By Bridgette Picou, LVN, ACLPN
I realize every time I am in a room full of people who live with HIV or work in the HIV field, I feel empowered. So much of HIV is done in silence and surrounded by stigma, so being open in a space feels good. Given the uncertainty of federal funding, the threats to bodily autonomy and programs for those living with HIV, it is more and more important to be amongst those who share my lived experience and my desire to elevate the lived experience of others.
Such was true at the 2025 Women as the Face of AIDS Summit held by Iris House in New York City. This was their 20th year producing this conference and that in itself a such an amazing testament to the will and resilience of women in the fight against HIV. The Well Project is always proud to support this event in any way we can, and this year we presented two workshops. Along with one of our community advisory board members, the fierce and brilliant Kim Canady, I was pleased to co-lead a discussion on bridging generations in HIV.
Our workshop "Bridging Generations: Healing and Empowerment in Women Living with HIV" focused on illuminating the diverse experiences of women aging with HIV, focusing on both older women living with the virus and younger women who acquired HIV perinatally or in childhood. We wanted to foster representation through storytelling and shared experiences, examining the socio-behavioral factors that shape the lives of women living with HIV—such as age, race, sexual and gender identity, trauma, educational status, and financial stability—and identifying solutions to dismantle these types of barriers.
Kim is very calm and matter of fact as a presenter, and we have a good relationship and camaraderie that really drew people into wanting to share. Talking through shared experience is what makes storytelling such a valuable tool. When we listen to others, often we learn just how many commonalities exist and can focus on learning from each other rather than the comparisons that keep us apart. This session was well attended. I would say there were moments of "ah-ha" for participants where connections were made and things clicked. As always when there are stories being told, the session wasn't long enough to cover everything we wanted to do. I would love to repeat this session at another meeting or in a longer format. The Well Project continues its commitment to women of all ages across the gender spectrum and in all stages of their diagnosis and life journey with HIV.
