In 2003, I was pregnant, homeless, and HIV-positive. But worst of all, I felt completely helpless and had nowhere to turn for help. I received my diagnosis after my senior year of high school. In college, I thought I might be pregnant. I went to
With a black shirt that read, “HAVING SEX?” in bold, pink letters, I walked through the streets of Washington DC, telling people the importance of getting tested for HIV and pointing them in the direction of a van where they could get tested for
Valerie Rochester, Vice President for Program Strategy, AIDS United Venita Ray, Deputy Director, Positive Women’s Network – USA It’s no surprise that the racial, ethnic and gender inequalities that have persisted in our society since its inception are the primary drivers of the negative health
I heard she was nasty! Ain’t she that dirty girl. Didn’t she get raped; she probably was doing something that she was not supposed to be doing. I heard that she was out there and probably got caught up cheating! She must be living on
Today is December 1, the annual observance of World AIDS Day. Every year, on this day, we are surrounded by messages from organizations and individuals, asking us to remember those we have lost, encouraging us to stay strong as we continue to move through this
World AIDS Day makes me thankful for the achievements made to subdue the epidemic since it reared its ugly head in the 1980s. I was working for New York City’s Health and Hospital Corporation then. I was responsible for figuring out how many beds we
We think of women’s health issues in boxes (the diabetes box, the depression box, the hypertension box). But, in fact, our health concerns are more like a maze of rooms with doors that lead from one space to another. Take HIV. We think of it
The question was raised recently during a conference that focused on HIV in the U.S. and how we can increase awareness of the use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) that prevents HIV infection in HIV-negative people. At the close of the conference, one of the speakers asked
In 2003, I was pregnant, homeless, and HIV-positive. But worst of all, I felt completely helpless and had nowhere to turn for help. I received my diagnosis after my senior year of high school. In college, I thought I might be pregnant. I went to
With a black shirt that read, “HAVING SEX?” in bold, pink letters, I walked through the streets of Washington DC, telling people the importance of getting tested for HIV and pointing them in the direction of a van where they could get tested for