she gets up and wants to walk, it was winter, January when this hit our household, which consists of my mother and I, so I walked with her to the mailbox and back, she was winded, and to this day, she still gets winded, she’s a hamburger girl, too, she loves a good hamburger, not anymore, beef smell gets to her and no more hamburgers, she still has trouble with her hands, with numbness in her fingertips, no hair loss that I have noticed, I cut her hair for her, but that was the scariest two months of my life all while watching my father [who also contracted COVID in his nursing home] slowly pass before my eyes with the dementia, so I am wrapping my mother in bubble wrap to keep her safe.”

Advocacy became intermittent. It almost halted completely when he was taking care of his mother and then had to lay his father to rest right before Christmas. He resumed as he found new projects and tended to his own mental health and doctor’s appointments. Jeffrey was able to speak on several panels and participated in

• FEBRUARY 2022

(sometimes back-to-back) meetings via Zoom.

He is used to online work, coming from and working with people in rural towns. The lack of broadband in the western end of the state where he lives, in the Appalachian Mountains, “right smack dab on top of a mountain,” is a “huge hindrance,” he notes, so online advocacy and attending virtual conferences using expensive satellite Internet is sometimes a struggle. Notes Jeffrey: “I rely heavily on the Internet because we’re so rural, and it sometimes is the only way to get the word out on anything.”

A member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Jeffrey became an advocate five or six years ago. “I have never kept a count of actually how long because that wasn’t important to me at that time,” he tells me. What was important to him was starting his advocacy right away. He was prompted by the death of his long-term partner, John, who had always wanted Jeffrey to do advocacy based on his HIV status. When John passed, says Jeffrey, “I was lost and advocacy kinda saved my life. A friend who works at WNCAP (Western North Carolina AIDS Project) in Asheville, North Carolina, sent me on this two-year stint with the state of North Carolina on the HPCAC board.” HPCAC stands for the NC HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care Advisory Committee. (Jeffrey relates the full story later.)

“From there my name blew up because I was the only Native person doing this type of work, and still am in parts of North Carolina, I do believe....”

Long works with NCAAN, NC AIDS Action Network out of Charlotte, and travels to Washington, D.C., and to Raleigh, the state capital of North Carolina, to speak with senators and representatives on healthcare issues.

He currently serves on the board as a North Carolina Liaison with NNAAPC, National Native American AIDS Prevention Center, out of Colorado.

In his town of Cherokee, he serves on the board of the Tribal Health Initiative Project, as well as on the Syringe Access Committee, and, in Franklin, at Full Recovery, bringing his experience in harm reduction to bear.

“I have always told myself that I will do this till my body won't let me anymore,” Jeffrey shares. “Advocacy is a huge part of my life, [and] burn-outs happen along the way, but I just switch my mind to a different project and things seem new again. Advocacy for life. Advocates scream the loudest, and I have a mouth!”

A&U had the opportunity to correspond with Jeffrey Long to discuss his advocacy.

One of Jeffrey's many food drives for people living with HIV/AIDS

Chael Needle:Your husband, who passed away, is in part responsible for your HIV advocacy. Could you tell me more about him and how you started in advocacy?

Jeffrey Long: My deceased husband, [we were] never properly married, just had a civil ceremony in the backyard with a few close friends to celebrate the moment with us.

Yes, he pretty much provoked me into my advocacy work. [Living in Cherokee] we were in

FEBRUARY 2022 •

37

Left: Working on "Transforming HIV in North Carolina

a serodiscordant relationship with two different paths healthwise and lifestyle-wise. He was Right: Quilt display bisexual and had produced a child with a woman at his work.…

The news led to a break-up and a huge move for me back to Chicago, where we met. I went home and basically became a “whore,” if you will; I went out every night, took home many strangers without protection and sometimes was too coked up to even think about a condom. I contracted HIV Stage 4 (at that time, we called it “full-blown AIDS”), to [the point] where I was on death’s doorstep.

The powers that be nursed me back to health, and in the meantime I mended my relationship with my husband. As the relationship blossomed back to its intended course, his psoriasis flared up really bad.

Enbrel was prescribed, which meant [his immune system became weakened] with the medicines whereas I was on the opposite end of the spectrum, trying to keep my immune system as [strong] as I could.…I became undetectable; adherence to medication had saved my life but was tearing up my body at the same time.

During this, I lost my husband to pneumonia. He was always getting sick; [he] couldn’t shake simple colds because of Enbrel and his [weakened immune system].

While he was alive, as we were repairing our relationship, he always encouraged me to do something about [my HIV status]. He took me to support groups for PLWH; he supported me in every way possible. Sex became as safe as possible but made fun, so I am full of gratitude for my life with him.

His encouragement finally hit me one day. I got up off my ass, took my depression medicine and decided to find something to do. It just so happened that I took my mother to Gay Pride in Charlotte, North Carolina, where I ran into a friend from WNCAP, Michael Harney.

Michael has been a very good friend of mine for…I could not even tell you where I met him, some house party, I suspect. I knew what he did for a living, but we hung out at the clubs together; he was “The Rubber Man” who brought the condoms to the bars for the condom dishes. Sometimes we would hang while hitting all the bars downtown Asheville. Gay bars, straight bars, lesbian bars, it didnt matter——he filled up the condom dishes every weekend and I would get bored and walk with him [as he made the rounds].

Life carried on, and then one year, I wanted to see Del Shores, Sordid Lives director, at the Charlotte Pride weekend. So we traveled to Pride, I get my autograph, then I run into Michael. He asked me if I would like to represent our region at the state meetings on HIV; I said yes, not knowing what I was getting into. I filled out all the paperwork, was accepted by the board and from there my advocacy took off. My advocacy had started.

A great start! Tell me more about how your advocacy took off. How did you get your footing as an advocate and where (else) did you land?

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• FEBRUARY 2022

My advocacy took off because I am the only one west of Asheville here in the Appalachian mountains doing any type of work like this.

I started off specializing in harm reduction, moved on over to HIV and hep C because all three swim in the same fish bowl, if you will.

So I will give credit for my advocacy to Michael and, to this day, we are close as ever. He is so proud of me with all the projects I take on, the interviews we do, as well as the legislative in North Carolina and some other aspect too. I work with many a different organistates], and harm reduction issues. zations, as I mentioned before. Hard work has Basically more funding. I think we paid off for me. My latest achievement is becomwere awarded more funding for ing a board member for SEEDS of Healing, Inc. research, so a little chatting up these Jeffrey personing the table for WNCAP [an HIV awareness and advocacy resource in representatives and senators really Wilmington, in the southeast region of North helps.

Carolina].

I am loving my seat on the Board of SEEDS Anything you would like to add about your advocacy? of Healing, Inc. They were so welcoming, and so supportive of my I am usually doing something in my advocacy, such as total laying to rest with my father through the holiday season. I think I’m involvement in my community club and their activities, even going to stick with them until they drag me out the proverbial door having several outreach testings at the building. [because] the love is strong with this ASO. I’m willing to speak on panels since we are into the digital I am currently working on putting together a Sensitivity Training age hard and heavy now, Zoom everything; I have done speakcourse for non-indigenous people to come in and provide STI testing ing engagements via Zoom this past World AIDS Day. [for indigenous people] for STIs, focusing on HIV and hep C. Hopefully My immediate family always does a food drive through our target audience gets tested in a very respectful way to the tribes’ November so we can deliver to Loving Food Resources for heritage, showing no offense but just to get them tested. And also in homebound clients living with HIV. My friend Revelle Edwards this way get indigenous people on the map with some of this data delivers on Saturdays for this wonderful [client], whereas I have people have collected. to travel an hour to get to Asheville. It’s been a project of ours since I was diagnosed.

What do you mean by “get indigenous people on the map”?

I live, breathe, and survive on my advocacy work; it has I was referring to a piece of the pie, the pie graphs we always see. saved [me from] just sitting around, wasting away this way.

Natives usually have a sliver of that graph because we as tribes do not I will volunteer for almost anything that I can do in order to send our information properly in order to be counted in those graphs. see things change; it is just in my nature and something that I The state usually does not have complete data from tribes for reasons flourish at. unknown, other than mistrust of the government.

Nothing really stops my advocacy completely. I am always I do know our Indian Health Service is on top of their game now, helping someone out with finding them a place to stay out of sending in the information in order for the indigenous graph, with full the wintry nights, food for some that haven’t eaten in days, data being used in studies. The population will be fully represented; taking food to our elders of the tribe and people who are in that was what I meant be getting a bigger slice of that “pie.” quarantine. Not a day goes by that I am not doing anything advocacy-related. COVID touched my family hard but not hard When you have traveled to your state and the nation’s capienough to make me stop doing this work which fills my heart. If tal, what are the top three HIV healthcare issues or needs in I help at least one person, then I have done my job of making a North Carolina that you highlight? difference in this world.

I have traveled to D.C. with AIDSWatch to discuss healthcare It’s not about the monies; it’s about the advocacy in my that is needed, such as extra funding, Medicaid expansion, housing, works. I have worked hard enough that I don’t need an introADAP, which is now called HMAP [HIV Medication Assistance Program, duction most of the time. Advocacy gives me a purpose in life and to give back for me being able to obtain a life. Always give back to our creator, Mother Earth.

Chael Needle reviewed Billy Porter’s memoir, Unprotected, for the January issue.

FEBRUARY 2022 •

39

ACCESS TO CARE

lifeguide

by Chael Needle

Chael Needle: Even as Apretude shows superior efficacy in preventing HIV compared with a once-daily oral pill, individuals may not want or be able to go to a healthcare site for an injection.

What are some possible ways we can dismantle this barrier?

Gabriel Maldonado: The future of healthcare service-delivery and public health will need to include tools such as mobile clinics and offering supportive services like medical transportation utilizing both in-house vehicles run by healthcare facilities and third-party ride share services like Lyft and Uber.

A NEW PREVENTION OPTION

A

The First Long-Acting Injectable PrEP Comes of Age pretude, the first and only long-acting injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis for adults and adolescents (weighing at least 35 kg) at risk of acquiring sexually acquired HIV-1, was recently approved

by the FDA. Manufactured by ViiV Healthcare, the global specialist HIV company majority owned by GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK), with Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer) and Shionogi Limited (Shionogi) as shareholders, Apretude, or cabotegravir extended-release injectable suspension, was approved based on study trials that enrolled men who have sex with men; women; and transgender women who were at increased risk of sexually acquiring HIV (7,700 participants across thirteen countries combined). The two international Phase IIb/III multicenter, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled trials, HPTN 083 and HPTN 084, evaluated the safety and efficacy of cabotegravir long-acting for PrEP. Cabotegravir is an integrase strand transfer inhibitor (INSTI).

The prepared release pointed out that “the blinded, randomized portions of both trials were stopped early by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board after cabotegravir long-acting for PrEP was shown to be superior to daily oral emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF/FTC) tablets in preventing the acquisition of HIV in study participants. Clinical trial participants who received cabotegravir long-acting for PrEP experienced a 69% lower incidence of HIV compared to FTC/TDF tablets in HPTN 083 and a 90% lower incidence of HIV compared to FTC/TDF tablets in HPTN 084.”

The list of the most common adverse reactions (all grades) that were noted in at least 1% of clinical trial participants taking cabotegravir long-acting

40

for PrEP includes injection site reactions, diarrhea, headache, pyrexia, fatigue, sleep disorders, nausea, dizziness, flatulence, abdominal pain, vomiting, myalgia, rash, decreased appetite, somnolence, back pain, and upper respiratory tract infection.

The PrEP regimen involves as few as six injections a year, with an initial single 600 mg (3-ml) injection given for two consecutive months, spaced one month apart. After these two injections, the recommended dose frequency becomes a single 600 mg (3-ml) injection given every two months.

Tolerability may be assessed with Vocabria (cabotegravir oral tablets), given to the PrEP user for about one month before initiating the first injection.

As with any PrEP option, patients need to test negative for HIV prior to taking the regimen.

In a prepared release, Deborah Waterhouse, CEO, ViiV Healthcare, said: “People who are vulnerable to acquiring HIV, especially those in Black and Latinx communities who are disproportionately impacted in the US, may want options beyond daily oral pills. That’s why ViiV Healthcare is proud that Apretude was studied in one of the most diverse and comprehensive HIV prevention trial programs to date, which also included some of the largest numbers of transgender women and Black men who have sex with men ever enrolled in an HIV prevention trial. With Apretude, people can reduce the risk of acquiring HIV with as few as six injections a year. Today’s approval is the latest example of ViiV Healthcare’s commitment to developing long-acting medicines that offer consumers a different choice.”

A&U recently corresponded with community-based advocate Gabriel Maldonado, MBA, Executive Director and CEO, TruEvolution.

What do you think are some of the other major barriers to uptake that we need to work on going forward?

Education and stigma. Innovations like Apretude are only as effective as the community’s utilization. We need to continue educating our community on their risks and prevention tools for HIV, and destigmatize peoples perceptions around HIV, sexual health, and the needs of populations most impacted. Stigma and lack of education are often the “invisible barriers” that are the most nuanced and challenging, requiring both a community-wide and one-to-one relationship-building with the communities in greatest need of HIV prevention tools.

To what extent do you foresee health insurance coverage as problematic? I know some individuals on PrEP whose insurance switched them to generic PrEP; Descovy for PrEP is widely available. To what extent might Apretude be inaccessible because of the accessibility of these other options?

There is always confusion and bureaucracy when new therapies become available and the often complicated set of processes to have covered by insurance. Benefits counselors at local healthcare facilities will need to be educated and equipped with the most accurate information on how various health plans and third-party payers are covering Apretude. Individuals from marginalized and vulnerable populations will often give up on pursuing new treatment options if the coverage barriers are too burdensome. Developing a streamlined approach and understandable guidelines on coverage, along with benefits counseling and education, will be essential to minimizing the negative impacts on uptake due to barriers with coverage.

Chael Needle is Managing Editor of A&U. • FEBRUARY 2022

LIFEGU I D E

in brief

Tomato Concentrate & Intestinal Inflammation

N

ew research in mice, led by UCLA, indicates that adding a tomato concentrate called Tg6F to one’s diet can reduce chronic intestinal inflammation associated with HIV which, if left untreated, can accelerate arterial disease, leading to heart attacks and strokes.

The findings of the research, published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS Pathogens, provide clues to how the altered intestinal tract impacts disease-causing inflammation in chronic HIV infection and suggest that targeting the inflamed intestinal wall may be a novel means of preventing systemic inflammation that persists despite effective antiviral therapy in chronic HIV infection.

“Inflammation is an important process that protects the body from invading infections and toxins,” said senior author Dr. Theodoros Kelesidis, associate professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “But in individuals who are successfully treated for HIV to the point that their viral load is no longer detectable, the continuing low-grade inflammation in the cells of the intestine contributes to the increased risk of heart attack or stroke.”

Individuals living with HIV have been found to have a “leaky gut” with more gut bacteria in their blood, such as the pro-inflammatory lipopolysaccharide, or LPS. “These bacteria promote systemic inflammation that can accelerate coronary disease,” Kelesidis said in a prepared release. In the study, “humanized” mice (whose immune systems had been altered to mimic those of humans) that had been infected with HIV were fed a diet containing the tomato concentrate Tg6F, while the rest were fed the normal mouse diet, known as a “chow diet.” The researchers found that the mice given Tg6F had lower measures of blood and intestinal inflammation compared with the mice fed the chow diet and that Tg6F improved “leaky gut” and reduced the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the gut and the blood. Additionally, it prevented an increase in levels of a protein called ADAM17 that orchestrates inflammatory responses in chronic HIV infection.

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the UCLA Center for AIDS Research, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, California HIV/AIDS Research Program, Campbell Foundation, and the Castera, Laubisch, and Milt Grey funds at UCLA.

FEBRUARY 2022 •

Free At-Home COVID Tests Available

T

he U.S. Government is making at-home rapid-result COVID-19 tests available upon request, for free, to every home in the U.S. The Biden-Harris Administration has purchased 500 million over-the-counter at-home tests to be distributed. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days. Order yours now at https://www.covidtests.gov/.

If you need a COVID test right now, or need more than four tests for your household, at-home tests are available for sale across the country. Check with your local retailers and pharmacies to see where at-home tests are available. If you do buy at-home tests, the government now requires your insurance company to reimburse you for up to eight tests per month. For more information on insurance company reimbursement, go to https://www.cms.gov/how-to-getyour-at-home-OTC-COVID-19-test-for-free.

According to the website, you should get and take an at-home COVID test if you begin having COVID-19 symptoms like fever, sore throat, runny nose, or loss of taste or smell; or at least 5 days after you come into close contact with someone with COVID-19; or when you’re going to gather with a group of people, especially those who are at risk of severe disease or may not be up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines.

The COVID tests are rapid antigen tests, not PCR. You can test yourself anywhere and the tests give the results within thirty minutes (no lab drop-off required). The tests work no matter whether you have COVID-19 symptoms and no matter whether you are up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines.

Of course, testing is only one way of curbing the spread of COVID-19. You should also get up to date with vaccines and boosters, wear a well-fitted mask when gathering indoors, and maintain six feet of distance between people.

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SPOT LIGHT SPOTLIGHT In Memoriam

Arnold (Arnie) Kantrowitz

L

ast January, Arnold (Arnie) Kantrowitz passed away, age eighty-one, and the world lost one of the pioneers of the modern LGBTQ liberation movement. His work as an activist in the sixties and seventies, for example, as an integral part of the Gay Activists Alliance, helped energize a cogent and critical response to the AIDS pandemic in the eighties.

Along with Vito Russo, Gregory Kolovakos, Darryl Yates Rist, Allen Barnett, and Jewelle Gomez, Kantrowitz founded the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (later solidified as an acronym, GLAAD, to include other folx in the rainbow). In 1985, a group of activists rallied to protest the New York Post’s homophobic and sensationalized coverage of the AIDS pandemic. GLAAD, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting positive LGBTQ portrayals in the entertainment industry and fair and accurate reporting in the media, was born. The nonprofit continues to honor gold-standard HIV/AIDS coverage.

As a writer, Kantrowitz published many articles in the LGBTQ press and elsewhere. His writing was anthologized in Personal Dispatches: Writers Respond to AIDS; Hometowns; Leatherfolk: Radical Sex, People, Politics, and Practice; A Member of the Family: Gay Men Write About Their Families; Friends and Lovers: Gay Men Write About the Families They Create; and Gay and Lesbian Literary Heritage. An early groundbreaking work was the much-praised 1977 memoir, Under the Rainbow: Growing Up Gay. Drawing on his love of literature, Kantrowitz wrote Walt Whitman, a biography of the American poet. As a longtime professor in the English Department at the College of Staten Island, CUNY, he developed gay studies courses and came out in his classes to promote visibility.

He is survived by his brother, Barry Kantrowitz,and life partner, Lawrence D. Mass, MD, one of the cofounders of GMHC. ◊

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• FEBRUARY 2022

Gallery

continued from page 25

or the South Carolina AIDS Education Network, both of which use drawings. I know the introduction makes special mention of drawing as a way to connect with people. Other media have their strengths, of course, but what do you feel is special about drawing as a medium in this context?

The funny thing is, I was drawn to those posters exactly because they don´t have the highest production value. It was their lack of slickness, and instead their earnestness that drew me in and led me to want to read the message and learn about the people who made the work. These posters remind me that HIV is first and foremost a virus——a physical thing——that lives in some people’s bodies, and not in other people’s bodies; and that the difference of who is infected and who isn´t is less about who we are and what we do, and is most often a result of material realities such as income inequality and geTop to bottom: Do the ography impacting healthcare, education, safe thing, use condoms, and access to harm reduction tools like 19--, Whitman-Walker needles, condoms, and PrEP. Clinic, Sunnye Sherman I also focused on drawing because I AIDS Education Services, am interested in how an illustrated poster Washington, D.C. Courtesy is a reproduction of an original drawing, National Library of Medicine the replication process mirroring the journey of the virus. As much as we don´t We Are Not Afraid of Uncle want the virus to replicate in people’s George, circa 1989, Minority bodies, we do want information, care, and Aids Project, Los Angeles, resources to be duplicated and shared California/Department of within the AIDS response. I see drawing Health Services. Courtesy as a poetic reminder that what we do with National Library of Medicine our hands, can and does help and inspire others. At the very least, I hope viewers Usted es siempre el ultimo consider the people who made the en saber!: y lo que no sabe drawings, and feel an AIDS related conlo puede matar! (What you nection with them, the virus and creativity don’t know can kill you), creating a bond across time and space!

Minority Aids Project, circa 1989, Los Angeles, California/ What can you tell me about the Department of Health upcoming touring version of the Services. Courtesy National exhibition and where it hopes to Library of Medicine travel?

The NLM traveling exhibition initiative is so cool. Curators, like myself, create an exhibition, and then work with designers and other experts to produce not only a website, but also an easy-to-install-and-ship traveling exhibition.

Sadly though, as of this moment, COVID-19 has made touring the exhibition impossible. But, when touring is possible again, the exhibition will go where the people want it. It is available to libraries and cultural institutions free of charge.

I love the idea that someone hanging out at their local community center, or checking out a book at a library may come across the exhibition, and be able to share that moment with other people. One of the things about HIV is that no one gets it alone, and so no one should have to deal with it alone. Building community around the virus I think is one of the most powerful things people can do, and I hope this exhibition helps make some community moments happen!

Thanks to Patricia Tuohy, Head, Exhibition Program, and the Exhibition Program team at National Library of Medicine for their help.

For more information and to view the digital version of the exhbition, visit: https:// www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/aids-posters/index.html. Visit tedkerr.club for info about curator Theodore (ted) Kerr.

Chael Needle interviewed artist Boré Ivanoff for the January 2022 Gallery.

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• FEBRUARY 2022

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Stock photo with model.

A Calendar of Events

lifelines

I

n Chicago, on April 20-21, 2022, NMAC’s 2022 Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit will convene to spotlight the latest tools and strategies in ending the epidemic. Sessions and workshops will cover PrEP, Treatment as Prevention, and U=U, with a special focus on navigating COVID. “We are so pleased to announce the Summit in person this year,” said NMAC Executive Director Paul Kawata in a prepared release. “‘It has now been two years since NMAC has held an in-person conference and we are looking forward to seeing our colleagues and friends again. We hope that the 2022 Summit will be a great return to in-person meetings and restore that sense of community that many of us have been missing.”

Registration fee is $275 (early rate); $350 (after March 18). Scholarships are available.

Abstract submissions are currently open for workshops facilitated by individuals working in the field of HIV/AIDS. Deadline: February 4, 2022, by 5:00 p.m. PST. The conference organizers will use all recommended measures to protect the safety and health of attendees.

According to its website, NMAC “leads with race to urgently fight for health equity and racial justice to end the HIV epidemic in America.

Since 1987, NMAC has advanced our mission through a variety of programs and services, including: a public policy education program, national and regional training conferences, a treatment and research program, numerous electronic and print materials, and a website:

FEBRUARY 2022 •

www.nmac.org. NMAC also serves as an association of AIDS service organizations, providing valuable information to community-based organizations, hospitals, clinics, and other groups assisting individuals and families affected by the HIV epidemic.”

For more info or to register, visit: www.biomedicalhivsummit.org.

47

TRIBUTE

Your Heart Is True

I

Betty White & the Golden Girls Kept Me and My Friends Sane During the Early AIDS Pandemic

was scrolling through Twitter (is that how the kids say it?) the day of New Year’s Eve when I read what I thought was simply a loving tribute to the great Betty White. I’m rather slow on the uptake at times, much like Rose, White’s most beloved character, and simply saw it as just that; a loving tribute to one of a beleaguered nation’s most loved comedians, actresses, and all around great people. Suffice it to say, what we had in her went far beyond mere celebrity; it was indeed special. I thought at the time that it might be her birthday when I first started noticing other glowing accolades and it quickly occurred to me that these honorifics, if you will, were in fact memorials.

Very quickly, in my own defense, but still a bit late to the event, I realized that at ninety-nine, she had passed.

These tributes began what became a flood of appreciation and praise by her countless fans and persons whose lives she had touched in ways that might have seemed simple and only natural to her, but had lasting impact. She always stood up for the marginalized, at times to some personal cost, when her position offended less generous, but widely held, views. As were millions of us, I was saddened, but quickly acknowledged what a great blessing it was to have lived a life so long while touching the lives of so many. She had meaningful impact and left our world a better place than she found it in ways both large and small.

My thoughts soon turned to the fact that through her most celebrated role, among an ensemble of brilliant women, she provided much comfort to my community in a time and place in which we were sorely tested. My formative years, and the varied years of so many, were defined by an earlier plague, AIDS, and of all that it robbed us. I arrived in New York City in 1987 and soon after found work in a popular Lower East Side gay bar that was central to the ACT UP movement. I found, when I arrived, that the community of gay men to which I had always dreamed of belonging was reeling with loss and numb with grief. The brave young people of ACT UP turned that loss, that grief, to righteous anger and effected change, but many were simply shell-shocked and longing for solace. In every New York City gay bar with a TV, Saturday night was Golden Girls night, and in bars such as the legendary West Village watering hole, Uncle Charlie’s, men gathered in front of the television to laugh and smile. In both bars and their homes, gay men gathered and watched forgetting, if only for a moment, the darkness that surrounded them. In 1990 the show tackled AIDS head-on in an episode that saw White’s character being notified of a possible exposure to HIV in a medical procedure.

My late teens and early twenties found me a member of a group of friends who were gay men who were my elders and taught me so much about navigating life as a gay man. Almost every one had AIDS and, while still working as bartenders (they had to in order to survive), each was facing what would soon be the final years of their lives. We were obsessed with The Golden Girls and each of us was referred to by the others by the moniker of the character they most resembled. I was most often called Blanche because of my many sexual conquests. I was a young gay man exploring his sexual freedom and admittedly, could be a bit vain. At other times I was White’s character, Rose, because of my naiveté.

Most often, my friend Don held that title, however. He was a sexy, masculine-appearing butch clone of the late seventies/early eighties and had quite a line of men at his station at the bar of a busy evening. He was a simple man of working-class tastes, who my boss, and his best friend (David, who was definitely Dorothy) said moved to New York because of the sex, not the culture. We spent many afternoons at his place getting stoned and watching repeats of the show, which had just been syndicated.

I treasure my memories of those afternoons with Don. Yes, he was a simple man, but he was filled with kindness, warmth, and good humor. It was a privilege to

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spend that time with him in what were his last good years. He was slowing down and any distraction, anything that brought a good laugh and joy into his life, was a welcome distraction indeed.

White was part of an ensemble of comedic actresses in that show, all of them with solid credentials, but she had certainly had Betty White, The Proposal premiere, 2009. Photo by the most impressive Angela George, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikirésumé of the group. She media.org/w/index.php?curid=6993572 had begun her career in television’s early years and been a familiar presence in our country’s homes since the fifties. Melanie Griffith, a child of a movie star, and one herself, once said that it wasn’t until her relationship with Don Johnson that she realized just how enormous television fame was. Betty White had that level of fame. When someone is on TV, especially during the time before cable, video, and streaming, they are in our homes. We feel as if we really know them. When you add to that mix someone who was so filled with love and respect for their fellow beings, it’s a powerful thing. Great comedy isn’t just a funny turn of phrase; a good deal of it is in the delivery, the timing, and White had a natural gift for timing. In any conversation on a talk show or in an interview, it’s patently obvious.

There was no one better.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t honor specifically White’s complete and very personal commitment to, and support of, the LGBT community. I, of course, never knew Ms. White, but I’m certain that, as all the golden girls were, she was generous financially both in her lifetime and in her last wishes, but her support went far beyond the pecuniary. White was of a time when a generous view of anyone seen as different, most especially the LGBT community was rare; anyone with HIV/AIDS was in the wrong both morally and spiritually to begin with. Those not inclined to be prejudiced, such as herself, were even rarer and of a simple code. Some folks are different; it’s not a big deal. Their own moral code gave them the surety that tolerance and acceptance best served others, themselves, and the greater good. Yes, she put her money where her mouth was, but she gave as generously of herself as she did her money. She was an advocate for so many causes; early on tackling civil rights and turning a love of animals into a lifetime’s work on their behalf. A life lived as well as she lived hers is one of great meaning and accomplishment. It’s comforting to think that Rue, Bea, Estelle, and now, Betty, are united once again, trading barbs and keeping an eye on us all.

Betty, wherever you are, thank you.

Thank you for the laughter and joy when it was in such short supply.

Thank you on the behalf of not only my community, but on behalf of a grateful nation. Laughter can be so healing, it provides succor to a hungry soul. So, thank you, Betty White, thank you for being a friend. May God rest your soul and your memory be a blessing.

—John Francis Leonard John Francis Leonard writes the Bright Lights, Small City column for A&U. • FEBRUARY 2022

Brian had his HIV under control with medication. But smoking with HIV caused him to have serious health problems, including a stroke, a blood clot in his lungs and surgery on an artery in his neck. Smoking makes living with HIV much worse. You can quit.

CALL 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

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HIV alone didn’t cause the clogged artery in my neck.

Smoking with HIV did.

Brian, age 45, California

TWO WAYS TREATMENT CAN HELP STOP HIV.

Starting HIV treatment as soon as possible and sticking with it every day helps you get to and stay undetectable. That means there is so little virus in the blood that a test can’t measure it.

And that’s a good thing, because:

BEING UNDETECTABLE HELPS STOP THE DAMAGE HIV CAUSES.

CURRENT RESEARCH SHOWS GETTING TO AND STAYING UNDETECTABLE PREVENTS THE SPREAD OF HIV THROUGH SEX.

There’s no cure for HIV, but if you stick with treatment, you can protect yourself and the people you care about. Talk to a healthcare provider and watch It’s Called Treatment as Prevention at YouTube.com/HelpStopTheVirus

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