Well, I made it to USCHA in Washington DC. This is a really huge conference with reportedly over 2500 people in attendance. I love coming to these conferences because they are so personally beneficial for me as an advocate. First, I get reconnected with my community, advocates from all over the country, and world even, who have become like family to me through the years, chosen family, which is the strongest kind I believe. But I also have a wonderful opportunity for networking, meeting new people who may become colleagues and friends… and family. With so many people in attendance it can become overwhelming and exhausting, probably especially for a newcomer, but I've been to quite a few of these meetings now and they're just exhilarating. By the time they roll back around again, I really need it for my mental, emotional, and overall wellbeing, because I gain strength from my community, as we all do.
My first day started with me on a speaking panel. The name of the workshop was "Living, Thriving and Demanding Better: Aging With HIV in a Shifting Political Climate". I was one of five people to speak on this panel and I felt honored to do so. The panel was an array of demographics, as one participant was a Black gay man, one was a Black heterosexual woman, a Black heterosexual man, a Dandelion, as we call them, (people who were born with HIV) and myself, a Caucasian/Native American woman of transgender experience. I thought it was a great panel, and I knew all of them very well. They're very good friends, colleagues, and my chosen family. Though I tend to get really nervous about speaking (ok, I get petrified), but I felt comfortable because I knew I was with people who care about me and support me in my work and in my life, and that makes all the difference in the world. I was really proud to have been a part of this workshop.
The plenary luncheon was sponsored by ViiV, a pharmaceutical company that does a lot of work and sponsors other organizations in their advocacy work. The pharmaceutical industry is far from perfect, but I honestly don't know what we would do were it not for these big, powerful companies helping to fund advocacy efforts everywhere. I could probably write a whole other blog about the failings of the pharmaceutical industry as well as the government, but without their help, probably most of us would not survive very long. The plenary was called "Beyond Belief" and there were four speakers who shared their stories of struggle, survival, and resilience in a "Ted Talk" like format. One of the speakers was the principal investigator for the HTPN 052 study! I thought that was pretty cool to see him. The HTPN 052 study found that people living with HIV and taking treatment did not transmit the virus sexually, U=U!! And U=U changed the HIV landscape and the lives of everyone living with HIV!
After the plenary meeting, I went to the exhibit hall to table for the Positively Trans program, a program of the Transgender Law Center, where I had the opportunity to speak to people about the organization and what we do. The Transgender Law Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting for transgender rights, equality, and safety. The organization fights policies and laws that discriminate and deny trans people their humanity, along with other organizations such as the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), HRC (Human Rights Campaign), and others. Positively Trans is sort of a grassroots movement to advocate for transgender people in their communities. Most of us on the Positively Trans committee are all in different states, we work where we are, and we are supported by our organization.
I also sat for a while at The Well Project's table as a blogger and former CAB member of the organization. The Well Project is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing resources, education, and community for women living with HIV. This organization is very near and dear to my heart, as I've been working with them since 2018 and I can honestly say that I love all of these women as family. It's always wonderful to see them again. This concluded my first day of the conference.
The next day, the conference was visited by Magic Johnson. I don't know much about his career in basketball or business, which is what he is most famous for, but I saw him only as another HIV advocate, a very powerful advocate. He literally changed the way a lot of people think about HIV and AIDS, because at the time, he didn't fit the profile of someone who would contract HIV. At that time, AIDS was rampant among white gay men, and everyone thought that was the only demographic affected by this disease, until a heterosexual Black man, a very heterosexual man, contracted HIV and changed everything … for a moment, because HIV stigma is still prevalent and pervasive in our society today.
I also saw the mother of Ryan White, Jeanne White-Ginder. Bless that woman, she's such an inspiration.
I then attended a meeting about sexual pleasure as healthcare that was riveting and a little eye-opening as well. I've always known that sex is healthy, and even that doctors used to treat hysteria, anxiety, depression or other mental health issues in women with a vibrator, but I never really thought about talking with my provider about sexual pleasure, or that we should discuss it. But it's something that doctors really need to start prioritizing in their practices for the best possible quality of life and care in their female clients.
The next day of the conference started with me speaking on another panel talking about equity in aging, what tailored care for aging women looks like. We gathered in a circle to discuss what was missing from our healthcare as we look at our healthcare through different lenses like race, gender, age, trauma, and HIV. We considered what was needed for better care and we built a physical representation of our ideas. We used large puzzle pieces to write our ideas on and then we would stick them on the board. There were so many great ideas that came from our discussions and we made room for all of them. Ideas like continuing education for providers, cultural competence and humility care. Personally I loved the phrase "cultural humility." Whoever said that was brilliant and I'm taking it. We built a board with all of our ideas on it to take back home to our health providers and share them. This was my last workshop of the conference. The next day I would be flying home and taking with me another incredible experience.
The final day of the conference ended with a fantastic plenary meeting with Dr. Anthony Fauci and Admiral Rachel Levine. These are two truly remarkable and inspirational people who have been instrumental to the HIV movement. Dr. Fauci alone is responsible for saving millions of lives in the United States and around the world; we would not be where we are today without him. And Admiral Levine is the first woman of transgender experience to be confirmed by congress to serve as attorney general of the United States. Two truly amazing people who I absolutely admire.
I also got a picture of me with another organization that I work with, The Positive Women's Network - USA (PWN). I've been working with them for nearly a decade, as I started working with them in 2016. Now I'm the co-chair of a state chapter that I worked to create five years ago (with help of course). This is a group picture of everyone from PWN who attended the conference (or most of them).
These conferences are always beneficial for me and I love attending them. I've walked miles all over this hotel and shaken a hundred hands, attended several meetings and networking opportunities. I am so grateful for the experience, but gosh am I exhausted now. Now that I have this piece written, I think I'm going to sleep for a few days, lol. Goodnight everyone.
