By Katie Willingham
This year's United States Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA 2026) took place in Anaheim, CA, from September 17 – 20, 2026, under the banner United and Unbreakable: The HIV Movement at 45. The Well Project's team and community advisory board members again had a strong presence at the gathering, from facilitating workshops to one staffer's featured spot on the afternoon plenary stage. Read on for a perspective from our community of the US's largest HIV-related convening.
I had the wonderful privilege of attending the United States Conference on HIV and AIDS (USCHA) this year. I was sponsored by the Positively Trans national advisory board of the Transgender Law Center to attend the conference. I wasn't presenting or paneling so I was just there to attend, and I spent a bulk of my time in the exhibit hall.
The exhibit hall is a massive space in the hotel where lots of different organizations that work in HIV advocacy set up tables to give away free merch and talk about their work in their communities and organizations. I've been to many of these conferences and I usually spend most of my time in meetings and workshops where you can learn about HIV and other people's advocacy, and learn from their experiences, which is invaluable to be sure; but the real magic happens in the hallways and the exhibit hall. That's where you can network, talk to people, meet new people, make new connections and allies and even friends. You can learn about resources and learn from the experiences of others. So the exhibit hall and the spaces between workshops are special places to be, just as much as the workshops themselves.
This year I spent a good portion of my time in the exhibit hall where I met lots of new people. This time of networking is as vital to an advocate as the workshops, because it's one thing to learn about HIV, but it's another to build relationships and alliances with other advocates and healthcare professionals, because these relationships are so valuable and I could argue even vital to the work of an advocate. I spoke with many people, exchanged information, created new connections, and learned a lot about some amazing things that people are doing around the country.
Networking also includes reconnecting with colleagues that I have known for years. This reconnection is invigorating and revitalizing to a tired advocate, and in these times we need each other more than ever. We get exhausted and overwhelmed from all the attacks from the Republican Party; the constant barrage on our rights, our healthcare, and our communities gets overwhelming; but we can't ever give up. These gatherings are the best medicine for a tired and frustrated advocate.
I personally hate being away from home – I'm such a homebody, and I miss my puppies back home – but I love these gatherings. They're self-care for me and I know they are for many others as well. After months of exhausting and frustrating times, it’s understandable why advocates could become apathetic and frustrated and drop away from the work, but we can't allow that to happen. Millions of people around the world are depending on us for their lives; we can't walk away and let them die. If you live with HIV and are interested in advocacy, I encourage you to get involved with an advocacy organization. I would be happy to help you find an organization right for you.
Advocates are just human beings like everyone else. Sometimes we make looking strong look easy because we keep going no matter what, but it's not because we're so strong necessarily; it's because we know we're needed in this fight, and the alternative is not acceptable.
Personally, I advocate for others living with HIV because I know that years ago when I was dying of AIDS (so I thought), someone else was advocating for me so I could live. What if no one ever fought for me? What if no one ever protested or demonstrated or talked to government officials for people who have HIV? Millions would be dead today who are now thriving and living long, normal lives, because of the advocacy of others.
Advocacy is vitally needed around the world, but especially in the United States, because America has helped much of the world to overcome the epidemic that has killed millions of people. And these conferences are instrumental to the life of an advocate. They educate, inspire, and heal us so we can go back home and continue the work with fresh energy; and the exhibit hall is where the magic happens.
