POZ December 2014

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H E A L T H ,

L I F E

&

H I V

THE POZ

Celebrating Youth Power From Left: Paige Rawl, Narong Sokhom, Carlos Rosario, Charlie Ferrusi

A SMART+STRONG PUBLICATION DECEMBER 2014 POZ.COM $3.99

H E A L T H ,

L I F E

&

H I V

THE POZ

Celebrating Youth Power From Left: Paige Rawl, Narong Sokhom, Carlos Rosario, Charlie Ferrusi

EMPOWERING TOMORROW

From Left: Vanessa Lathan, Christopher Jackson, Cassie Warren, Juan Calderon

CONTENTS EXCLUSIVELY ON

POZ.COM POZ GLOBAL

COVERING THE PANDEMIC

Although our domestic fight against HIV/ AIDS is differentt from the other battles against the virus overseas, our struggles have more in common than we realize. Go to poz.com/global to read current news and opinions on HIV/AIDS from around the world.

THE POZ

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POZ OPINION

Advocates, thought leaders and folks just like you all have a point of view.

Go to poz.com/ / opinion to read their takes on living with the virus, improving care and treatment, increasing g prevention efforts and more.

POZ DIGITAL

READ THE PRINT MAGAZINE ON YOUR COMPUTER OR TABLET

CELEBRATING YOUTH POWER 42 THE POZ 100 The list for 2014 highlights individuals younger than 30—both HIV positive and HIV negative—who are making a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS. 3 FROM THE EDITOR

We Are Young

8 FEEDBACK

Your letters and comments Go to poz.com/digital to view the current issue and the entire Smart + Strong digital library.

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iSTAYHEALTHY FREE APP FROM POZ

Go to blogs.poz.com/istayhealthy or scan the QR code below with your mobile device to learn how you can better track your lab test results and meds, as well as set alerts to take your meds and more!

10 POZ Q+A

Regan Hofmann, former POZ editor-in-chief, takes her fight against HIV to the world stage as a policy officer for UNAIDS.

15 POZ PLANET

Youth with HIV at St. Jude Children’s Hospital record their stories for the Voices project • meet Torsten, the Bareback Saint • tune in to WHIV 102.3 FM, broadcast from New Orleans • POZ Stories: Dominique Banks • CAPing 30 years of HIV service in Portland, Oregon • National AIDS Memorial Grove’s changing landscape • two new CDC campaigns aim to get folks talking about HIV and treatment • Home for the Holidays Texas provides travel assistance to people with AIDS • dotHIV helps you raise AIDS funds while surfing the Net!

25 VOICES

Olympic diver Greg Louganis reflects on making a documentary about his life— and on finding joy in everyday moments.

26 RESEARCH NOTES

Pillow talk fights HIV • Tivicay packs a punch • cancer med can expel HIV in the reservoir • doctors not testing for HIV

33 SURVEY SAYS

Has your sex life changed since you became HIV positive?

36 CARE AND TREATMENT

Making gay a crime harms HIV fight • Superinfection may not spur HIV • Egrifta can cut abdominal and liver fat FDA OKs new combo pill Triumeq • Do HIV meds fight MS?

•

64 POZ HEROES

Adam Tenner of Metro TeenAIDS in Washington, DC, has worked two decades empowering youth living with HIV.

POZ (ISSN 1075-5705) is published monthly except for the January/February, April/May, July/August and October/November issues ($19.97 for a 8-issue subscription) by Smart + Strong, 462 Seventh Ave., 19th Floor, New York, NY 10018-7424. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing offices. Issue No. 200. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to POZ, PO Box 8788, Virginia Beach, VA 23450-4884. Copyright © 2014 CDM Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher. Smart + Strong® is a registered trademark of CDM Publishing, LLC.

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COMMENTARY ON HIV/AIDS

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We Are Young

I

WAS 22 WHEN I TESTED HIV positive. Now that I’m 44, that was literally half a lifetime ago. Back then, I remember feeling hopeless.

I definitely didn’t feel empowered to take charge of my own health, let alone feel like I could change things for the better, for myself or others.

I have certainly changed my mind since then, but it took a while. I needed time to mourn the life I wouldn’t have before I could embrace the life I did have. I needed time to grow older before I could believe I would grow old. I needed time to accept I would have a life before I could plan for it.

Everyone has their own journey; that was mine. Having spent my youth expecting to die, I admire the courage of young people living with or at risk of the virus who have joined the HIV/AIDS fight. Their hope for a better tomorrow is based on their belief in being part of the solution today.

Even if a cost-effective cure and vaccine were here now, we still would most likely not get to the end of this epidemic without the leadership of the next generation. We must encourage them to lead. To that end, it is my great honor to introduce the 2014 POZ 100, which celebrates youth power.

Our fifth annual list spotlights the efforts of 100 unsung heroes under the age of 30.

These young leaders come from across the country—and some from around the world.

Some have HIV and some do not, which seemed appropriate. Regardless of their HIV status, everyone should be encouraged to join the struggle. Go to page 42 for the list.

When it comes to empowering the next generation, Adam Tenner walks the walk.

As executive director of Metro TeenAIDS in Washington, DC, he helps youth provide HIV education. His group also hosts youth leadership programs that have trained hundreds of young health workers and activists. Go to page 64 to read more about his work.

As World AIDS Day—marked annually on December 1—again focuses our attention on the pandemic, the United Nations continues to craft its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Advocates are working to include HIV/AIDS in the post-2015 U.N. agenda.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is coordinating those efforts, which include getting young people to advocate for HIV/AIDS in the SDGs. For more on UNAIDS, go to page 10 to read our Q&A with Regan Hofmann, the former POZ editorin-chief who is now a policy advisor in the UNAIDS Washington, DC, liaison office.

We all may not be young in years, but we all can strive to stay young at heart. In that spirit, I’d like to acknowledge yet another milestone for POZ this year. We marked our 20th anniversary in the June 2014 issue. Now we mark our 200th issue. On behalf of the entire POZ family, both past and present, I thank you for reading. You are why we keep doing what we do. Stay strong, know hope.

ORIOL R. GUTIERREZ JR. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF editor-in-chief@poz.com

Want to read more from Oriol? Follow him on Twitter @oriolgutierrez and check out blogs.poz.com/oriol.

poz.com DECEMBER 2014 POZ 3

FEEDBACK

Have an opinion about this month’s POZ? Comment on a specific story on poz.com, post a general comment via poz.com/talktous, or send a letter to POZ, 462 Seventh Ave., Floor 19, New York, NY 10018.

is a

Human Right THE 30/30 PROJECT SEEKS TO BRING AFFORDABLE ACCESS TO THOSE MOST IN NEED.

BY ORIOL R. GUTIERREZ JR. PHOTOGRAPHY BY BILL WADMAN | STYLING BY SONOMI OBINATA

JULIE LEWIS IS THE MOTHER OF RYAN LEWIS, WHO IS HALF OF THE GRAMMY Award–winning hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. She also is a 30-year survivor of HIV. In 1984, she contracted the virus from a blood transfusion that she needed after she lost a lot of blood during the delivery of Teresa, her first daughter.

In gratitude for surviving 30 years living with HIV, Julie Lewis launched the 30/30 Project.

PAYING IT FORWARD

The September 2014 cover story, “Health Care Is a Human Right,” spotlighted longtime survivor Julie Lewis and the launch of the 30/30 Project, which aims to build 30 health centers around the world that will operate for at least 30 years for those who need it most.

Thank you for such a heartwarming story. It gives me hope. I became HIV positive five years ago. Thirteen years ago, the most precious person in my life, Milton Kroah, passed away. At the time, science was just on the verge of new medications.

Milt was a trooper; he survived 20-plus years and almost made it, but then his number was called. My hope is that someday soon no one will have to lose a loved one to this awful plague.

KENNETH W. THOMAS, YUCCA VALLEY, CA

You sweet, sweet lady. What an inspiration.

WILL, CHARLESTON

I, too, am a 30-year survivor!

It has been a long and tiring road, but I am there!

PHILLIP, PANAMA CITY

I just want to say that this article makes me proud to know that there are people living with HIV for 30 years or more and doing great things.

I have been living with HIV for 32 years. I was featured in POZ back in November 2011.

I am still going strong, too.

8 POZ DECEMBER 2014 poz.com

In 1990, Julie’s doctor told her that he was informed by a blood bank the person who had donated the blood had AIDS. By that time she also had given birth to Laura, her second daughter, and Ryan. Her husband, Scott, and their three children tested negative for HIV, but she tested positive.

She was told she only had a few years to live.

To mark 30 years of living with HIV, Julie launched the 30/30 Project with the support of her family. The project

aims to build 30 health centers around the world that will operate for at least 30 years for those who need it most.

Construction for Change will build the centers, and groups such as Partners in Health will staff them.

The phrase “Health care is a human right” has become the slogan of the project. In addition to HIV/AIDS care and treatment, the centers will screen and treat tuberculosis and malaria, as well as provide comprehensive health care.

POZ should do a cover story on all of our lives to show the world that there is hope and life after HIV.

ORBIT CLANTON, NEW YORK

Very encouraging to hear such news; it gives me the will to keep going on. HIV is not and should never be a death sentence. Here in Kenya, we also have a woman, Asunta Wagura, who has lived with HIV for more than 25 years and is still riding high. Let’s keep our spirits high. Thank you.

PETER, ELDORET, KENYA

AL

I have been going through the same thing. Some days are better than others, but I don’t know what to do. I have been living with HIV for 30 years.

That’s a long time to be going in and out of depression. I know it’s going to get better; I just have to hang in there and not give up!

KENNETH TURNER

I do not want you to feel depressed. You have achieved so much in your life. You have been so brave that I cannot believe that you are feeling this way after Robin Williams’s death. Go back and read your own books. You are an inspiration— even an inspiration to those who are not sick. Do not give up. I know it is not easy, but your mind and spirit can push your body. I may not be anybody in this world, but I can say that I am by your side as many of us are.

God bless you!

KATTY

Rae LewisThornton

THE MEANING OF LIFE

In her blog entry “Depression, God and Staying Alive…”

(August 26, 2014), Rae LewisThornton wrote about Robin Williams’s recent death and her current battle with depression.

Thank you for sharing your story. I also wonder and ponder what is the real meaning of staying alive.

After losing a sibling to AIDS, I promised my mother that I would hang around. My

Thanks for your honesty. I’m sorry to hear that you are feeling such terrible despair.

Depression of the kind you are suffering carries very real physical consequences; it really does change the way your brain works. You probably know this and find it very difficult to concentrate.

Depression is a disease that tends to get better, though.

I had a very severe bout of depression for two years after 20 years of dealing with HIV. I ended up hospitalized and endured electroconvulsive therapy, which helped the depression but took many memories. I got better and am now back in school and working, but it did take time.

ERIC

Michael Weinstein

PUBLIC DISSERVICE?

The article “AHF Campaigns Against PrEP as a ‘Public Health Intervention’” (August 25, 2014) announced a new advertising campaign launched by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) against the HIV drug Truvada for use as preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent transmission of the virus.

At first I wasn’t a huge supporter of PrEP, but I now think of it as another tool we have to prevent HIV. By no means is it the end-all, be-all.

I also think any publicity, good or bad, will help get the word out.

RAYNALD JOSEPH, PROVIDENCE

AHF has a vested interest in people seroconverting.

HIV-negative people who have the means to stay that way are the organization’s worst nightmare.

We should stop giving AHF free space to publicize its genocidal ideology.

HARLEYMC, SYDNEY

Let us break this down...

AHF is claiming to be more informed than the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization?

Wouldn’t the money being wasted on this “smear campaign” be better spent on retention in care efforts and treatment adherence support? I doubt that patients being seen at AHF facilities are faring any better than those seen by other medical providers.

THOMAS, LAFAYETTE

(LEWIS-THORNTON) COURTESY OF RAE LEWIS-THORNTON; (WEINSTEIN) AP IMAGES/BRET HARTMAN

Health Care

transgender sister meant the world to my mother. They were like sisters. Trying to stay alive so she would not lose another child is tough and can lead to many dark roads, but somehow I manage to find the headlight switch before rolling off the road.

BY ORIOL R. GUTIERREZ JR.

CLOSING GLOBAL GAPS The former POZ editor-in-chief takes her fight against HIV to the world stage as a policy officer for UNAIDS.

R

EGAN HOFMANN IS A POLICY OFFICER FOR THE JOINT UNITED Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). She started working full time at UNAIDS this past January in its Washington, DC, liaison office.

She focuses on building stronger and more strategic collaborations with partners working to support global action to end AIDS. They range from people in the executive branch of the U.S. government, to members of Congress, to advocacy groups, nongovernmental organizations and faith-based organizations.

Previously, Hofmann was editor-in-chief of POZ. While at the helm of this magazine, she covered significant moments in HIV/AIDS, such as curing Timothy Ray Brown (a.k.a. the “Berlin patient”) of leukemia and HIV, as well as the end of the U.S. HIV travel ban, which led to the return of the International AIDS Conference to Washington, DC, in 2012. During her POZ tenure, she also covered the creation and rollout of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Those experiences and her insights as a person living with HIV have prepared her well for her current UNAIDS role.

Hofmann shares her thoughts on ending AIDS and what that means, the prospects for U.N. Sustainable Development Goals that include HIV/AIDS, and her continuing role as a board member of amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research.

What does UNAIDS actually do?

It was started with the mandate of advocating for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action to help address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We have people in every country where the epidemic is occurring.

We support our national directors and regional directors as they interact with everyone from presidents and prime ministers, to ministers of health and finance, to

10 POZ DECEMBER 2014 poz.com

Clockwise: Red Ribbon Award recipients; Rihanna joins Viva Glam, which funds UNAIDS programs; soccer star David Luiz supports Zero Discrimination Day; Malawi supports Protect the Goal campaign; an HIV book for children is dedicated to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (second from left) with UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibé (right)

regional and community leaders.

Since we’re international civil servants, we also can be helpful in facilitating conversations and connections, whether on the hyper-local, national or international level.

At our DC office, we provide key players with the information that they need to engage and be part of the solution, and then we inspire them to remain involved, or to become involved if they’re not involved.

Our DC office also works with headquarters in Geneva in support of the leadership. So when our executive director, Michel Sidibé, or deputy executive director, Luiz Loures, are here, we support their needs.

A big part of what we do is collect data from all over the world. We work with countries to collect the data, our team in Geneva works with the data, and then it’s sent back to the countries for sign-off. The process of working with these countries to collect the data helps them to better understand their own epidemic.

COURTESY OF UNAIDS

POZ Q+A

COURTESY OF REGAN HOFMANN

Tell us about ending AIDS—and how UNAIDS defines what that means.

In 2011, U.N. member states adopted the United Nations Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS. Our goal was to achieve specific targets by 2015: developing and employing more effective prevention efforts; finishing the job of preventing motherto-child transmission; ensuring that eventually everyone knows their HIV status and is connected to care, staying on treatment, and virally suppressed; making sure the response is sustainable, so the epidemic isn’t an unending crisis; encouraging respect for human rights; and encouraging scientific solutions.

All these things support our main goal, which is trying to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. However, we’re careful about that language. We realize that there will continue to be people living with HIV. Eventually we’d love to have functional cures and vaccines, but we’re currently working to get ourselves out of an epidemic state.

The other thing that’s important to remember, as we talk about ending the AIDS epidemic, is that we have a fragile window of opportunity. If we miss this window, it’s going to take a lot more time and money, and a lot more people are going to die before this epidemic is under control.

To underscore that point, just before the 20th International AIDS Conference, which was held in Melbourne, Australia, this past July, we released our “Gap report” to help people get a good sense of where we are in the epidemic. For example, the epidemic is not just “in Uganda.”

It’s in specific parts in specific groups.

There are sub-national epidemics, and there are specific geographies and certain populations or groups who are more heavily affected. Understanding who has it and where they live and what their needs are allows us to channel whatever resources we have most efficiently and have the biggest impact.

What is UNAIDS currently focused on?

A major initiative is ensuring that the goal of ending the AIDS epidemic is in the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

(SDGs). The SDGs agreed to in 2016 will replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that were implemented in 2000.

The MDGs had HIV/AIDS goals. It’s not clear if the SDGs will have such specific goals on the virus. That said, we’re in the middle of a process that is evolving.

Right now, of the 17 goals put forth, there is a health goal with language around ending the AIDS epidemic.

No one knows at this point how extensive the list of SDGs will be or how it will be configured. The world has never been through this process, which is different from the MDG process. At the moment, there is support for addressing AIDS in the SDG process.

A related initiative is called ACT!2015,

Regan Hofmann

to have 90 percent of all people living with HIV being aware of their status, 90 percent of those people on treatment, and then 90 percent of people on treatment virally suppressed by 2020 if we are to end the epidemic by 2030.

The 90/90/90 targets are not arbitrary.

They are the result of months of highlevel professional modeling. That’s the formula that can get us by 2030 to that breaking point where we can say that we’re ending the AIDS epidemic.

Are you still on the amfAR board?

Yes, I’m the chair of the communications and social media committee. I’ve also focused a lot on generationCURE, an initiative that tries to get younger people interested in the science, the need for

“We’re looking to engage a lot of new people, particularly young people, in the response.”

which targets young people. We’re trying to get them involved in the post-2015 SDG process. They could potentially be one of the first generations without AIDS. That’s why it’s so important for them to be engaged with the creation of SDGs inclusive of HIV/AIDS. We’re also focused on the elimination of new HIV cases among children. We’re seeing a heightened awareness of the need to protect those children who are thankfully born HIV negative but who are growing up in areas where there is a high prevalence of HIV. We saved them from perinatal infection, and we want to make sure they grow up free of HIV. We’ve also come up with new targets for the world to think about. Researchers worked on what it would take to get to a place where we can say, “We have ended the AIDS epidemic.”

According to their research, we need

more research and how HIV research can help with other diseases.

We have a capital campaign going on at amfAR called Countdown to the Cure, which is truly exciting. Its target is $100 million, which we’ve identified as the sum that would really jump forward the scientific response.

We’re looking to engage a lot of new people, particularly young people, in the response. This is a difficult issue to message, whether you’re talking about ending the AIDS epidemic, or even responding to it scientifically.

If we can heavy up the resources now, we can likely see exponential leaps forward in shorter amounts of time. In the next five years, we have to step up. In that time, we have to contain the number of people with HIV and control the rate of new cases so that the epidemic doesn’t continue to grow. ■

poz.com DECEMBER 2014 POZ 11

POZ PLANET

BY TRENTON STRAUBE

VOICES CARRY (MICROPHONE) THINKSTOCK; (VOICES) COURTESY OF ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL/SETH DIXON; (TORSTEN/ANDY BELL) COURTESY OF CHERRY RED RECORDS

Youth with HIV record their stories so docs and other patients can listen and learn.

My mother called me and said, “What’s the bad report the doctor gave you?” I couldn’t even come to terms with telling her. And she just started going down the list. She said, “When I hit it, say yes.”

When she got to being HIV positive, I said yes. That was, like, one of the hardest, most difficult moments in my life to deal with, listening to my mother on the phone crying. Right then and there, I figured if I couldn’t be strong for me, at least be strong for her.

[When] I came here to St. Jude, the first thing I realized was the importance of being educated. I realized that’s where a lot of my fear and all of that came from—being ignorant about the disease and how it works and stuff like that. We fear what we don’t understand. We fear the unknown. I say to whoever’s listening: Become educated.

Powerful stuff, right? But to get the full emotional and educational impact of this slice-of-life-with-HIV, you need to listen to it—as told by the person who experienced it. That’s exactly what the Voices project at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, aims to deliver. For the unique project, HIV-positive patients ages 18 to 24 volunteer to record themselves telling their HIV narrative. Participants decide what to talk about; recordings average about five minutes; and all are anonymous.

Xavier works with St. Jude’s Sylvia Sutton to record his HIV story.

So far, 18 narratives (such as the one excerpted at the start of this article) have been filed since 2012. They’re then made available to three sets of St. Jude listeners: clinicians, students and other HIV-positive patients. “We’ve been using the recordings as part of the education for students and other health care providers,” says Aditya Gaur, MD, of St. Jude’s infectious diseases department. “Listening to the patients’ narratives makes the [information] stick and creates empathy.

It also helps these learners identify with a patient population and the challenges that come with it. The message is viewed as much more ‘real.’”

The password-protected audio files can also help other patients living with the virus. For example, if someone feels isolated or struggles to take meds regularly, he or she might listen to a recording that touches on those issues. In a sense, these narratives are like an anonymous support group of peers, ready to meet at any moment.

The storytellers benefit, too. Sylvia Sutton, LMSW, a social worker at St. Jude, explains: “Almost everybody who records feels like they’re re giving back and helping others—and that makes a difference for them.”

MEET TORSTEN, THE BAREBACK SAINT As the lead singer of British synthpop duo Erasure, Andy Bell is famous for ’80s hits such as “Chains of Love” and “A Little Respect.” As a former POZ cover boy, he’s also known for being open about his HIV and his sexuality..

Any fan can tell you that after Bell lost his HIV-positive longtime partner in 2012, he has once again found love.

He has also found new ways to challenge himself. At this year’s Edinburgh International Fringe Festival in Scotland, Bell debuted a cabaret-style show titled Torsten The Bareback Saint (a CD, book and digital version are available). Bell plays Torsten, “a semi-immortal, polysexual sensualist”—in other words, a guy who has a lot of sex and doesn’t age. As such, the unusual song-cycle explores the mysteries of life and the passing of time.

For those of you craving more classic Bell, you can hear him on the dance floor and catch him in concert.

He and Vince Clarke are touring till the end of December for Erasure’s newest album, The Violet Flame.

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POZ PLANET

BY TRENTON STRAUBE

Something’s in the air in southern Louisiana— radio station WHIV 102.3 FM. Launching on World AIDS Day, the station is officially named Radio NOLA HIV: Programming Dedicated to Human Rights and Social Justice. The New Orleans– based station is the brainchild of MarkAlain Dery, DO, MPH, an infectious disease specialist at Tulane University who also runs a Ryan White clinic and spearheads several HIV awareness events. “I named the station WHIV because of the stigma surrounding HIV that I see daily in my practice,” he says. “How does one de-stigmatize HIV? Say the word over and over again.”

The station’s programming—scheduled as music at night and talk radio during the day— will be broader than just HIV. “We intend to give a voice to all those who otherwise do not have a voice in the community,” Dery says, listing transgender people and undocumented workers as examples. “And we’ll talk about sexual health—we live in a state that supports abstinence only—I want people to talk about ways to protect themselves.”

Dery views the radio station as a content delivery system. “Yes, we are going to broadcast over traditional airwaves,” he says, “but we’re also going to podcast and archive our original stuff, and we’ll stream on the Internet and mobile devices.” This way, listeners don’t have to miss a word—even if they’re not in NOLA.

MarkAlain Dery, top left, exhibits HIV tests during the HIV Awareness Music Project (HAMP) in New Orleans. With him are (clockwise from top): bounce rap group Vockah Redu and the Crew, Miss P.’s Birthday Cake puppet, and jazz singer Meschiya Lake.

POZ STORIES: Dominique Banks It’s no surprise that Dominique Banks considers her greatest regret in life to be “dating the wrong men.” While in college, she fell in love with an Army man who fathered her first child. But before long, he became physically abusive. She tried to leave but always went back.

In 2008, after coming down with a severe infection, she went to the hospital and learned she had HIV. “That night,” Banks recalls, “I called my son’s father and told him. He told me that I must have received it from someone else.” Soon enough, though, he too was diagnosed with the virus. “I was mad at him and myself,” she says. “I began to go into a depression. A week later, I went back to school. With the help of my friends and family, I left him and got back on my feet.”

But then Banks decided to give him yet another chance—until he stole her checks and deposited money in another

16 POZ DECEMBER 2014 poz.com

woman’s account. Finally fed up with him, Banks called the police. When they showed up at the house to arrest him, he tried to cut his throat in the bathroom.

“When they took him to the hospital,” she recalls, “I broke down crying on my bloody floor. I knew the only person I had to rely on was God. I prayed to him and made a promise that I would never go back with my son’s father ever again.

And I kept that promise.”

Since then, life has been a series of both tribulations and triumphs for this Memphis, Tennessee, mother. She graduated from college with honors in 2009 and gave birth to another son in 2014.

Finding steady employment has been a struggle for her—a career highlight was her stint as a peer advocate liaison for HIV/AIDS—and she’s currently working for AIDS group Friends for Life.

“God works in mysterious ways,”

Banks says of her journey. “I am dedicated and don’t let anything stop me. And I’m a devoted mother to my two boys.” It’s no surprise that she considers her motto to be “Never give up.”

To read more about Dominique Banks and other POZ Stories, or to tell your own tale of empowerment, visit poz.com/stories.

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TUNE IN TO WHIV RADIO

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(CAP) COURTESY OF CASCADE AIDS PROJECT; (CIRCLE OF FRIENDS) COURTESY OF AIDS MEMORIAL GROVE; (HIV CAMPAIGNS) COURTESY OF THE CDC

CAPing 30 Years of Service in Portland In 2015, Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) of Portland, Oregon, will mark a milestone: It turns 30. So this World AIDS Day, December 1, it’ll kick off a yearlong calendar of festivities honoring its three decades. There’s much to celebrate.

For starters, in July CAP named its new executive director, Tyler TerMeer, who arrives fresh from overseeing the “strategic partnerships” merger of two AIDS service organizations in Ohio. Not that mergers will be among his future duties. “CAP is incredibly solid,” TerMeer says, adding that he’s focused on growing the capacity of the organization as well as its funding and community partnerships.

Plus, he’s looking for new ways to “maintain relevance in the shifting health care landscape,” a.k.a. Obamacare.

One of CAP’s biggest successes is its Testing4All program, which offers lowstress, stigma-free, drop-in testing and counseling to everyone. To get federal funding for HIV testing, programs usually must target high-risk populations, such as gay men. But this overlooks straight people, particularly men who have sex with men but don’t identify as gay. CAP’s solution? With funding from the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, it launched Testing4All, where anyone can get an HIV test regardless of their ability to pay

Cascade AIDS Project is located in the Lincoln Building in downtown Portland.

or willingness to talk about their sexual lives or drug use. According to recent data, the program’s seropositivity rate was 1.74 percent, compared with the state’s average of 0.013 percent.

Another CAP winner is the Working Choices employment and job training program, which takes into consideration the unique needs of people with HIV. TerMeer explains the program’s importance: “We know stable employment is a proven route to stable housing, and that in turn is known to increase health outcomes and adherence of clients to medical appointments and treatment.”

AIDS MEMORIAL GROVE’S CHANGING LANDSCAPE Created nearly 23 years ago in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, the National AIDS Memorial Grove is a living tribute to all those touched by the virus. As such, the 10-acre park, like the HIV epidemic itself, continues to evolve. Three notable updates:

• Two acts of vandalism

require major repairs to the Grove. Memorial trees and benches were damaged, as were nearly 65 carved names in the stone Circle of Friends. So far, neither homophobia nor AIDSphobia is linked to the crimes. “Early estimates put the damage done in the hundreds of thousands of dollars,” says executive director John Cunningham. “How-

December 1: World AIDS Day

ever, as those of us who have been through far darker times in the AIDS struggle know, we will come through stronger, embracing love and compassion as a community.”

• In August, the Grove lost

one of its longtime leaders: Thom Weyand, a former executive director and trustee, died of leukemia.

A ceremony in his honor was held, fittingly, in the

Circle of Friends

Grove, complete with flaggers dancing to a version of “Over the Rainbow” sung by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole.

• The Memorial Grove’s

annual youth scholarship program was renamed in honor of Pedro Zamora, who starred in MTV’s The Real World: San Francisco in 1994 and died that same year at age 22 of AIDS complications.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Two CDC campaigns aim to get folks talking about HIV and treatment.

Here’s something to talk about: Although Latinos account for 17 percent of the U.S. population, they make up 21 percent of new HIV cases. To inspire Latinos to talk openly about the virus with their family, friends and communities, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the “One Conversation at a Time” campaign, which is part of its Act Against AIDS initiative. Through ads, videos, posters and fact sheets featuring Latinos, the new campaign hopes to increase awareness and decrease stigma.

Through another campaign, the CDC hopes to get a different message out to everyone living with the virus: Get in Care, Stay in Care, and Live Well. Created with the input of 100 HIV-positive people from across the nation, the “HIV Treatment Works” campaign shows how people overcome the challenges to getting and staying in care. Controlling the virus can lead to many health benefits, such as making you less infectious.

Although slightly more than a million Americans are HIV positive, only about 25 percent of them have an undetectable viral load. And that’s something else to talk about.

poz.com DECEMBER 2014 POZ 17

POZ PLANET

BY TRENTON STRAUBE

A ROAD LESS TRAVELED It started in 1990 as a Texas charity event to raise money to send a man with AIDS home for his final Christmas. Sadly, he died before the trip. But enough funds existed to help five other people make that journey. Since then, Home for the Holidays Texas Inc. has continued with its unique goal of providing travel assistance to Texans with AIDS. “When we give them that ticket, it’s the greatest thing,” says Rodd Gray, the group’s founder and president. “It’s giving them the gift of going home. That closure they get to have—to say goodbye or to be hugged by someone who never admitted in the past that they loved them—it’s important and healing.”

Headquartered in Dallas, the group Clockwise from left: Patti Le Plae Safe; once sent a family— an installation of an HIV-positive One Way Home; and grandmother and Mac, who traveled to visit family the grandchildren she cared for—on a one-way trip back to Ohio. “Another client,” Gray recalls, “had to go to Nairobi and didn’t have a passport or practically any ID. She was also on dialysis, and she had dementia. We had to get her back to her country because it was against her religion to cremate her and send the remains.” Sound impossible? Not for Team Gray. “The consulate and airlines helped me, and it all worked out beautifully.”

Home for the Holidays collaborates with caseworkers at Texas AIDS agencies

who forward applications to the charity.

Nowadays, as people with the virus are living longer and healthier, the scope of its travel assistance has broadened.

Some people prefer to skip all the hullabaloo of Christmas and decide to travel another time—Mother’s Day is a popular choice—or they need to get home because of a family emergency. Other clients, Gray says, are depressed and simply need to get away from their current environment. The group has also paid for

family members or friends to come visit people living with AIDS. All this requires a ton of fundraising, mostly done through drag shows (Gray performs as Patti Le Plae Safe). “It’s a perfect balance of mixing activism and art,” says new media artist Liss LaFleur.

One Way Home, her documentary and installation project about Gray and the charity, is slated for film festivals in 2015.

But first, it’ll travel home for the holidays to debut on World AIDS Day in Dallas.

RAISE AIDS FUNDS WHILE SURFING THE NET! The Internet just got a digital red ribbon. It’s the new top-level domain name .hiv—similar to .com and .org—and it’ll raise money for HIV/AIDS programs across the globe. The domain was registered by a Berlinbased nonprofit called dotHIV, and the way it works is simple. “When you buy a .hiv address,” explains HIV-positive new media consultant Michael Bouldin, “the money goes in a pool for the fight against the virus. When someone clicks on your site, they trigger a microdonation.”

Specifically, corporations can lease the domain name starting at $17 per month (nonprofits in the HIV field get them for free), and each click on a .hiv site raises about one-tenth of a cent (0.1¢). Worldwide, 2.5 billion people use the Internet, so the potential can add up.

Funds raised by dotHIV go to small, community-based organizations with the main goal of getting treatment and meds to people who need them. The first recipient is WE-ACTx For Hope in Rwanda, plus projects in Turkey, South Africa and the United States.

Of note: You don’t have to build an additional website with the .hiv name; the .hiv name could simply direct visitors to your original site.

Try it out. Visit poz.hiv and you’ll land on our poz.com home page—but not before donating to a good cause, at no cost to you. Click away!

22 POZ DECEMBER 2014 poz.com

(HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS) COURTESY OF LISS LAFLEUR; (DOTHIV) COURTESY OF DOTHIV; (COMPUTER SCREEN) THINKSTOCK

Texas fundraisers help people with AIDS get home for the holidays.

VOICES

THE BEST BLOGS AND OPINIONS FROM POZ.COM

BACK ON BOARD

In this edited excerpt from his opinion piece titled “Back on Board,” HIV-positive Olympian Greg Louganis reflects on a revealing documentary about his life—while challenging himself, and all of us, to find joy and hope in our daily lives.

COURTESY OF BACK ON BOARD PRODUCERS

W

e’ve all heard people say that we should take time to smell the roses. All too often it’s not so simple. The stressors of life and the strife of internal conflict make us question if we are doing the right thing. So we often miss chances to take joy in the little things.

Now imagine what it’s like to look back on your life. Not a random trip down memory lane, but an in-depth examination. Do you think there will be more examples of joy or sorrow? What would you find on such a journey of discovery? And what would you do with the results of such an examination?

Your answer might simply be “I don’t know.” And you’re not alone. I’ve spent the last three years following a crazy adventure into the unknown.

A documentary producer read a New York Times article about me returning to diving after a nearly 20-year absence— in Will Sweeney’s mind there was more to be told. He wasn’t the only one.

Cheryl Furjanic, a documentary producer and professor at New York University, realized that those under the age of 27 rarely knew my name, my contributions to the sport, my coming out story, or my public acceptance of my HIV diagnosis at a time when the disease was misunderstood and people were dying from it quickly.

I didn’t have to return to diving. In fact, I felt largely unwelcome. Those feelings were reinforced when a notable figure in diving was asked if he had read my book Breaking the Surface after it hit the New York Times best-seller list.

The response, which others didn’t know I heard, was, “Louganis is a stain on USA Diving. Now everyone is going to think we are the Men’s Figure Skating of the aquatic world”—a comment that garnered many laughs from those involved in the discussion. But I got back in the diving world because I truly felt I had more to contribute.

Then I was approached about being in a biographical documentary project.

You’re probably wondering what my first thought was. It certainly seems selfserving. I didn’t want this to be another example of a fading star trying to grasp a last few minutes of fame.

But the more we talked, the more I realized that a story about my life isn’t about me as much as it’s about fighting to get where you want to be and questioning whether you’re doing the right thing along the way. Participating in this project could help others see that there’s a whole lot of life out there if we choose to live it.

The resulting documentary, Back on Board, which premiered at the American Film Institute Documentary Festival

in June—and has won critical acclaim since—is a raw look at my life.

I openly discuss struggles with life in general—not just being gay, living with HIV and trying to find acceptance in a solitary sport and the world around me, but also experiencing life as a recovering alcoholic and dealing with the threat of losing my home due to some bad business decisions, the possibility of filing bankruptcy, and other very frank and honest topics.

The film is a harsh and thorough look into my life—sometimes inspiring, sometimes awkward, sometimes embarrassing. But all in all, it’s a truth told with honesty and love. And though I’m obviously its focus, the film could just as easily be about so many others— it’s bigger than me.

As I watched the final film amidst the attendees at the festival, it dawned on me that this project allowed me to “smell the roses,” so to speak. And it forced me to ask myself a very harsh question: Why look back to find joy when you have the opportunity to experience it every day if you open yourself up to it?

So I pose the same question to you.

Are you going to look back on your life to discover the joys and hopes that outnumber the regrets, or are you going to start taking the moments to find the joy in your everyday life? ■

poz.com DECEMBER 2014 POZ 25

PREVENTION Pillow Talk Fights HIV

Gay guys who talk about HIV before sex are much less likely to contract the virus, according to a new German study that also found evidence showing HIV likely has a tendency to transmit when gay men are in the early stages of a relationship.

Researchers compared 105 recently diagnosed gay men with 105 HIV-negative controls and found that the HIV-positive men were 3.9 times more likely than the controls to be in a partnership with another man that had gone on for less than half a year. Discussing HIV before sex, meanwhile, was linked with an 82 percent reduction in the risk of becoming HIV positive. Those who either always used a condom for sex outside a relationship or didn’t have anal sex in that context had a 77 percent reduced likelihood of contracting the virus.

26 POZ DECEMBER 2014 poz.com

TREATMENT

Tivicay Packs a Punch

ViiV Healthcare’s integrase inhibitor Tivicay (dolutegravir) effectively fights HIV even when people have taken HIV meds before and have resistance to nucleotide/ nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs, or nukes). In various Phase III trials of regimens based on Tivicay, none of the participants who were new to HIV treatment and who took the drug with two nukes developed any drug resistance through 48 weeks or 96 weeks of treatment.

In one study among people who’d been treated before but not with integrase inhibitors, 71 percent of those taking Tivicay-based regimens had a fully suppressed viral load after 48 weeks, compared with 64 percent of those taking Isentress (raltegravir)based regimens. Among those in this study who had resistance to the nukes Epivir (lamivudine) and Emtriva (emtricitabine) and who took either of those drugs and a second nuke as a background regimen, none experienced virologic failure on Tivicay, while 33 percent of those taking Isentress did.

BY BENJAMIN RYAN

CURE

CONCERNS

Cancer drugs called HDAC inhibitors might hold one of the keys to an HIV cure, specifically by fighting latent virus hiding out in the viral reservoir. In a small safety and efficacy trial, Danish researchers gave three weekly injections of the HDAC inhibitor romidepsin to six HIV-positive people, all of whom were on antiretrovirals (ARVs) and had an undetectable viral load at the outset. There were various signs that the drug succeeded in reversing latency of HIV-infected cells, causing them to begin replicating virus again (which makes the cells susceptible to ARVs, since HIV drugs can only go after replicating virus). The drug apparently inhibited enzymes that keep HIV tightly wound within an immune cell’s nucleus.

Meanwhile, the levels of cell-associated HIV RNA in CD4 cells rose. Five of the participants developed a detectable viral load.

However, readings of the total HIV DNA found in the participants’ CD4 cells showed no significant change, suggesting the viral reservoir didn’t take a hit from the treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that just 21 percent of clinicians polled in a national survey routinely screen patients who have never been tested for HIV. The physicians are less likely to do so if: they have been in practice for two decades or more, when compared with those in practice for less than nine years; or if they are unaware of their patient population’s HIV infection rate or think the rate is low or moderate, when compared with those who believe the infection rate is high. Sixty-five percent of the clinicians said they routinely screen men who have sex with men (MSM), no matter the length of the physicians’ careers in medicine or their perception of their patient population’s HIV rate. Out of those who said they offer routine screening to at least one at-risk population, 85 percent reported offering repeat screenings to MSM.

Cancer Med Expels HIV in the Reservoir

Doctors Not Testing Patients for HIV

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RESEARCH NOTES

SEROZERO

NOV/DEC 2014

It’s Time to Bring HIV Prevention Drugs Out of the Closet

By Kelsey Louie, Chief Executive Officer, GMHC

E V E R Y N E W C A S E of HIV

infection that is prevented is one less person to cure. While HIV may no longer sound like a death sentence, there have been 50,000 new infections every year for the last decade— and it’s going to stay that way unless we step in now.

GMHC is committed to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York State by 2020. As CEO, I pledge to ensure that GMHC is maximizing every resource we have to get it done.

We’re focused on two key strategies to accomplish our plan. Through GMHC’s innovative services, we are ensuring that HIV-positive communities stay connected to care and are virally suppressed. This year, we are opening a new co-located pharmacy at our testing facility and a medication access site where all other services are held to facilitate faster treatment and to provide even more care to people at-risk who can’t afford it or wouldn’t otherwise seek it out.

We continue to promote HIV testing as well as widespread adoption of new HIV-prevention tools, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP). These lifesaving medications are at least 90% effective in preventing new infections when taken properly. If every New Yorker at high risk of infection had affordable access to these resources, and the support needed to stay adherent, we could end this epidemic—once and for all.

In fact, May 14 should have been PrEP’s big coming out moment. That’s when the federal government issued new guidelines urging doctors to adopt the use of PrEP. Similarly, the World Health Organization (WHO) also endorsed PrEP in July. But for most Americans, this news hardly registered.

As a longtime HIV/AIDS advocate, I was puzzled.

After all, these guidelines and endorsements represent a huge victory for HIV-prevention advocates who have championed PrEP’s wider use since its initial FDA approval in 2012. The U.S. Public Health Service and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended the treatment be prescribed for a number of at-risk populations, including men who have sex with other men who have had sex without condoms, people whose partners are HIV-positive, and people whose partners are at high-risk for infection.

Daily use of PrEP is safe and has few side effects. In combination with traditional prevention techniques, it can be a game-changing tool in our fight against HIV/AIDS. Cost doesn’t have to be an issue. Most private insurers and many state Medicaid programs cover PrEP. And, the maker of Truvada, the only medication currently FDA approved for PrEP, offers a medication assistance program that can help those who are uninsured or who face high co-payments.

PrEP is a gateway drug to primary care.

But still, if you scour the websites of leading public health organizations, you’ll find there is little information on how and where to access PrEP. It’s one of the best-kept (and therefore tragic) secrets in HIV prevention.

So what’s keeping PrEP in the closet?

Unfortunately, skepticism and even outright disapproval of PrEP persists among many in the communities hardest hit by the epidemic. Some raise questions about “unknown side effects.” Others have

condemned the government’s decision, arguing it is a “gateway drug” to sex without condoms. A few get nastier, dubbing PrEP users “Truvada whores” and accusing them of immaturity, cowardice or worse.

In fact, PrEP is a gateway drug to primary care. It’s use requires seeing one’s doctor regularly and testing for HIV every three months. It’s likely that people on PrEP will see their doctors more often and be more aware of their health than if they were practicing other forms of safe sex alone.

Of course, HIV prevention advocates must continue to encourage safer-sex practices in conjunction with PrEP. But with new infection rates stalled at 50,000/ year nationally, and rising among youth and lowincome communities of color, we need to use every tool at our disposal. These include PrEP, PEP and condoms. PEP, which is often a combination of several anti-retroviral medications, can be used to prevent HIV infection in emergency situations if taken within 36 hours but no later than 72 hours after exposure.

So rather than keeping PrEP & PEP tightly-guarded secrets, shaming those who use them, or simply ignoring the epidemic, our political, faith-based and entertainment leaders should be maximizing every opportunity to tear this closet door off its hinges and promote the proper use of PrEP and PEP.

We know from the early days of AIDS that we cannot expect our mainstream hospitals and health care providers to rapidly adopt PrEP and PEP, though the announcements from the CDC and WHO are critical. Health care providers and health centers must lead the way with endorsements of PrEP and PEP and clear pathways for access. We must aggressively advocate for every health insurer to cover PrEP — and insist that state and federal governments make it readily available to all who are at risk.

Can you imagine how quickly we would have embraced a pill for prevention that was over 90% effective in the ’80s and even the ’90s? How many lives could we have saved?

By preventing needless infections, PrEP and PEP can help curb the epidemic in the U.S. for good — and reduce the burden of HIV/AIDS on our health care system. We also know that prevention of HIV is significantly less costly to the health care system than hundreds of thousands more people becoming positive for the rest of their lives. And no matter what skeptics might say, taking one pill per day while at risk for infection beats a lifetime of treatment.

It’s time to bring PrEP and PEP out of the closet.

Breaking Into New York’s Correctional Facilities

By Demetrius Thomas GETTING INTO NEW YORK’S

correctional facilities has been one of my primary tasks since I began working at GMHC in September 2013. The urgency of this task was felt even during my interview process; it was a central component and the most difficult deliverable for GMHC’s Prison HIV/AIDS Prevention Project. Before my arrival, little progress had been made, and on September 30, 2014, GMHC’s grant from the Ford Foundation, which funded the project, was scheduled to end. It was designed with two primary objectives: (1) improve prevention and health care services for persons incarcerated living with or at risk of contracting HIV, and (2) ensure that individuals living with HIV are connected to services upon their release.

I was not surprised that, after several attempts, GMHC was unable to gain access to New York’s correctional facilities. As an attorney familiar with

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the process, I witnessed bureaucratic blockades that non-correctional, community-based organizations like GMHC experience when trying to access facilities.

What I was most surprised by was the pervasive mentality among New York’s correctional leadership that there are no problems in HIV/AIDS health and transitional care services in their facilities. This mindset is the biggest barrier to access to care and reducing new HIV infections. Until correctional leadership and key stakeholders change this insidious mindset, New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision’s (DOCCS) role to help end the HIV/AIDS epidemic will never be realized.

Furthermore, inadequate HIV/AIDS health care in facilities and the lack of comprehensive transitional services upon release is in direct opposition to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s recently announced plan to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2020 in New York State (NYS).

The notion that New York correctional facilities don’t need to improve care for people living with or at

GMHC NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

risk for HIV/AIDS is in stark opposition to the findings of numerous reports, which concluded that health and transitional care services fall well below the standard of care received and required by the general public.

I’ve heard advocates refer to New York’s correctional facilities as “reservoirs” of concentrated HIV/AIDS prevalence. In early 2014, a DOCCS subcommittee, which included the NYS Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene’s AIDS Institute, submitted recommendations to the State’s AIDS Advisory Council on the delivery of HIV/AIDS healthcare in prisons.

Among the recommendations are: (1) enhanced HIV testing, (2) improved and increased comprehensive HIV services, and (3) better monitoring and oversight.

Testimonies of those who have been incarcerated in New York further demonstrate the urgency for intervention. TJ is 59 years old and has spent the majority of his life, 33 years, incarcerated. A former IV drug user, TJ turned to crime to support his substance use; he was only 14 years old when he started using.

Instead of being offered an alternative to incarceration to address his addiction, TJ, like so many, was forced into a cycle in the correctional system. At only 22 years old, he served his first federal sentence. Throughout his time in the system, he was incarcerated in at least 12 facilities, and the majority were maximum security. TJ entered the correctional system reading at a fourth grade level and performing at a third grade

GMHC.ORG

math level. Yet, while incarcerated, he was on track to receive his bachelors of arts degree. However, college programs in correctional facilities were cut, and he was forced to settle for an honors association of arts degree. He also earned nearly 50 New York State Department of Health certifications in areas including: substance abuse; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) cultural competency; Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS peer educational trainings; and anger and violence resolution. TJ’s resolve and educational achievements suggest that he was a better candidate for alternative drug treatment programs than jail or prison.

While TJ was able to accomplish most of his educational goals within New York’s correctional system, he was not able to access basic HIV/AIDS health care services. In 1984, TJ stopped using intravenous (IV) drugs for fear that he would contract HIV. It was too late. In 1985, as a result of IV drug use, TJ was diagnosed with HIV while in prison. Like so many others, he was afraid to seek HIV treatment for fear of being stigmatized or discriminated against.

This led to an AIDS diagnosis in 2007. TJ refused to seek treatment for the last 13 of his 15-year sentence because he was afraid others would learn his status.

He witnessed how people whose status had been discovered were mistreated; warm embraces were replaced with cold head nods as greetings.

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The most egregious mistreatment came from correctional staff, especially in upstate New York.

The lack of patient confidentiality while incarcerated exacerbates people’s fears of others learning their status. For example, before seeing a doctor individuals are required to complete a public sick call list, which includes the purpose for the appointment.

In doctors’ offices, rooms are marked with “HIV/ AIDS Specialist.” To receive medication refills, one must complete a sick call form that requires the name of the medication. Additionally, sick call forms and medication are often distributed by peers in facilities.

The implications of HIV/AIDS health care and transitional services for those incarcerated extend well beyond the confines of correctional walls and affect the public health of all New Yorkers.

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Even when people are brave enough to take their medication, distribution is often a problem. TJ often went days without his HIV medications because they weren’t available and needed to be ordered. Even when medications arrive, individuals often aren’t notified.

As a result, TJ went days without medication. TJ also said that there are no staff to track whether a person is taking or even receiving medication. Because they are often self-administered, it is each individual’s responsibility to save food for medications that must be taken with food, a big problem if meals are served on a different schedule.

Sex and drug use are common in correctional facilities. Unfortunately, those incarcerated in New York, and in the majority of facilities across the country, engage in these activities without the benefit of condoms or clean syringes, as their distribution is against the law. TJ says that sex without condoms occurs about 90% of the time.

He recalled an incident where someone killed his lover after learning that he had contracted HIV, a murder that possibly could have been avoided if proper treatment and condoms were available.

In rare instances, TJ recalled people creating makeshift condoms with latex gloves or balloons.

He also said that sharing needles for IV drug use

GMHC NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

is rampant and described a process called “fishing,” where persons housed in different cells, or even floors, share needles to get high.

HIV/AIDS education and prevention training is almost as scarce as condoms and syringes. TJ says there is no mandatory HIV/AIDS education and prevention education in facilities. Instead, persons entering facilities receive a rules and regulation booklet, which includes a short paragraph that summarizes only statistics on those living with HIV/ AIDS in facilities. The booklet may also include information on where to get additional education on HIV/AIDS and prevention, which often requires signing up on a public list. Based on his expert advice as a certified HIV/AIDS peer education trainer, TJ believes that lack of education and sensitivity training is the greatest cause of HIV/AIDS stigma by both correctional staff and those incarcerated.

Unfortunately, TJ’s story is not unique. It’s echoed by attendees of GMHC’s Releasing Health Working Group, a member-led group comprised of many people formerly incarcerated in New York and living with HIV/AIDS. This group advocates for these issues, as well as criminal justice reform and prisoners’ rights.

While, there is much work to be done, DOCCS deserves recognition for some improvements. It has expanded its voluntary HIV-testing program, improved testing and treatment of tuberculosis, and opened regional medical units for people with chronic illnesses, including those living with HIV/AIDS. It also partnered with the New York State AIDS Institute to create the Criminal Justice Initiative (CJI) and Positive Pathways (PP). The CJI funds community-based agencies to provide priority services to those with HIV/AIDS. PP identifies people who have recently seroconverted or who have not disclosed to and/or are not in treatment with DOCCS medical in order to enroll them in its community care component. This ensures linkage to care upon release and for six months post-release.

These accomplishments are not easy, especially given continuously shrinking budgets and the inherent conflict of providing quality health care in institutions with strict security procedures.

In addition, DOCCS should not have the sole responsibility for improving delivery of HIV/AIDS health care and transitional services in correctional facilities. Elected officials and lawmakers must create policies that improve and secure funding in correctional facilities and focus on the needs of those

GMHC.ORG

in the criminal justice system. Correctional and/or DOCCS contracted organizations should not have a monopoly on providing health care and traditional services in correctional facilities; these organizations and DOCCS should be open to working with other community-based organizations to expand and improve services.

More foundations, government entities, and private funders need to invest in these policy and bureaucratic changes. Funders need to invest in the long term, not just while an issue is “hot.” Thus, organizations seeking to do the work will feel less pressure to create unrealistic and unmanageable deliverables for fear of not having their proposals accepted, or fear that their grant will be withdrawn or not re-funded if a deliverable hasn’t been met.

Until Governor Cuomo and New York’s correctional system provide adequate health care services for persons incarcerated with or at high risk of contracting HIV and improve transitional services upon release, his plan to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York will be an unrealized vision.

Foremost, New York’s correctional leadership and staff must change their belief that HIV/AIDS health and transitional care services in facilities are fine. The term “institutionalized” is often used to describe a person incarcerated who has begun to accept prison thinking as that of the greater society. It seems that the term also describes correctional leadership and staff. Reports and personal testimonies make clear that HIV/AIDS health and transitional services need improvement.

In June 2014, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2020. While his plan includes ensuring those released from correctional facilities are linked to proper HIV/ AIDS health care and services in the community, it does not address improving prevention and health

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SEROZERO EDITOR: JASON CIANCIOTTO ASSISTANT EDITOR: LYNDEL URBANO ASSOCIATE EDITORS: DEMETRIUS THOMAS AND CHELSEA MILLER ART DIRECTOR: ADAM FREDERICKS GMHC SeroZero is published by GMHC, Inc. All rights reserved.

Noncommercial reproduction is encouraged.

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care services for persons while incarcerated, where many receive HIV/AIDS medical treatment for the first time. Proper medical treatment can suppress a person’s viral load and prevent transmission up to 96%. Approximately 30,000 individuals are released per year from New York’s correctional facilities, and many return to communities that are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Proper treatment while incarcerated and access to services upon release will decrease and help lower the communities’ viral load.

New York’s correctional system can play a vital role in ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic, but not unless we change the way we view those who are or have been incarcerated and who are living with HIV/ AIDS. Everyone deserves the right to live with human dignity, which includes access to quality health care in correctional facilities. We must understand that the implications of HIV/AIDS health care and transitional services for those incarcerated extend well beyond the confines of correctional walls and affect the public health of all New Yorkers. Until these changes occur, the positive effect New York’s correctional system can have on ending the epidemic will never be realized.

Until Governor Cuomo and New York’s correctional system provide adequate health care services for persons incarcerated with or at high risk of contracting HIV and improve transitional services upon release, his plan to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York will be an unrealized vision.

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Ultimately, GMHC sought to partner with the correctional organization Osborne Association to put New York’s correctional facilities on track to: (1) identify those with HIV; (2) implement HIV testing that is universal, routine, available upon request; (3) provide HIV prevention education that follows national, community standards of care and that provides programs with adequate training, services, and resources; (4) ensure that healthcare and support services meet the same standards of care received and required by the general public; and (5) offer transitional care services that identify and link at-risk and HIV-positive individuals to the most effective, community-based program(s).

At the time this article was sent to publication, we were still awaiting approval of our entry applications from DOCCS…

GMHC offers life-sustaining services for people affected by HIV and AIDS

Please help feed and support our clients.

HIV & STI Testing New Client Intake Meals Program & Food Pantry Nutrition Education Wellness Services Coordinated Care/ Health Homes Mental Health & Substance Use Counseling HIV Prevention for Men, Women & Youth Legal Services Advocacy & Benefits Workforce Development Client Financial Services Action Center HIV/AIDS Hotline

For more information on GMHC and our programs, or to make a donation, please visit gmhc.org, call (212) 367-1000 or send an e-mail to info@gmhc.org.

GMHC NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

POZ SURVEY SAYS

BY JENNIFER MORTON

The Joy of Sex

47%

In the United States, sexual contact is the most common route of HIV transmission.

We recently asked you about your sex life and how it may have changed since you became HIV positive. Twenty-one percent of you said you’re having the same amount of sex since your diagnosis. Here are your other responses:

37%

ALWAYS

SOMETIMES

16%

NEVER

4% 7-9

14

%

10

10%

16%

MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK

24

%

ZERO

10%

WHEN YOU ARE HAVING SEX, DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR HIV STATUS?

NEVER

64%

ONCE A WEEK

4-6

19% 2-3

24%

29%

A FEW TIMES A MONTH

1

I prefer to have sex with someone who is…

47% 6% 47%

HIV POSITIVE HIV NEGATIVE IT DOESN’T MATTER

70%

30

%

A FEW TIMES A YEAR

ALWAYS

27%

SOMETIMES

9%

NEVER

HOW FREQUENTLY DO YOU HAVE SEX?

HOW MANY SEXUAL PARTNERS HAVE YOU HAD IN THE PAST YEAR?

THINKSTOCK

20

%

DO YOU DISCLOSE YOUR HIV STATUS BEFORE A NEW SEXUAL ENCOUNTER?

Since becoming HIV positive, my sexual confidence has…

11% INCREASED 66% DECREASED 23% NOT CHANGED

of you said a sexual partner has rejected you because of HIV.

Source: January/February 2014 poz.com DECEMBER 2014 POZ 33

CARE AND TREATMENT

BY BENJAMIN RYAN

MAKING GAY A CRIME HARMS HIV FIGHT

Laws that criminalize homosexuality hamper access to both HIV prevention and care services for men who have sex with men (MSM) according to three reports presented at the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia.

In one study that surveyed over 4,000 MSM around the world in 2012, nearly a quarter of sub-Saharan men reported having been arrested or convicted for homosexuality-related charges, along with 10 percent of Latin American men, 15 percent of Caribbean men, 13 percent of those in the Middle East and North Africa and 18 percent in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

When compared with the rest of the men in the survey, those who had been arrested or convicted for homosexuality-related charges had a respective 24 percent and 21 percent reduced likelihood of having access to condoms and HIV testing, and a respective 30 percent and 23 percent reduced likelihood of receiving medical care and mental health services. A conviction or arrest slashed in half the chance of accessing HIV treatment among those who were living with the virus.

Michaela Clayton, director of the AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, who operates out of Windhoek, Namibia, said such findings aren’t surprising to her, given the severity and widespread nature of Southern Africa’s homophobia.

One of her organization’s most immediate goals is to try to change minds about homosexuality from the ground up.

“I think we’re gaining more ground in changing public perception than we are at getting policy makers to change their minds,” she says.

36 POZ DECEMBER 2014 poz.com

A new study finds that having a superinfection—in other words, contracting a second strain of HIV—does not apparently accelerate HIV disease. To come to this conclusion, researchers studied 144 HIV-positive women in Mombasa, Kenya, between 1993 and 2008, during which 21 of them became superinfected.

The women who contracted a second strain of HIV saw their viral loads rise more quickly than those who still only had one viral strain.

The superinfected women also apparently lost CD4 cells more quickly, although this difference was only of borderline statistical significance, meaning there was not much statistical heft behind the notion that it did not happen by chance.

Regardless of these two findings, the superinfected women’s HIV disease did not accelerate, meaning that it took them about the same amount of time as those with one strain of the virus to be diagnosed with certain conditions indicating HIV’s progress in harming the body.

Keshet Ronen, PhD, a researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and the study’s lead author, notes that the superinfections all took place before the women were treated for HIV, as did the recorded changes in their viral load and CD4 levels.

“Now that treatment is so widespread I think it’s important to remember that superinfection can change people’s clinical course if they become infected with a drug-resistant variant,” Ronen says.

“And so that is a caution. But in terms of the biological effects of acquiring a second virus in itself, the effect seems to be quite modest.”

(CLASPED HANDS) THINKSTOCK; (HANDS AND RIBBONS) ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/SEREZNIY

Superinfection May Not Spur HIV

EGRIFTA CAN CUT ABDOMINAL AND LIVER FAT

(LIVER AND KIDNEY BEANS) THINKSTOCK; (NERVOUS SYSTEM) ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ERAXION

The drug Egrifta (tesamorelin), developed as a treatment for excess abdominal fat in people with HIV, may have an additional benefit of promoting liver health by reducing liver fat. Liver fat is very common in HIV-positive people and can prove damaging to the organ. Unfortunately, there is no strategy to reduce liver fat among the HIV population.

Enter Egrifta, which led to a drop in abdominal fat and a modest reduction in liver fat in a study of 50 people with HIV who received either the daily injectable drug or a placebo for six months. Those taking Egrifta lowered what is known as visceral adipose tissue by 34 square centimeters, compared with an 8 square cm reduction among those on the placebo. Lipid to water percentage, which is an indication of liver fat, lowered by a median 2 percent among those taking Egrifta, compared with a 0.9 percent median increase in the placebo group. In addition, liver enzyme tests, which indicate liver inflammation, were lower among those taking Egrifta.

According to the study’s senior author, Steven Grinspoon, MD, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Program in Nutritional Metabolism, whether such shifts in liver fat “will translate into significant effects on inflammation and reductions in mortality and morbidity, such as the development of fibrosis, remains to be determined. But I think it’s a good first step.”

Grinspoon and his team are looking to begin research that will take the next steps in answering such questions.

FDA OKs New Combo Pill Triumeq The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given the green light to Triumeq, ViiV Healthcare’s single-tablet, triple-combination antiretroviral (ARV) regimen, as a first-line therapy to treat HIV. The tablet is made up of the integrase inhibitor Tivicay (dolutegravir) plus Epzicom (abacavir and lamivudine) and is the first single-tablet regimen to hit the market that does not include Viread (tenofovir).

Christian Takayama, MD, an HIV specialist at the AIDS Project Los Angeles Health and Wellness Center, says that by avoiding tenofovir, a drug which can harm the kidneys, Triumeq is “a good option for people who couldn’t take all those combination pills in the past because of their kidney function.”

Before starting on Triumeq, people

with HIV should take a test called the HLA-B*5701 genetic screen, otherwise known as the abacavir hypersensitivity reaction test, which tells if someone is likely to develop a kind of allergic reaction to the abacavir component of the tablet.

Do HIV Meds Fight MS? Recent research suggests that antiretrovirals (ARV) to treat HIV may also fight multiple sclerosis.

A study of people hospitalized in England between 1999 and 2011, including 21,000 people living with HIV who were compared with a control group of nearly 5.3 million HIV-negative people, found that the HIV-positive group was 62 percent less likely to develop MS. The more time that passed following an HIV diagnosis, the greater this apparent relative reduction in risk: By five years the figure hit 85 percent.

Julian Gold, MD, the director of The Albion Centre in the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, Australia, and the study’s lead author, says that there is no way to know for sure from his findings whether ARVs can in fact treat MS. After all, this was an observational study and not the gold standard of clinical research, a randomized controlled trial. But e’s in the process of conducting he’s a small study to begin the ng and challenging long ocess necessary to process ove the connection, prove ould it exist. should “I’m particularly interested terested in seeing whether hether we can use [ARVs] RVs] for other serious rious autoimmune une conditions, like e rheumatoid arthritis, thritis, lupus, type pe 1 diabetes, and nd other neurological eurological conditions onditions for which hich the treatments eatments at the e moment are e terrible,” Gold old says.

THE POZ

42 POZ DECEMBER 2014 poz.com

OR THE FIFTH ANN ANNUAL NUAL POZ 100, WE DECIDED to focus on the future future.. For more than three decades, HIV/AIDS has been fought fou ught mostly by folks who were already adults when the eepidemic began. In that time, a new generation has entered d adulthood having only heard stories of the early days and ne never ever knowing a world without ocates is fighting HIV/AIDS for a HIV. This new generation of advo advocates variety of reasons, but regardless off their motivation, these young IDS. people could be the ones to finally put an end to AI AIDS. rates youth power. Once again, To support their efforts, the 2014 POZ 100 celebr celebrates we reached out to the HIV community and asked yyou to nominate individuals for ung heroes under the age of 30 this year’s list. The 2014 POZ 100 highlights unsu unsung y who are taking a stand against HIV/AIDS. These young leaders come from across the country—and around the world. Some are HIV positive and some are HIV negative, which seemed appropriate since everyone, regardless of their HIV status, should be encouraged to join the struggle struggle.

As always, we do not regard this list as definitive. How could it be? Globally, there are countless young people doing their part to end the epidemic. But we know you will be inspired by our list of young AIDS advocates. They have the energy and the intelligence to combat stigma, link our communities to care and find new and innovative ways to thwart HIV/AIDS. In other words, they have the power to end the epidemic. Meet the 2014 POZ 100…

THE POZ

Juan Calderon

Born in Togo, Jacques Agbobly moved to the United States with his family when he was 9 because they sought HIV treatment for a family member. The adjustment wasn’t easy. Teased for his accent, skin color and sexual orientation (he is gay), Jacques could have imploded.

Instead, in eighth grade he produced an anti-bullying PSA. Jacques was invited to speak about stigma at the national convention for Facing History and Ourselves, and he earned a Colin Higgins Foundation Youth Courage Award and scholarship. Currently a student at the Chicago Academy of the Arts, he will participate in the 27th National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change in Denver in 2015.

Pablo Aguilera Amsterdam, The Netherlands | 29 | HIV Positive

Pablo Aguilera is the executive director of the Amsterdambased HIV Young Leaders Fund, which provides small grants and technical assistance to youth-led HIV initiatives around the world focused on young people affected by the virus. Born in Mexico, Pablo is a co-founder of the Latin America & Caribbean Network of Young People Living with HIV and is one of the driving members of the Y+ Program, which is an initiative by the Global Network of People Living with HIV (GNP+). Previously, he was the HIV program director of Espolea, a non-governmental organization serving youth in Mexico City.

Charisse Ahmed Gainesville, FL | 21 | HIV Positive

When Charisse Ahmed was 14, her mother died of AIDSrelated pneumonia, yet Charisse was unaware of her mother’s HIV status until she was 17. Three years later, Charisse was diagnosed with HIV while working as an intern for the Minority Health Consortium, an organization in Virginia that provides HIV testing, prevention and linkage-to-care services for high-risk minority groups. The experience made her a stronger advocate. In 2014, Charisse served as a Youth Ambassador for National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day. This summer she did HIV-related research in Swaziland as a research trainee within the Minority Health International Research Training Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health. Charisse now works as an outreach worker for the Minority AIDS Program in Florida where she coordinates a teen prevention network.

Jojo Amanfu Boston, MA | 28 | HIV Negative

For the past six years, Jojo Amanfu has been working at Boston’s Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center. He has been an HIV case manager providing HIV counseling, testing and referrals for the past five years. He works with LGBT youth, young people of color, clients struggling with

44 POZ DECEMBER 2014 poz.com

T Tranisha Arzah A

substance abuse, homeless youth and folks involved in the state’s child protective ective services program. JJojo j h helps l his peers navigate complex health care systems and provides sex-positive counseling and testing services.

Guy Anthony Washington, DC | 28 | HIV Positive

After testing positive in 2007, Guy Anthony had such a bad experience with his health care provider that he dropped out of care. Later, while volunteering at LGBT support group AID Atlanta, a nurse gave him a much-needed healing message: “You’re worth it!” He soon returned to care, and today he’s a treatment adherence specialist for Us Helping Us. He’s also the author of Pos+tively Beautiful: A Book of Affirmations + Advice & Advocacy, a collection of essays on life as a young, black, gay, HIV-positive man. Through his writings and his work, Guy tells all those living with the virus: “You’re strong.

You’re worth it. You’re fearless. You’re wise. And most of all, you’re beautiful—just the way you are!”

Tranisha Arzah Seattle, WA | 24 | HIV Positive

For peer advocate Tranisha Arzah, her struggle growing up HIV positive is what fuels her determination to help those who aren’t yet empowered. She recently attended her second United States Conference on AIDS as a National Minority AIDS Council youth scholar. In April, Tranisha and a team of other youth leaders triumphed when the mayor of Seattle declared it Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Month. She’s also a project coordinator, camp counselor, mentor and youth outreach participant. Tranisha works at BABES Network– YWCA where she’s become a fierce HIV activist who gives and gets inspiration by sharing her story with others.

Josephine Ayankoya Los Angeles, CA | 29 | HIV Negative

Josephine Ayankoya is a master in public health candidate at Emory University, and she’s been a health activist and educator throughout her academic career. As a pre-med student at the University of California, Berkeley, Josephine organized rallies, events and film screenings about HIV/AIDS in her spare time. Josephine has worked with organizations such as the Black AIDS Institute and AVAC’s PxROAR program, which trains advocates on the latest biomedical advancements in HIV prevention tactics. She hopes to go into health education with a focus on infectious diseases and the social determinants of global health disparities.

(CALDERON) SAVERIO TRUGLIA; (ARZAH) COURTESY OF TRANISHA ARZAH

Jacques Agbobly Chicago, IL | 16 | HIV Negative

Darion Banister Nashville, TN | 24 | HIV Negative

Darion Banister uses his empathy, energy and intellect to help men who have sex with men (MSM) in the South access HIV counseling and testing services. As an HIV prevention specialist who focuses on social network strategy at Nashville CARES, he uses social media and personal outreach to recruit MSM peers who train as volunteers and in turn help others get tested and connected to care, not just for HIV but also for substance abuse, mental health, housing and employment issues. Because of Darion, more people, regardless of their HIV status, attain better health and happiness as we move toward an AIDS-free generation.

Rachelle Barbis Albion, NY | 22 | HIV Negative

Rachelle Barbis is a linkage assistant for PathStone, an organization helping low-income families and economically depressed communities in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Vermont and Puerto Rico.

Rachelle helps HIV-positive parolees of the Albion Correctional Facility for women in upstate New York transition back into the community by setting up appointments for housing and case management and by working to ensure their health benefits. She negotiates no-cost agreements with health care providers and other related service providers to accept referrals of parolees, and she also participates in case management and discharge planning for inmates.

Devin Barrington-Ward Washington, DC | 24 | HIV Negative

(AGBOBLY) SAVERIO TRUGLIA

As chief of staff for Georgia State Representative Keisha Waites, Devin Barrington-Ward worked with advocates to eliminate the waiting list for that state’s AIDS Drugs Assistance Program (ADAP). Next, he served as director of communications for DC Councilmember Mary Cheh.

Today, Devin is the health equity fellow at the National Coalition of STD Directors, where he spearheads efforts to reduce stigma in public health practices and to address health disparities among marginalized groups of men who have sex with men (MSM). As a member of AVAC’s Domestic Advocacy Program, Devin focuses on hosting policy symposiums with state legislators to help develop prevention policies that will increase access to biomedical prevention tools like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

Marguerite “Margie” Basilico Cambridge, MA | 26 | HIV Negative

Margie Basilico has put herself in the limelight and on the line in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. She has been arrested multiple times for her activism. As an undergrad, Margie was a key player at Harvard University’s Student Global AIDS Campaign, which was instrumental in pushing President Obama to keep his promise on global AIDS funding. The group worked to stop a 2010 proposal to cut

$1.5 billion from global AIDS programs. Margie is bridging her health activism and policy career with health expertise by attending medical school.

When she’s not studying, she still acts as a key adviser to students interested in AIDS activism.

Dakota Basinger St. Cloud, FL | 21 | HIV Positive

In March, Dakota Basinger took a home HIV test and found out he was positive. That night, he felt suicidal, but a week later, he wrote and recorded “My Best Friend,” a hip-hop track based on his experiences. As a way to disclose his status to the world, the budding rapper posted the song on Facebook.

Reactions were mixed. He was kicked out of a local basketball game, which brought media attention to the issue, but he was soon allowed to play again and his teammates remained supportive. After receiving Facebook messages from youth across the globe, obe, Dakota found a calling to attack stigma and educate others as both an advocate and an artist.

Michael David avid Battle Munhall, PA | 26 | HIV Negative

Michael David id Battle is the founder and director of the Garden of Peace eace Project, which brings attention to disparitiess in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual or ally ly (LGBTQIA) community and among people le living with HIV/AIDS in southwestern n Pennsylvania. He lives openly as a pansexual, al, intersex, black and Native American man an of trans experience.

Michael also founded Story Tellers, Jacques a group dedicated cated to educating Agbobly communitiess by telling the stories of LGBTQIA GBTQIA people and HIV-positivee people. He holds a master’s degree egree in public administration on from Barry University with a focus on LGBTQIA disparities. isparities.

Benjamin Beaury Arlington, VA | 29 | HIV Negative ive

For several years, ears, Benjamin Beaury has volunteered on a weekly basiss with the DC Center for the he LGBT Community in support of FUKiT, a grassroots communitybased prevention ntion program aimed med at stopping the spread of HIV

THE POZ

and other sexually transmitted infections. The program distributes safer sex kits to local gay bars and other public venues where men who have sex with men (MSM) socialize.

The program also has a safer-sex website to educate MSM on sexual responsibility. Brandon assists with fundraising efforts and also recruits diverse groups of volunteers who have compiled nearly 100,000 safer sex kits in the past year.

This year, he received the DC Center Volunteer of the Year Award along with his service partner, Brandon Corbin.

Kia Michelle Benbow New York, NY | 24 | HIV Positive

Kia Michelle Benbow, a.k.a. Kia LaBeija, is a young woman living with HIV who lost her mother to the epidemic. She is a performer, photographer, artist and community leader who uses her talents to raise awareness for issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. The native New Yorker and member of the iconic House of LaBeija is an alumna of the Juilliard School and the Ailey School, where she learned to dance at an early age.

She is also the founder of the NYC-based art collective GrenAIDS, and her thought-provoking work includes taglines like “AIDS isn’t racist, you are // AIDS isn’t homophobic, you are.” Kia also speaks openly about her status and the effects of the virus, the medication and the stigma on her life.

Antonio Boone Philadelphia, PA | 24 | HIV Positive

Antonio Boone was a junior in college when he was diagnosed with HIV. Within two years he became a community leader, an HIV funding advocate and a full-time HIV counselor at Philadelphia FIGHT. He formerly worked with the Sexuality with Education and Truth Project, which supports HIV-positive gay and bisexual men between the ages of 18 and 30 and is dedicated to eliminating stigma.

Antonio has been featured in local news media and frequently speaks publicly about his experiences as a black, gay, HIV-positive man. He is involved in the Philadelphia HIV Prevention Planning Council and participated in AIDSWatch 2013. Antonio is compassionate and inspires others with his honesty and openness about his own HIV status.

Ian Bradley-Perrin Montreal, Canada | 25 | HIV Positive

An academic and an HIV-positive provocateur, Ian BradleyPerrin understands the power of images and graphic design.

He and Vincent Chevalier sparked a heated conversation between HIV communities and generations earlier this year with their poster titled “Your Nostalgia Is Killing Me.” Later, he and Avram Finkelstein (who helped design the legendary 1987 “Silence = Death” slogan) hosted a workshop to create art about HIV criminalization. Ian is working on his master’s degree, and he organizes the Plus ou Moins HIV/AIDS conferences in Montreal. He is also the coordinator of the Concordia University HIV/AIDS Project, the oldest interdisciplinary academic HIV project in North America.

46 POZ DECEMBER 2014 poz.com

Katy Byrtus Portland, OR | 26 | HIV Negative

The death of her uncle in 1998 is what motivates Katy Byrtus’s work in HIV today. As the coordinator of Cascade AIDS Project’s employment program, Working Choices, she helps people who are living with HIV and struggling with economic stability fi nd a path to self-sufficiency by honing in on their strengths and pushing career development goals. Previously, Katy interned at the HIV Alliance in Eugene, Oregon, where she assisted with weekly dinners, helped out at a local syringe exchange and provided support services for the HIV-positive community. She has also raised more than $2,000 for Portland’s AIDS Walk over the past two years as a team captain.

Juan Calderon Chicago, IL | 28 | HIV Negative

When he was 21, Juan Calderon became the director of the HIV testing program Vida/SIDA at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center in Chicago. Recently named COO, Juan has since brought the organization to fiscal stability, vastly expanded its services and helped create the only transitional housing shelter in Chicago dedicated to LGBT youth. Juan has also led efforts in the Latino community to address the issues of homophobia and transphobia; in 2009 he traveled to Puerto Rico with state legislators to denounce the hate crimes being committed there. Juan sits on the State of Illinois Human Services Committee and is a member of the Illinois Public Health Association. He also works with the Illinois HIV Care Connect program, which extends HIV treatment and prevention across the state. His advocacy may be motivated by friends and family members with the virus, but the entire community benefits from his efforts.

Caressa Cameron-Jackson Fredericksburg, VA | 27 | HIV Negative

Caressa Cameron-Jackson lost her uncle to AIDS when she was very young. To deal with the loss, her family created the Fighting the AIDS Crisis with Education and Support (FACES) Project. As a result, Caressa recognized early on that HIV education needed to be a priority in the South, and she wanted to spread HIV awareness on a national level. She got her chance when she was crowned Miss America in 2010.

Caressa traveled the country on her personal platform, “Real Talk: AIDS in America.” For her efforts, she was awarded the Whitman Walker Partner for Life Award and the President’s Volunteer Service Award, and was presented with a Congressional Honor. Caressa recently served as a national spokesperson for the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and she works as the coordinator of youth services for FACES.

Korey Anthony Chisholm Brooklyn, NY | 27 | HIV Positive

Originally from Guyana, Korey Anthony Chisholm first got involved with HIV/AIDS issues when he was 16 years old,

assisting youth—and their families—living with and affected by HIV. He has been involved in cultivating youth activism in the Caribbean and around the world ever since. Korey served as a consultant for the United Nations’ International Youth Council, a facilitator for United Nations Development Programme Barbados and an advisor to the Global Forum on MSM & HIV, among many other achievements. He contributed to the sexual minorities movement in Guyana and recently moved to Brooklyn for a position on the executive team at Housing Works, a nonprofi fitt group seeking to end the dual crises of homelessness and HIV/AIDS. Korey also serves as a youth advisor at the Global Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS.

Dakota Basinger

(BASINGER) COURTESY OF DAKOTA BASINGER; (MALDONADO) COURTESY OF GABRIEL MALDONADO; (LATHAN) BILL WADMAN

Brandon Corbin Takoma Park, MD | 25 | HIV Negative

Brandon Corbin is the main organizer for the FUKiT program at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. The grassroots, community-based prevention program aims at stopping the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections through safer-sex kits and an educational website..

Brandon was recently awarded a Community Advocate Award from the center for his efforts. He has been a part of the center’s HIV Working Group for more than five years and rarely has missed a volunteer opportunity during that time. Whether he’s doing outreach, education about HIV or assembling safer-sex kits, Brandon fosters a sense of community with all of the center’s volunteers.

Alyssa Crawford Tallahassee, FL | 22 | HIV Positive

Alyssa Crawford is a senior at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) majoring in respiratory care.

Born with HIV in 1992, Alyssa often kept her status a secret out of fear of being ostracized. Through interactive therapeutic dialogue at Camp for All (a camp for HIVpositive youth), she came to accept her HIV diagnosis.

Alyssa also attended Camp Hope where she later became a counselor. She started speaking at her university, public schools and other community events. In 2012, she ran for FAMU’s royal court and was named Miss Junior Attendant; she used her platform to further increase HIV awareness.

Alyssa serves as the president of Respect Yourself, Check Yourself, Protect Yourself, a movement dedicated to HIV awareness, prevention and testing. She has partnered with local health organizations to create activities for students including FAMU’s participation in International Condom Day flash mobs and World AIDS Day events.

Brad Pond Crelia Spokane, WA | 29 | HIV Positive

Six months after learning he was HIV positive, Brad Crelia started the website Hivster.com with his friend Jesse James Kendall. Motivated by a desire to help those affected by the virus, they wanted to provide information that was relevant to

Gabriel Maldonado

Vanessa

Lathan their needs and lifestyle. e.

The site still maintains a presence on Facebook, and a print magazine is in thee works works.

In 2012, Brad went to the International AIDS Conference as an attendee and journalist. This May, he attended the HIV Is Not a Crime conference in Iowa and gained insight on efforts to decriminalize HIV. Brad works with the Spokane AIDS Network and serves on the board of the Odyssey Youth Center. He has become active in local, state and national politics and is determined to bring progressive changes to Spokane.

Michael Eisman Los Angeles, CA | 28 | HIV Positive

Michael Eisman is the director of special projects and multimedia for the Los Angeles chapter of Impulse Group, which promotes sexual health among gay men with support from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF).

The volunteer group creates campaigns, events and online content to spread its message. Michael created the concept for the sexy 2013 public service announcement video “Knowing,” which promotes safer sex and fights HIV stigma by exploring the issues confronting a young gay serodiscordant couple. The video has racked up more than 160,000 views from around the world. Michael has also participated in the AIDS Lifecycle for the past two years.

Clint Fausett Billings, MT | 27 | HIV Negative

Thanks to his ability to connect with people both face to face and via social media, Clint Fausett turned a volunteer stint at the Yellowstone AIDS Project (YAP) into a full-time

poz.com DECEMBER 2014 POZ 47

THE POZ

Brandon Fernandes Woonsocket, RI | 25 | HIV Positive

Brandon Fernandes has been an advocate for the LGBT community for more than five years. He has worked for various nonprofit organizations teaching safer sex and HIV prevention to youth and adults in the LGBT community as well as at the local youth centers. Brandon provides administrative support for the Agape Center, which is a community-based HIV/AIDS support and resource center and is a program of Community Care Alliance in Woonsocket.

Brandon shares his positive attitude throughout his work. He is passionate about the importance of safer-sex education for youth and relaying messages in an engaging, genuine way.

Charlie Ferrusi New York, NY | 22 | HIV Negative

Charlie Ferrusi has been an LGBT activist for almos almost a decade. After earning his bachelor’s degree in three years, this whiz kid enrolled in the master of public health program at New York University (NYU). He is also the recruitment and outreach coordinator coord at NYU’s Center for Health, Id Identity, Behavior and Prevention. In 22014, he co-authored a journal study on crystal meth and HIV transmission transmis among gay and bisexual men, and a he published a blog on the Huffi Hu ngton Post about bridgin bridging the LGBT generati generation gap.

Charlie is a graduate assistant at the NYU L LGBTQ Carlos Rosario student stud center, cen and he is i on the ssteering committee committ for the LGBT HealthLink, wh which aims to enhance LGBT wellness. wel

Cierra Foxx Baltimore, MD | 29 | HIV Positive

Cierra Foxx was bo born with the virus but did no not find out she was HIV pos positive until she was in high scho school. As a

volunteer and mentor at the JACQUES Initiative (Joint AIDS Community Quest for Unique and Effective Treatment Strategies), she shared her story candidly and listened to others without judgment. The JACQUES Initiative is a program created by the Institute of Human Virology and strives to provide a holistic care model to ensure long-term treatment success. Cierra was recently hired as a community outreach worker and is the lead facilitator for the program’s support group, F.U.S.I.O.N. (Forces United Seeking Improvement On Negativity), which is a movement to create conversations about HIV/AIDS among youth.

Greg Gabbert Birmingham, AL | 25 | HIV Negative

As a youth advocacy coordinator with AIDS Alabama, Greg Gabbert works with the Alabama Alliance for Healthy Youth to promote comprehensive sex ed in schools, where the state code emphasizes abstinence outside of marriage. Greg also bolsters existing school policies regarding issues of antibullying, gender expression, non-discrimination and gender identity. He has worked as a peer educator at the Sexual Health Awareness through Peer Education (SHAPE) program as part of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s 1917 HIV Clinic, where he continues to volunteer as an educator and counselor. Successes in his home state earned him a spot on a panel discussion at this summer’s 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia.

Miguel Garcia Harlingen, TX | 29 | HIV Negative

Miguel Garcia is a linkage to care specialist at the Valley AIDS Council (VAC) in south Texas. In its 15-county region, VAC is the primary provider of HIV prevention, education and testing services, as well as medical care and social services for people living the virus. In his role, he works with newly diagnosed individuals and HIV-positive people who have fallen out of care to connect them to HIV care. His co-workers have commended Michael on putting in long hours to help his clients. He is a veteran and the father of a 3-year-old son.

Lauren Gauthier New Orleans, LA | 28 | HIV Negative

Lauren Gauthier has been an advocate for adolescent health since high school. She has a master’s degree in public health from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans. For the past three years, she has been a project coordinator with the NO/AIDS Task Force, working specifically with “The Movement”—a project that provides HIV and STI prevention, education and testing services, as well as a safe space for young black men who have sex with men (MSM). The young activist has also worked as a Black AIDS Institute fellow to mobilize testing among young gay and bisexual men of color throughout the South, as well as with Girls on the Run International, which focuses on empowering young women and girls.

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position. As the group’s prevention coordinator, he implemented the Montana Outreach Referral Education Project, which connects HIV-positive people with care and treatment. Though he recently left the organization, Clint’s efforts have inspired many to volunteer at YAP. He’s also a member of the Montana HIV Prevention Planning Group.

Dante Gennaro Jr. Norwalk, CT | 28 | HIV Positive

On the day he tested positive in 2012, Dante Gennaro Jr. felt like he had turned into a monster. Ashamed of his status, he withdrew from the world. But advocacy and antiretrovirals transformed him. Today he’s the event and testing coordinator for Connecticut-based World Health Clinicians and the HIV Equal campaign, where he arranges testing events with organizations and health departments across the country. He’s also an active member of the Connecticut HIV Planning Consortium and the New England Alliance on Gay and Bisexual Health. Within nine months of testing positive, Dante received the news that he was undetectable and much less likely to pass along the virus. The monster had been vanquished.

David Goode Jr. Brooklyn, NY | 27 | HIV Positive

During the beginning stages of Occupy Wall Street in 2011, David Goode Jr. camped out on the bare concrete for months as an openly HIV-positive, queer man to ensure that fighting AIDS remained a vital part of the movement. He pushed for the Robin Hood Tax, which would place a small tax on highfrequency financial transactions to generate billions of dollars to fund social programs, including universal access to HIV treatment, care and prevention. In 2011, David was one of 12 activists arrested inside then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s office as part of a protest against funding cuts for HIV/AIDS programs that was organized by Health GAP, ACT UP Philadelphia, Housing Works and the Student Global AIDS Campaign. As an artist, David created protest pieces for Queerocracy, and he was arrested again during ACT UP’s 25th anniversary demonstration on Wall Street.

This is one rebel with a cause.

Cree Gordon Portland, OR | 29 | HIV Positive

As an academically gifted high school student, Cree Gordon didn’t expect to drop out of college and become a homeless sex worker in New Orleans. Yet that’s where he was until 2005, when he moved to Eugene, Oregon, to take advantage of its social services. After securing housing, he became an HIV educator for youth and people of color (he identifies as black). Soon, he was traveling to New York to accept the Colin Higgins Youth Courage Award at a Trevor Project gala.

He also traveled cross-country with other HIV-positive youth for Operation Get Tested, and he spoke at a congressional briefing and talkback segment for Broadway’s The Normal Heart. Today, Gordon works as the outreach coordinator and a tester and counselor at the Cascade AIDS Project.

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Genny Grilli St. Paul, MN | 27 | HIV Negative

The Minnesota AIDS Walk would grind to a halt without the dedication and skills of volunteers like Genny Grilli. As the

route logistics captain, she oversees hundreds of other volunteers and makes sure that the vital and mammoth Christopher fundraiser goes off without a Jackson hitch. It helps that she’s calm under pressure and able to solvee logistical problems on the spot—all ll with a cheerful and infectious energy. Genny began her volunteer work 12 years ago at Minnesota AIDS Project, assembling safer-sex and harm-reduction kits. Since then, she has amassed a wealth of experience and knowledge, which she tirelessly applies to making the St. Paul community a safe and healthy place to live.

Ari Hampton Hamtramck, MI | 26 | HIV Positive

Ari Hampton has been living with HIV for five years. Though he was initially in a dark place after his diagnosis, he started volunteering at organizations geared toward HIV outreach and prevention. Ari eventually landed a full-time job as an outreach worker for men who have sex with men (MSM) at Horizons Project, a program of the Wayne State University School of Medicine. The program specifically focuses on providing services to HIV-positive and at-risk youth ages 13 to 24. Ari is a positive role model for the community and continues to fight adversity in Detroit.

Adrian Haught Nashua, IA | 17 | HIV Negative

Adrian Haught was born two months after his father died of AIDS-related complications. His mother is the fierce activist Tami Haught. Following in her footsteps, Adrian became involved in AIDS activism when he was just 11 years old. In 2009 he joined Community HIV/Hepatitis Advocates of Iowa (CHAIN) for their Day on the Hill. That year he also traveled to Washington, DC, for AIDSWatch, where he and his mother showed legislators that HIV/AIDS affects the entire family. This past summer Adrian volunteered for the first HIV Is Not a Crime Conference, held in Grinnell, Iowa, and he served as a counselor in training at Camp Kindle, a camp for kids infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Seems like AIDS activism is a family tradition.

Ethan Hawes Louisville, KY | 22 | HIV Positive

When activist Ethan Hawes saw the need for harm-reduction efforts in his community, he launched a task force to explore the topic, securing the needed funds and engaging AIDS service organizations in the effort. Just one of the results: a daylong conference on harm reduction that highlights the task force’s work. He’s also a board member of the Kentuckiana AIDS Alliance, which puts on the local AIDS Walk each year and coordinates AIDS services in the region.

And as a regular volunteer at AIDS agency House of Ruth,

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Ethan tirelessly promotes the center’s services to those people who need them most.

Larry Houston-Huff Little Rock, AR | 27 | HIV Positive

Within days of finding out his HIV-positive status, Larry Houston-Huff got in contact with the Arkansas AIDS Foundation, where he now works as a prevention counselor.

For the last two years, he has been promoting HIV/AIDS awareness in the South and helping clients who test positive navigate every step of the treatment and support-building process. “Promoting Positive Awareness” is the motto of the Arkansas AIDS Foundation, and Larry does just that every day. He works to push HIV into the mainstream, which he believes will be the only way to end the epidemic. Larry married his partner, James, in May, and hopes one day to start his own outreach center.

Brandon Hughes Pocatello, ID | 21 | HIV Negative

Brandon Hughes is a pre-med student at Idaho State University and the head coordinator and lead HIV tester for the Genesis Project, an organization dedicated to empowering gay, bisexual and curious men ages 18 to 35 in southeast Idaho. Located inside the student health center on Idaho State University’s campus, the Genesis Project uses the “Mpowerment” prevention model to reduce sexual risk behavior. Getting tested for HIV can be stressful, but Brandon’s friendly demeanor helps the students feel comfortable, and he is a great resource for anyone who has questions about HIV/AIDS. He works to break down HIVrelated stigma by focusing on the facts.

Tahir Idris Bauchi, Nigeria | 28 | HIV Positive

For trained HIV counselor Tahir Idris, the job is neverending. Tahir provides support and care for LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) people living with HIV in Nigeria’s Bauchi and Plateau states. Tahir also worked with the Adolescent Health and Information project for HIV awareness campaigns and as a peer educator with the Youth Adolescent Reflection Action Center. Tahir counsels LGBTI people about their sexual and reproductive rights.

He also distributes condoms and lubricants while counseling and testing inmates and young people for HIV in rural areas.

Last year, Tahir worked with the Global Fund to tackle HIVtriggered homophobia, stigma and discrimination throughout Nigeria.

Christopher Jackson Los Angeles, CA | 28 | HIV Positive

Christopher Jackson started working in HIV prevention at the In the Mix program based at the Family Health Centers of San Diego. As a peer health volunteer for the program,

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Christopher gained an understanding of the needs of the young men who have sex with men (MSM) community. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2010, he began working at AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) as a prevention training specialist for the Many Men, Many Voices (3MV) program, an HIV and STI prevention intervention for black MSM. Christopher has since spearheaded APLA’s Positive Connections, a linkage to care and counseling program for individuals who have been recently diagnosed with HIV or who need to be re-engaged in care. While working within the program, Christopher began HIV testing and counseling in APLA’s testing department. Last year he obtained a master’s of science degree in rehabilitation counseling and is now working toward his PhD in education with an emphasis in leadership studies.

Jason Jenders Milwaukee, WI | 29 | HIV Negative

Accessing HIV treatment is not an easy task—nor is it inexpensive. That’s partly why pharmacists remain a pivotal link in everyone’s HIV health. About four years ago, Jason Jenders became the third employee at an upstart HIV pharmacy under the auspices of AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW). Today, he supervises five employees and helps to administer the pharmacy’s 340B Drug Pricing Program, which helps clients attain meds at the lowest prices possible. He facilitates collaboration between ARCW’s case managers and the pharmacy staff to provide coordinated care for clients. Jason also supports the work of ARCW as a pledgegetter for the annual AIDS Walk Wisconsin and 5K Run.

Regnarian Jenkins Brooklyn, NY | 28 | HIV Positive

Born in North Carolina and raised in California, Regnarian Jenkins moved around a lot with his military family. At 18 he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. At 25 he was diagnosed with HIV. After enrolling in primary care through Housing Works, he started to turn his life around, eventually becoming an outreach specialist and facilitator of the Many Men, Many Voices (3MV) program. He has used his personal experiences living with the virus and the professional skills he learned in the Housing Works job training program to expand the capacity of the youth program.

Tracy L. Johnson Jr. Cleveland, OH | 26 | HIV Positive

Tracy L. Johnson Jr. is the founder and CEO of Voice by an Angel Outreach Inc., a Cleveland, Ohio-based nonprofit organization on a mission to start conversations with people of all ethnicities, races and genders who are infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS. In 2005, at age 17, Tracy learned he was HIV positive. The following year, he organized HIV support groups, educational workshops, personal counseling and speaking events in Columbus. Later, he relocated to Cleveland where he promotes HIV education and activism.

Tracy believes young people should speak up and let their voices be heard. When he’s not speaking about the virus and conducting testing and counseling for HIV, he’s buying and cooking food for a support group called Food, Fun & Facts.

Joyous Joiner Atlanta, GA | 25 | HIV Negative

During the summer of 2011, Joyous Joiner, a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, lived in Uganda as a member of Nourish International, where she helped to create sustainable food sources for a local orphanage and taught reading to primary school students. While there, she partnered with the Volset Foundation and helped coordinate HIV testing sites and educate communities on isolated islands located on Lake Victoria about the virus. A year later, she joined T.R.U.S.T. South LA, a community-based initiative that works to stabilize the neighborhoods south of downtown Los Angeles, as a program associate. On the job, Joyous helps support housing, community development and local revitalization efforts. She has helped CD Tech, a local community organization, plan numerous health- and wellness-focused resource fairs in South Los Angeles. She plans to pursue a juris doctorate concentrating on international law next fall.

Josephine Kamarebe Kigali, Rwanda | 29 | HIV Negative

As a sexual and reproductive health program officer at Health Development Initiative–Rwanda, Josephine Kamarebe is in charge of advocacy and policy monitoring for the program’s public health initiatives. She advocates for the decriminalization of marginalized groups in Africa, such as the LGBT community and sex workers, and nd is pushing to legalize abortion in her country. Josephine ne got involved with HIV work while in college at Kampala ampala International University, where she was involved ved in an advocacy campaign to make condoms available ailable to students on campus. Her current fellowship with AVAC hopes to create community and political al support for the rollout of pre-exposure prophylaxis axis (PrEP) drugs in Rwanda. She also coordinates dinates the SHARE project, which educatess local youth about sexual and reproductive health.

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Barbara Kemigisa Kampala, Uganda | 28 | HIV Positive

Barbara Kemigisa is an activist, t, artist and single mother living with HIV who wants to make sure that HIV stops tops with her. Sexually molested as a child, ld, she spent part of her teenage years living in the streets of Kampala. When she was 22 years old, she discovered shee was HIV positive and pregnant. Shee Caressa Cameron-Jackson has since become a

spokeswoman for young people and spreads the message that HIV does not have to destroy your life. As an HIV/ AIDS family planning campaigner, she wants to reduce unplanned pregnancies and HIV infection rates in Uganda.

Barbara recently partnered with comedian Pablo (Kenneth Kimuli) to launch a campaign dubbed Zip-Up, which aims to reach young people through the arts.

Brandon King Birmingham, AL | 24 | HIV Positive

After graduating college, Brandon King was hired at the AIDS Alabama intervention program, Elite Project, which focuses on the health and leadership abilities of young gay and bisexual men of color. Knowing the growing rate of HIV infections among young, black, same-gender-loving men, he wanted to help combat the stigma and the lack of conversation about HIV/AIDS in the community. After being diagnosed in 2011, Brandon used his story to help other positive and negative young men be vocal about getting tested and knowing their own HIV status. He uses his position at Elite to help educate the MSM community about HIV and works hard every day to fi nd new and creative ways to empower others. Brandon is a prime example of the type of young leaders we need to combat HIV/AIDS.

Kachina Kudroff Birmingham, AL | 26 | HIV Negative

While earning her master’s degree in public heath, Kachina Kudroff worked at the University of Alabama’s 1917 Clinic as a SHAPE (Sexual Health Education through Peer Education) intern and educator. Thanks to her hard work and passion, she was hired upon graduation in 22013 as the program’s coordinator coordinat of health education. Kachina trains college students and peop people living with HIV to lead workshops worksh in a variety of community setti settings on sexual decision making, HI HIV awareness and testing, and healthy rrelationships. In 2014, she also work worked at the university to desig design, implement and oversee a Pr PrEP clinic, which helps at-risk iindividuals gain access to HIV HIV-prevention drugs in her community.

Gerald La Labourdette III Chalmett LA | 28 | Chalmette, HIV Positive Positi As a person living with HIV who has relied rel on his local community communi to help him not just jus survive but thrive with his diagnosis, diag Gerald

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Labourdette III is committed to giving back to HIV/AIDS charities. He organizes an annual fundraising event called Benefit For Life, an evening of entertainment that features local and national performers and a collection of items up for auction. Each year, proceeds go to a different organization, such as the Family Advocacy, Care and Educational Services program and Project Lazarus, which provides food, shelter and case management for the HIV-positive homeless population in New Orleans.

Vanessa Lathan Parkville, MD | 25 | HIV Negative

A passionate advocate who believes knowledge is power, Vanessa Lathan educated herself about the virus so she could do one thing: help people live well with HIV. To pursue that goal, Vanessa trained at Morgan State University as an HIV/ AIDS peer educator before graduating with a degree in social work. Later, she volunteered at a clinic in Baltimore as an HIV testing outreach coordinator. Vanessa serves on the Comprehensive Planning Committee of the Greater Baltimore HIV Health Services Planning Committee and is a licensed HIV prevention counselor. She’s also a certified HIV tester and trainer and attends a variety of classes and conferences to stay current on HIV/AIDS outreach, policy and politics. Her goal is to keep working until there are zero new infections.

Ryan Lewis Seattle, WA | 26 | HIV Negative

Ryan Lewis is half of the Grammy Award–winning hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. Their 2012 song “Same

Love,” about LGBT rights, earned them new fans. When Julie Lewis, Ryan’s mom, publicly disclosed in April she was a 30-year HIV survivor, she and Ryan (who has a large red ribbon tattoo on his right forearm) also earned the thanks of people around the world when they launched the 30/30 Project. They’re partnering with global groups to build 30 health centers for people who need them most. The centers will provide HIV/AIDS care and treatment as well as comprehensive health care. Ryan was the first donor, but his sisters, Teresa and Laura, as well as his dad, Scott—who are all HIV negative—also are supporting the project.

Sean Lundy St. Paul, MN | 23 | HIV Negative

At Iowa State University, Sean Lundy helped launch the Iowa State Global Health and AIDS Coalition, a student group that mobilized hundreds to act on global HIV/AIDS and world health issues. Sean’s dedication to HIV/AIDS activism is rooted in his desire to fight injustice everywhere. To do that, Sean took to Capitol Hill where he worked with the Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC) and Health GAP, an organization dedicated to ensuring people living with HIV/AIDS have access to affordable, life-sustaining meds.

As a student, Sean worked with communities in Panama and Uganda on HIV prevention and education. For the next two years, Sean is committed to working with the Peace Corps in Togo on its efforts to prevent HIV/AIDS and malaria.

Gabriel Maldonado Riverside, CA | 25 | HIV Positive

Gabriel Maldonado is the CEO and executive director of TruEvolution TruE Inc. and founder of the organization’s OutAIDS Youth You Project. As an advocate for LGBTQ rights, he uses prevention prev programs and policy reform to address social factors fact that lead to higher rates of HIV/AIDS in LGBTQ communities com of color. Gabriel is the youngest openly gay appointed app official in Riverside County; he serves as commissioner com on the Human Relations Commission and is a member m of the Inland Empire HIV Planning Council in Riverside.

Rive He is also a member of the LGBT Advisory Board for Congressman C Mark Takano. In addition to being transparent tran on his experience living with HIV, Gabriel is a survivor surv of domestic violence who grew up in a low-income household. hou He is keenly aware of the challenges in addressing add public health issues for underserved people of color, colo and is he dedicated to organizing, educating and mobilizing mob communities to address the social determinants impacting imp the prevalence of HIV/AIDS.

Michael Tikili

Rum Rumbidzo Mapfumo has been a volunteer with the TESHE Young Women’s Movement since 2011. Derived from a word You in th the Ndau dialect meaning “together,” TESHE stands for “Transcending marginalization and exclusion, Equality for all “Tra

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Rum Rumbidzo Mapfumo Harare, Zimbabwe | 28 | HIV Negative Har

young women, Sustainable livelihoods, Hope for a brighter future and Empowerment in all spheres.” In her role, Rumbidzo has assisted with providing psychosocial support to sex workers and others at risk of contracting or living with HIV/AIDS. She has met with President Robert Mugabe to advocate for LGBT people and sex workers on issues related to HIV/AIDS. A former AVAC fellow, she holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from the University of Namibia.

Steven-Emmanuel Martinez Brooklyn, NY | 26 | HIV Negative

In the summer of 2008, Steven-Emmanuel Martinez joined the POZ staff as an intern. Since then, he has worked as an HIV educator at GMHC and as a health promotion and HIV prevention associate for the Gay Men of African Descent HIV Anti-Stigma Program. He was a health services and resident support services fellow at the New York City Housing Authority, and he interned at AIDS Healthcare Foundation, In the Meantime Men’s Group and the White House. Most recently, Steven was the program assistant at AVAC and worked to reduce the rate of HIV infections in young minorities of color. Today he is earning his second master’s degree at Brown University’s School of Public Health and is directing a multi-platform video project that profiles HIVpositive black and Latino gay men. Steven was selected as a 2014 NMAC Youth Scholar and blogs regularly on the Huffington Post. We can’t wait to see what he does next.

Antwan Mathews Jackson, MS | 21 | HIV Positive

Antwan Mathews found out he was HIV positive the day before his 20th birthday. After connecting to care at the Open Arms Healthcare Center in Jackson, he formed an HIV awareness and education group at Tougaloo College where he is currently a student. As a young, black, gay man, Antwan wanted to reduce the stigma around HIV testing among college students in historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). He is collaborating with others to form similar groups at other HBCUs. Antwan is the youngest member of the Mississippi HIV/AIDS Prevention Planning Council and impresses those who meet him with his ability to speak about his experiences.

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Loyce Maturu Harare, Zimbabwe | 22 | HIV Positive

Loyce Maturu was born with HIV and has been on antiretrovirals for the last decade. She tested positive for HIV after her parents died of AIDS-related causes, and since then, she’s taken the AIDS advocacy world by storm. She is a volunteer peer counselor, trainer and advocate with Africaid’s Zvandiri program in Zimbabwe and has been at the forefront to fight stigma and discrimination on both the national and international levels. This year, she spoke about treatment for adolescents with HIV at the 67th World Health Assembly, and she was recently inducted into the World Health

Organization’s Y+ Initiative. She says her goal is to eventually work as a TV presenter so she can advocate globally on behalf of children and young people, especially Cassie those living with HIV. Warren Loyce also hopes to become a professional counselor to help lp other HIV-positive youth become healthy and confident and able to follow their dreams.

Ian McMahan Salt Lake City, UT | 26 | HIV Negative

Since 2011, Ian McMahan has volunteered at Utah AIDS Foundation, where he plays pivotal roles in the HIV testing and prevention counseling services. He even pursued training certification in his free time so the foundation could offer the innovative Testing Together program, which allows couples to get tested for the virus simultaneously. Volunteering two or more times a week, he mentors peer trainers, helps plan the Salt Lake AIDS Walk, raises money for prevention programs and helps out with a variety of other events and fundraisers.

For Ian, no task is too great or too menial if it will help eliminate HIV stigma and misinformation.

Marcus McPherson Crystal Springs, MS | 29 | HIV Positive

By telling his story on social media, and recently in a TV ad for the Mississippi State Department of Health, Marcus McPherson helps reach out to HIV-positive youth in his community as directly as possible. He was diagnosed while finishing a graduate program in public policy administration at Jackson State University, which pushed him to broaden his career goals. Marcus got involved with My Brother’s Keeper, a support group designed for people living with HIV/AIDS, and later he became a member of the Black Treatment Advocates Network. This fall, Marcus entered New York University’s PhD program in sociology, where he plans to study topics like social stratification and HIV criminalization.

Edgar Mendez Portland, OR | 24 | HIV Negative

In the fight against AIDS, Edgar Mendez is not afraid to draw blood. Literally. That’s because, in addition to working as a youth technology specialist for Cascade AIDS Project, he’s also a phlebotomist. Mendez is a member of Cascade’s CHATpdx peer-education program, which uses testing, social media and community partnerships to lower HIV rates and raise awareness among youth. He’s also a lead organizer of the annual Oregon Queer Youth Summit.

Approaching his work through a holistic lens, Edgar aims to knock down the health barriers HIV-positive young people face, including stigma, social exclusion and lack of housing.

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Maureen Milanga Nairobi, Kenya | 26 | HIV Negative

Maureen Milanga started her advocacy in 2007 by helping women living with HIV who were affected by post-election violence in Kenya. After earning a diploma in law from Inoorero University, she joined the AIDS Law Project of Kenya in 2012 and fought intellectual property policies that threaten access to HIV treatment. She also has worked to make sure political leaders and their parties adopt recommendations made by people living with HIV, which were gathered in a document called the PLHIV Manifesto.

In 2013, she was chosen as an AVAC Fellow. Maureen now works as a campaigns and policy coordinator for Health GAP to ensure that countries provide quality care to all people living with HIV, and she works to increase the voices of key populations to increase access to services. As Maureen works to preserve funding for HIV care for women and for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the virus, she is also helping shape Kenya’s new national AIDS strategy.

Brianna Milleville Albion, NY | 23 | HIV Negative

Brianna Milleville serves as the Positive Pathways advocate within the Albion Correctional Facility. Positive Pathways is a program that develops innovative strategies and practices to identify new and existing cases of HIV within the prison system. Brianna works to reduce the stigma associated with HIV and gives incarcerated ncarcerated women w the strength and tools

they need to face any situation. She encourages HIV-positive women to access medical care and treatment while they are in prison, but her support does not end when the women leave. She links them to medical care upon their release and follows up with them for six months to make sure they have the support they need.

Briana Morgan Philadelphia, PA | 29 | HIV Negative

Briana Morgan is a health planner and website coordinator at the Office of HIV Planning in the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. She supports community planning for HIV care and prevention in the greater Philadelphia area by doing research, sharing information and resources, conducting outreach, designing tools, analyzing data, organizing committee meeings and facilitating collaboration across the HIV system. Briana also leads the Needs Assessment Committee for the Pennsylvania HIV Planning Group. She maintains the Office of HIV Planning’s web presence, incluing its website, social media, email marketing and online tools. She is working with both the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and Code for Philly to create a web-friendly version of an annual epidemiologic profile.

Quang Nguyen Durham, NC | 21 | HIV Negative

Quang Nguyen is an undergraduate researcher at the Duke Human Vaccine Institute. Majoring in cell and molecular biology at Duke University, Quang says his goal is to become an infectious disease doctor and an HIV/AIDS immunologist.

At the Duke Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology and Immunogen Discovery, he investigates the antiviral immune protection in African green monkeys, a natural host of the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), which is a cousin of HIV. He will conduct his senior thesis on this research.

Thanks to Gates Millennium and Greenhouse scholarships, as well as support from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, he was able to join j the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases as an HIV summer research fellow. Originally from Vietnam, Qua Quang also seeks to increase his HIV/AIDS activism in LGBT L LG communities comm of color.

JJamie O’Toole Albion, NY | 25 | HIV Negative Alb

Lauren Gauthier

Narong Sokhom

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Th There are approximately 3,500 HIVp positive individuals in New York State correctional facilities, yet the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Health Services division know about only 40 percent of them. To help reach the female population at Albion C Correctional Facility, Jamie O’Toole, th the public health educator at

(GAUTHIER) COURTESY OF LAUREN GAUTHIER; (SOKHOM) BILL WADMAN

No wonder NMAC recognized him twice as a USCA Youth Scholar. He’s now on the steering committee for USCA’s youth scholar initiative.

PathStone, developed and runs a program called R.E.A.C.H. All inmates complete a four-day program (conducted by Jamie) that teaches them about HIV and women’s health and gives them a chance to get tested and to learn how to empathize with each other. This helps the women relate better to other inmates and encourages peer educators to take their knowledge out to the communities, where they fight stigma and spread knowledge.

Blane Oborny Shawnee, KS | 24 | HIV Positive

Blane Oborny is a charismatic individual who provides moral support for anyone in the community who is HIV positive and needs a shoulder to lean on. His diagnosis was a lifechanging moment, and he promptly educated himself about the virus and became inspired to help others. Blane works full time as a car salesman while pursuing a degree in psychology and public health. He’s also working on starting a nonprofit organization that is geared toward the mental and physical well-being of people living with HIV. Blane is a selfless leader who never gives up and continues to fight for his goals and dreams of ending HIV stigma.

Jason Parad Philadelphia, PA | 25 | HIV Negative

In Kenya, religious decrees claim that condoms are immoral.

In Indonesia, government groups have pushed to ban the prophylactics. To counter such messages and normalize condom use among youth, Yale graduate Jason Parad founded and directs the Condom Pledge, a nonprofit international group and social marketing campaign. The pledge calls for youth to promise to use condoms during sex and to publicize the contract within their social networks. The results? More than 40,000 youth in 60 countries have participated online, and thousands more have been empowered in on-the-ground efforts across sub-Sarahan Africa and Southeast Asia. Plus, the Condom Pledge group has overseen a World AIDS Day march in Sierra Leone. There’s even a music video and song: “I Took the Condom Pledge.”

Byanca Parker Dallas, TX | 21 | HIV Positive

Byanca Parker was born HIV positive but wasn’t diagnosed until she was 7 years old. Her mother passed away from AIDS-related complications three years later. Today, Byanca shares her story to help save lives and to motivate others to get tested and know their status. She uses social media to raise awareness and has appeared in Rise Up to HIV’s No Shame About Being HIV Positive campaign, which fights HIV-related stigma. Byanca also volunteers every summer at Camp Hope, the first camp for HIV-positive children in Texas.

Mitchell Payne Melbourne, Australia | 24 | HIV Positive

Mitchell Payne is the youngest-ever member of the board of

directors of Living Positive Victoria, a nonprofit communitybased organization in Melbourne, Australia. The organization seeks to empower people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. Michael is an anti-stigma ambassador for the organization and coordinates a peer support group for young men living with HIV. He was an active member of the advocacy, messaging and design team of the Melbourne Youth Force at July’s AIDS 2014 conference. He also helped to draft the AIDS 2014 Youth Action Plan, which prioritized actionable youth-related goals.

Robert Peraza Las Vegas, NV | 28 | HIV Negative

Robert Peraza is the Vegas Mpowerment Project outreach coordinator at the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of South Nevada, a nonprofit community-based organization.

In his role, he co-facilitates group conversations on emotional subjects, including sexuality, relationships and risk reduction for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Before he was hired in 2012, Robert volunteered for the project for four years and eventually served as the volunteer chair of HIV prevention outreach. He now coordinates the volunteer outreach team for the project, which conducts on-site activities at venues where at-risk populations gather. Robert aspires to earn a master’s degree in public administration.

Kyla Pfeif Fort Collins, CO | 28 | HIV Negative

Since starting as a prevention intern at the Northern Colorado AIDS Project five years ago, Kyla Pfeif has worked her way up to lead case manager at the award-winning community organization. She says her approach to fighting HIV hinges on challenging the effects of systemic marginalization among her HIV-positive clients. In 2012, she won the Larimer County Volunteer Coordinator of the Year Award for her volunteerism and growth in her field. Kyla also recently co-presented a huge project on cultivating the next generation of HIV/AIDS social workers at the Boston School of Social Work Conference.

Samuel Pottebaum Winterset, IA | 26 | HIV Negative

As a sister of the Missionary Order of the Midwest Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, operating out of Iowa City, Iowa, where the sisters were founded, Samuel Pottebaum dispenses condoms, lube and safe-sex pamphlets in English and Spanish to bar patrons and people on the street in Iowa City and Des Moines. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is part of an international order known for its LGBTQ health advocacy, theatrical costumes and fundraising events—in fact, Samuel works dressed in a nun’s habit. He helps connect people with testing at local health centers and AIDS service organizations, and he raises awareness for better sexual health strategies. He also raises money for local health organizations and helps operate a listserv for LGBTQ events in Iowa.

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Cameron Raley has become a local leader in HIV prevention efforts. Through her role as HIV prevention specialist for the Western North Carolina AIDS Project, she has increased and expanded community testing for HIV and other STIs and has also developed and fostered new and creative partnerships with local prisons, faith-based organizations and youth programs. Cameron works to increase awareness of the importance of advocacy among Appalachia’s marginalized, high-risk communities. She co-chairs the local school health advisory council and works with the Sex Workers Abatement and Rehabilitation Program to provide area sex workers with medical and mental health care and access to resources.

Cameron also works with the Needle Exchange Program of Asheville to encourage and motivate the acceptance of harm reduction strategies in North Carolina through education, interventions, advocacy and resource development.

Paige Rawl Indianapolis, IN | 20 | HIV Positive

Born with HIV, Paige Rawl has been fighting the virus all of her life. She has also fought the stigma and discrimination that often come with HIV. Within an hour of disclosing her status to one of her best friends in middle school, she was bullied for being HIV positive. Within a couple of weeks, everyone at her school knew her status. At the age of 15, she attempted suicide. Paige has since become a fierce advocate against bullying and speaks to children and adults across the country about its lasting effects. She even helped to pass antibullying legislation in Indianapolis. Paige also speaks about HIV/AIDS awareness. Her memoir, Positive, was published in August and was chosen for the TODAY show’s book club.

Jonathan Reveil Boston, MA | 25 | HIV Negative

As a public health worker at the Fenway Institute, Jonathan Reveil reaches out to communities all over Boston to help engage young people in HIV prevention and clinical trials.

Over the years, he has coordinated events to urge church groups and faith leaders in his community to show more compassion toward people living with HIV/AIDS. Jonathan serves as the second vice chair of the policy committee for the Ryan White Planning Council in Boston and was appointed as a local ambassador for National Youth HIV/ AIDS Awareness Day. He focuses many of his outreach efforts on de-stigmatizing PrEP, eradicating HIV stigma and advocating for LGBT youth in religious settings. Jason also helped design and develop the Fenway Youth Community Advisory Board.

Greg’ry Revenj Austin, TX | 25 | HIV Positive

The fashion world has often rallied to raise funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS, but until recent years, designers

56 POZ DECEMBER 2014 poz.com

have seldom been open about their own wn status. A notable exception is Greg’ry Revenj.

The outspoken designer grew up in Seattle, eattle, where he attended—and dropped outt of— the Academy of Design before launching hing his own clothing label, Revenj Jean Federation, which he later moved to Austin, Texas. After he tested HIV positive earlier arlier this year he decided to go public about hiss status and use his position and talents to fight ht stigma.

In January 2015, Greg’ry plans to launch nch his antistigma campaign, “Educate Yo’ self,” and next spring he will be starring in the second nd season of his YouTube reality show, ATX Life.

Rashida Richardson New York, NY | 28 | HIV Negative tive

Rashida Richardson is a staff attorney at the Center for HIV Law and Policy, a national legal gal and policy resource and strategy center. She coordinates dinates the Positive Justice Project (PJP), a national coalition that works to end HIV criminalization, which is the use of criminal law to prosecute and penalize people living with the virus for conduct that otherwise would be legal. She gathered support for the PJP Consensus Statement on the Criminalization of HIV in the United States, which has been endorsed by hundreds of organizations and individuals across the country. Rashida also helped to formulate and pass the American Medical Association’s resolution condemning HIV criminalization, and she has expanded her focus to the collateral consequences of HIV criminalization.

Kenneth Rios-Soler New York, NY | 26 | HIV Positive

As a community health educator at New York City’s Grand Street Settlement, Kenneth Rios-Soler works directly with urban youth to help reduce new HIV infections and raise awareness about the virus. He works in the city’s Lower East Side and in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg and Bushwick neighborhoods, helping with harm-reduction initiatives and organizing safer-sex programs in schools and other community-based organizations. He has also worked as a sexual health educator for LGBTQ youth and their families.

In addition to his prevention work, Kenneth uses his own HIV story to raise awareness among young HIV-positive black and Latino youth about getting connected to treatment and support. This year he will be hosting his seventh annual World AIDS Day awareness and celebration ball.

Mathew Rodriguez New York, NY | 25 | HIV Negative

As the community editor at TheBody.com, an online HIV/AIDS resource, Mathew Rodriguez bridges education, activism and journalism. As a member of ACT UP New York, he co-crafted the Atlanta Principles, a document that

SAVERIO TRUGLIA

Cameron Raley Asheville, NC | 25 | HIV Negative

Paige Rawl

provides a series of proposed actions the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention can take now to significantly improve HIV prevention in the United States. Mathew also has been a strong advocate for PrEP and against HIV criminalization. When he was 22, his father died of an AIDS-related illness. To honor his memory, Mathew joined The Recollectors, an online community dedicated to sharing stories about parents lost to HIV/AIDS.

other sexually transmitted infections. Lindsay also helped found the Philadelphia chapter of the Sex Workers Outreach Project, a national collective of sex workers and their allies that aims to end the stigma and violence against individuals in the sex trade. She is pursuing her master’s in social work at Columbia University.

Carlos Rosario Bronx, NY | 27 | HIV Negative

As the national coordinator for the Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC), Amirah Sequeira is one of the driving youth forces trying to end the AIDS epidemic. Her work focuses on organizing and empowering young people to take political action against social injustice and on creating strategies for holding governments and corporations accountable. Amirah has been involved in AIDS activism since high school, where she trained young AIDS advocates in Canada. Amirah was co-president of the Columbia University chapter of SGAC, co-president of the school’s Universities Allied for Essential Medicines chapter, and a secretary and a representative for the Student Governing Board. She was also a founding board member for the student-run Journal of Global Health. Amirah was recently awarded the prestigious Gates Cambridge scholarship and plans to continue her career in political advocacy and grassroots organizing for global health and social justice. She is also a POZ blogger.

In his role as the coordinator of the Bronx Health Advocacy Network for Boom!Health, Carlos Rosario mobilizes more than 50 Bronx-based community organizations on LGBT, HIV/AIDS and health disparity issues. Through grassroots organizing and civic engagement, he has been face-to-face with policy makers whose decisions affect him and the marginalized communities he represents. He has helped rally thousands of individuals to critical advocacy events at the local, state and federal level. Carlos is the Bronx community chair for the New York City Hepatitis C Task Force and is the vice chair of the Harlem Bronx LGBT Task Force. He works to educate youth and engages them in activism through various mentorship programs. He was named “Leader of Tomorrow”

by Latinos/as Unidos de New York and was chosen as a 2014 We Are The Bronx fellow. Carlos is completing his associate degree and plans to pursue a master’s degree in public health and a career in New York City politics. We’d vote for him.

Matthew Rose Washington, DC | 28 | HIV Negative

Matthew Rose is policy committee chair of the Young Black Gay Men’s Leadership Initiative (YBGLI), which addresses issues disproportionately affecting their peers with a focus on HIV/AIDS. YBGLI is an initiative of the National Black Gay Men’s Advocacy Coalition, which is committed to improving their health. Matthew is a member of AVAC’s PxROAR program. Matthew is also a member of the Vaccine Research Center and is on HIV clinical trial community advisory boards at George Washington University, and he serves as the membership coordinator for the Association of LGBT Journalists. Previously, he oversaw HIV/AIDS policy work at the National Coalition for LGBT Health.

GETTY IMAGES/ILYA S. SAVENOK

Lindsay Roth Philadelphia, PA | 29 | HIV Negative

This community advocate and educator has worked around the issues of reproductive justice, human rights and access to affordable health care for several years. Lindsay Roth is the executive director of Project SAFE, a program that provides direct services to women working on the streets of Philadelphia. Her work and volunteerism focus on how the criminalization of drugs and sex work can negatively affect public health initiatives, especially when it comes to prevention and treatment of HIV as well as hepatitis C and

Amirah Sequeira Washington, DC | 24 | HIV Negative

Claudia Sisomphou Forestville, CA | 19 | HIV Negative

Claudia Sisomphou spends her Saturday mornings volunteering at Food for Thought, the Sonoma County AIDS S food bank, where her charm has made her a favorite among the clients. ients. For the past two years, rs, she has poured her energy nergy and skills into a multitude of tasks, including ng serving as an ambassador sador at the Dining Out for or Life fundraisers. Claudia has applied her advocacy dvocacy outside the food ood bank, too: On her Sonoma ma State University campus, mpus, she spearheaded efforts to get students involved olved in an antistigma campaign aign called “Does This Shirt Make ake Me Look HIV+?”

Charles Smart mart Milwaukee, e, WI | 26 | HIV Negative ive To combat thee rise of new HIV cases of young black

Ryan Lewis

THE POZ

Narong Sokhom Lynn, MA | 25 | HIV Positive

Narong Sokhom is the programs coordinator at BAGLY, the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth, which is a youth-led and adult-supported organization. In addition to developing programming, such as co-founding QTYPAD (Queer and Trans Youth of Pan-Asian Descent, pronounced “cutie-pad”), he also coordinates leadership development curricula and organizes advocacy initiatives. Previously, Narong worked at Massachusetts Asian and Pacific Islanders for Health, where he educated young people about sexual health and LGBTQ issues. He spoke about his experiences living with HIV at the Massachusetts Statehouse on World AIDS Day (WAD) in 2012 and gave a WAD speech in his hometown of Lynn in 2013. Narong also received the Youth Initiative scholarship to attend USCA, which is organized by NMAC.

Tyler Spencer Washington, DC | 28 | HIV Negative

In 2009, Tyler Spencer moved to Washington, DC, after spending time in South Africa, where he worked as a volunteer with an organization that used soccer to deliver HIV prevention messages to youth. Tyler came back home to the United States on a mission to teach at-risk youth about HIV prevention. After working with a crew of high school students in DC to adapt the South African sportsbased program, Tyler recruited a group of 40 college athletes to help launch the Grassroot Project. The team taught HIV/ AIDS lessons in three DC schools. Today the project boasts more than 600 NCAA student-athletes working to educate more than 3,000 youth in 43 public and charter schools about HIV/AIDS and to kick stigma and ignorance to the curb.

Kirstie Strong Omaha, NE | 23 | HIV Positive

Kirstie Strong has been a part of the Nebraska AIDS Project since she was diagnosed with HIV at age 16. As a volunteer at the organization, she helped establish and now helps run a young adult support group, WHAAT! (Whoopin’ HIV and AIDS Together), which works to provide support and

58 POZ DECEMBER 2014 poz.com

education to local young people affected by and infected with HIV/AIDS. Kirstie is known as a dynamic speaker in her largely conservative community who is not afraid to share her story about living with the virus or to break the stereotypes and stigma surrounding the epidemic.

Anna Szczegielniak, MD Chorzow, Poland | 26 | HIV Negative

Anna Szczegielniak recently graduated from the Medical University of Silesia and has been working in the field of HIV/AIDS for last six years. She started volunteering as a peer educator at her local chapter of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Association (IFMSA), then served as a local and national officer on reproductive health including AIDS. In 2012, Anna and IFMSA received a grant from MTV’s Staying Alive Foundation for their “Streetcar Called Desire” project, a nighttime tram that runs near popular clubs in Warsaw and Lodz and promotes HIV awareness. For the last few years, Anna has served as the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS’s regional focal point for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Most recently, she was involved in Melbourne Youth Force and served on the subcommittee for youth programs at AIDS 2014.

Marvell L. Terry II Memphis, TN | 29 | HIV Positive

Five years ago, Marvell L. Terry II founded the Red Door Foundation Inc. in his hometown of Memphis to help address the city’s lack of HIV/ AIDS services for young gay and bisexual black men. As the number of new infections in his community continued to increase, he helped bring together medical providers, case managers and national health organizations for a huge revamp of the city’s response to the epidemic.

On the job, Marvell helps his clients identify barriers to medication adherence and issues es with stigma and disclosure. He is an AVAC PxROAR fellow and also serves as the secretary of the Young ung Black Gay Men’s Leadership Institute, e, a national movement nt of young black men who have sex with men (MSM) M) that works to address thee health issues disproportionately nately affecting their peers. s.

Charlie Ferrusi

BILL WADMAN

men who have sex with men (MSM) in the inner city of Milwaukee, the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin hired Charles Smart to facilitate the HIV and STI prevention program Many Men, Many Voices, also known as 3MV. As MSM prevention supervisor, Charles has led the 3MV program for the past four years, and the initiative has already achieved some of its five-year goals. Charles is also a 2014 ambassador for Wisconsin’s Statewide Action Planning Group, and he is the founder and executive director of Monroe Inc., an LGBT youth-focused nonprofit. By engaging and equipping the young MSM community with information about HIV, Charles is helping to reach a large number of individuals who are at the highest risk of contracting the virus.

Michael Tikili Brooklyn, NY | 28 | HIV Positive

Michael Tikili is the national field organizer for Health GAP, a U.S.–based group dedicated to eliminating barriers to global access to affordable HIV/AIDS treatment. He has been a leader in the Robin Hood Tax campaign, which would place a small tax on high-frequency Wall Street transactions that could raise billions to bolster the country’s social safety net, including HIV/AIDS funds. Michael also is a member of ACT UP New York and Queerocracy, a grassroots activism group focusing on global health and HIV/AIDS. He has a master’s degree in business management from Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.

Masonia Traylor Atlanta, GA | 27 | HIV Positive

By telling her personal HIV story in front of thousands of young people throughout Georgia, Masonia Traylor has become a well-known advocate and activist in her community. Originally from Decatur, she volunteers at AID Atlanta, serving on its community advisory board and helping to educate area youth about HIV/AIDS during the organization’s community enrichment programs. By helping out at HIV testing events and passing out safer-sex kits, Masonia sends out words of encouragement to young people like herself every day. The mother of two is studying nonprofit leadership at Georgia State University.

Lawrence Vinson III Boston, MA | 28 | HIV Positive

Lawrence Vinson III used his experience as a case manager at Boston Medical Center and Codman Square Health Center to develop the Fenway Health SMILE Linkage to Care Program at the Fenway Institute. The program seeks out the best practices for linking, engaging and retaining HIV-positive youth in medical and psychosocial care. He also works in HIV prevention with the Connect to Protect coalition, which pushes for community mobilization among young people in urban areas across the region. It also advocates for structural changes in Boston’s public health and policy arenas. Lawrence is a member of the Boston Metropolitan Ryan White planning council and was appointed to the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth.

Cody Walker Jackson, MS | 26 | HIV Positive

Regular HIV testing is a pivotal element in the fight against the epidemic. That’s why Cody Walker’s efforts are so important to the greater Jackson area. Cody is the director of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s mobile testing unit program. He and his tireless team travel the Mississippi region to encourage testing and then help link the newly diagnosed with care. He tears down stigma and ignorance by being open about his own positive status. When speaking at HIV educational events and public forums as well as on local

radio and TV, Cody stresses the importance of testing and remaining in care and on meds.

Jason Walker Brooklyn, NY | 27 | HIV Positive

As a grassroots community organizer at VOCAL-NY, Jason Walker has helped bring together low-income people around the city living with HIV/AIDS to improve local laws and policies around access to affordable housing. With just two years on the job, he helped win an eight-year battle to ensure that formerly homeless New Yorkers living with AIDS wouldn’t have to pay more than 30 percent of their income toward their rent. Thanks to Jason, more than 11,000 members of his community can now remain in their homes, with access to quality health care and all the things they need to live healthy lives. This year, he is trying to expand those policies and lifesaving benefits to all New Yorkers living with HIV.

Cassie Warren Chicago, IL | 28 | HIV Negative

Cassie Warren is a youth health benefits counselor at the Broadway Youth Center, which is a part of the Howard Brown Health Center. The Broadway Youth Center is a youth-centered space with services that provide multiple points of entry through drop-in, medical and testing, GED, behavioral health and evening programs. Cassie connects clients to health care and assists them with obtaining insurance and other health benefits. She is a founding member of Project Fierce Chicago, a collective of radical social workers, housing advocates and young allies who are working together to establish identityaffirming housing for youth in Chicago. Cassie serves on the Transgender Health Insurance Task Force and is an AVAC PxROAR fellow. She is also a founding member of the PROS Network-Chicago (Providers and Resources Offering Services to sex workers), a project of the Chicago chapter of the Sex Workers Outreach Project.

Edward “Eddie” Wiley Memphis, TN | 26 | HIV Negative

“It’s not just the HIV that’s killing our community; it’s the stigma!” Anyone who works with Eddie Wiley has heard this statement. As the ARTAS outreach coordinator at LeBonheur Community HIV Network, he remains dedicated to erasing stigma and educating his peers. His secret weapons? A charming personality and beaming smile. Whenever a person tests positive for the virus, health care workers know that Eddie will be there within moments, radiating good vibes and empathy. He spends endless hours comforting and educating each client, happy to attend doctor’s appointments with them and put them at ease as they connect to and stay in care. A tireless ally, he offers those living with the virus in the Memphis area the healing balm of a trusted friend.

Visit poz.com/100 to see individual photos of the 2014 POZ 100.

poz.com DECEMBER 2014 POZ 59

HEROES

BY CASEY HALTER

Adam Tenner is a 20-year veteran in the community health field who has been working on the ground with at-risk and HIV-positive youth since the beginning of his career.

He started his HIV work in college.

After he lost one of his teachers to AIDS, he advocated making condoms available on his historically conservative campus, at the peak of the epidemic.

Tenner then moved to Seattle, where he did outreach to homeless LGBT youth at a local nonprofit.

“I don’t think my story is unique for that era,” says Tenner, who is a gay, HIV-negative ally. “I think most of us who remember the earlier years of the epidemic had that incredible kind of loss and we committed to trying to figure out how to end it.”

After just five years, Tenner became

64 POZ DECEMBER 2014 poz.com

the director of the program. By 1997, the young advocate had become the head of HIV prevention planning for the Seattle-King County Health Department. He eventually moved to Washington, DC, 13 years ago and soon became executive director of Metro TeenAIDS. The group works with HIV-positive youth, their families and local schools to help get the message out about the virus. The organization also hosts several youth leadership programs that have inspired and trained hundreds of young health workers and activists to get into the field.

“It’s not enough to show a short video or a PowerPoint presentation when we’re trying to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic,” Tenner says. “It really is about engaging young people to go

tell their stories to city leaders, to Congress and also out into the community, to their friends and their parents and their grandparents.”

Tenner’s vision of youth power seems to be working. Since 2007, DC’s rate of newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS cases has declined an astounding 47 percent. Thanks to Metro TeenAIDS, condoms are also more available in the nation’s capital than almost any other jurisdiction in the country.

However, Tenner understands that the fight against the virus is long from over and that it will take the next generation of activists to finally end the HIV/AIDS epidemic. “It’s certainly my hope that a young person takes my job in the future,” Tenner says.

“When we offer them the opportunity, they’ll rise to the occasion.”

JONATHAN TIMMES

Empowering the Next Generation

SURVEY ❑ Self-help books ❑ Counseling or therapy ❑ Hypnosis ❑ Support group 6

Do you believe smoking should be banned in parks and outdoor public spaces?

❑ Yes ❑ No 7

Do you believe smoking should be banned in bars and restaurants?

❑ Yes ❑ No 8

SMOKE SIGNALS Let’s face it, smoking is bad for our health. A recent study found that smoking appears to harm the immune system of people taking antiretroviral treatment. HIV-related inflammation also puts people at risk for many of the same health problems as smoking, such as heart disease, cancer and stroke, so if you are an HIV-positive smoker, those risks are magnified. POZ wants to know about your smoking habits and your thoughts on cigarettes.

1

2

❑ Yes ❑ No 10

THINKSTOCK

Do any of the following people in your life smoke cigarettes? (Check all that apply.)

❑ Spouse/partner ❑ Boyfriend/girlfriend ❑ Roommate ❑ Parents ❑ Brother(s) and/or sister(s) ❑ None of the above 11

Have you ever urged or tried to get someone close to you to stop smoking?

❑ Yes ❑ No 12

What year were you born?__ __ __ __

13

What is your gender?

❑ Male ❑ Female ❑ Transgender ❑ Other 14

What is your sexual orientation?

❑ Straight ❑ Bisexual ❑ Gay/lesbian ❑ Other

❑ 13–16 ❑ 21 or older

15

Have you ever tried to quit smoking cigarettes?

What strategies have you used to try to quit smoking?

(Check all that apply.)

❑ Will power (going cold turkey) ❑ Nicotine replacement therapy (e.g., patch or gum) ❑ Prescription medication (e.g., Zyban or Chantix)

What is your ethnicity? (Check all that apply.)

❑ American Indian or Alaska Native ❑ Arab or Middle Eastern ❑ Asian ❑ Black or African American ❑ Hispanic or Latino ❑ Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander ❑ White ❑ Other (please specify):___________________

❑ Yes ❑ No (skip to question 6.)

5

Do you think stores should be required to conceal cigarettes and other tobacco products?

At what age did you try your first cigarette?

❑ 12 or younger ❑ 17–20 4

9

How long have you been smoking cigarettes?

❑ Less than one year ❑ 1–4 years ❑ 4–6 years ❑ 6–10 years ❑ 10–15 years ❑ More than 15 years ❑ I don’t currently smoke cigarettes 3

❑ Yes ❑ No

Which of the following best describes your cigarette smoking habits?

❑ I have never smoked a cigarette (skip to question 6.) ❑ I have tried cigarettes in the past but do not currently smoke ❑ I am a former smoker but do not currently smoke ❑ I smoke occasionally or in social situations ❑ I smoke less than half a pack per day ❑ I smoke between half a pack and a pack per day ❑ I smoke more than a pack per day

Do you think people should be able to use electronic cigarettes in places where cigarettes are banned?

16

What is your ZIP code? __ __ __ __ __

Please fill out this confidential survey at poz.com/survey or mail it to: Smart + Strong, ATTN: POZ Survey #200, 462 Seventh Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, NY 10018-7424