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Decriminalization of HIV approved in Judiciary-Criminal Committee
--From a Illinois HIV Action Alliance press release
SPRINGFIELD — Today, the Illinois House Judiciary-Criminal Committee voted 18-0 to approve House Bill 1063 HA1, which would end criminal penalties against people living with HIV (PLWH). Under current law, PLWH face the threat of arrest, ...
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HIV/AIDS Report: Vaccine may hold promise
Preliminary data from an early stage clinical trial out of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, suggests that a new HIV vaccine may hold promise, ABC News ...
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AIDS Healthcare Foundation Lake View clinic holds ribbon-cutting
Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) held a ribbon-cutting event for its Lake View facility on March 31. The clinic, 3311 N. Halsted St., is housed within AHF's Out of the Closet thrift store and will ...
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NATIONAL Anti-trans attacks, Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, tower, Mary Trump
Rayanna Pardo, a 26-year-old Latinx trans woman, was struck by a car and killed while fleeing from a small mob in Los Angeles on March 17, out.com reported. Security video showed Pardo being chased and assaulted ...
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Season of Concern benefit with Dixie Longate through March 28
Dixie Longate—the fast-talking, gum chewing, ginger-haired Alabama drag personality—is headlining Dixie's Happy Hour as a benefit for Season of Concern Chicago. People are urged to spend an evening with Dixie ...
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AFC holds virtual annual meeting, awards ceremony: Innovation Through Action
AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) held its annual meeting and awards ceremony, "Innovation Through Action," March 4 via Zoom. (It was virtual due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.) AFC President/CEO John Peller said that although much has ...
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SPECIAL ISSUE: AIDS at 40
In this special quarterly issue, produced by Windy City Timesas as an insert to the Chicago Reader, Windy City Times speaks with long-term HIV/AIDS survivors, deals with HIV-positive representation in media, checks in on young activists of today ...
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PrEP options likely to change following Truvada patent expiration
Among the myriad challenges facing HIV/AIDS advocates and healthcare providers has been increasing use of pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, among persons at risk for HIV transmission. A PrEP intervention, which usually consists of taking the oral ...
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TANIA UNZUETA: Fighting for justice, one cause at a time
LGBTQ, immigration and political activist Tania Unzueta has spent the last three years living in Georgia involved in political and electoral organizing. She returned to Chicago in January with her partner. Unzueta came to Chicago from ...
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HIV at 40: Long-term AIDS survivor Sean Strub on diagnosis, being mayor, Larry Kramer
To say Sean Strub is a fighter is almost the supreme understatement. He was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in the mid-1980s—when having the disease was almost certainly a death sentence. (Even the doctor who diagnosed him passed ...
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STILL HERE: Long-term HIV/AIDS survivors in Chicago reflect on their experiences
When the first reported U.S. cases of what later became known as HIV/AIDS were reported in June 1981, a number of physicians and researchers at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and elsewhere sought to understand ...
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One-third of gay, bisexual men who take PrEP discontinue within three years
--From a press release
Familiarity and favorable attitudes towards PrEP have increased over time, though use remains low A new study from the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law finds a significant increase in familiarity with pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) ...
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Advocates, legislators introduce bill to
decriminalize HIV in Illinois
--From a press release
SPRINGFIELD, IL - Legislation was introduced in Springfield this week to end criminal penalties against people living with HIV (PLWH), which serve only to stigmatize and discriminate against PLWH. Current Illinois law makes legal behavior — ...
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NATIONAL Black History Month, anti-trans bills, Penn. politician, HIV measure
In honor of Black History Month, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) announced its acquisition of the Ubuntu Biography Project, a press release noted. The Ubuntu Biography Project, created by Stephen A. Maglott, celebrates the legacies ...
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NBJC releases toolkit ahead of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Ahead of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) on Feb. 7, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) released a toolkit that includes information about testing, treatment and tips for reducing ...
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National AIDS Memorial observes Black History Month
During Black History Month, the National AIDS Memorial is honoring Black lives lost to AIDS with a specially curated selection of 56 blocks of the AIDS Memorial Quilt (the Quilt), a press release announced. "This virtual ...
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COVID 'Building Black Power' discussion on Feb. 8
In honor of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the Illinois Alliance for Sound AIDS Policy (IL ASAP)—a project of AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC)—is hosting "Building Black Power in the Age ...
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Pioneering AIDS researcher Dr. Joseph Sonnabend dead at 88
--From a media release by HIVPlusMagazine
Pioneering AIDS researcher and clinician Joseph Sonnabend, 88, died Jan. 24, 2021 at the Wellington Hospital in London, after suffering a heart attack on Jan.3, 2021. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, to a physician mother and ...
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Howard Brown developing new center in Northalsted area
Howard Brown Health has chosen Inland National Development Company, LLC to develop its newest healthcare center in Chicago's Northalsted neighborhood (formerly known as Boystown), according to REJournals. There are plans ...
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Vulnerable communities slow to adopt key strategy to stop HIV's spread
--From a UCLA press release
LOS ANGELES — Taking a daily pill to prevent HIV transmission is one of the most effective biomedical strategies available to combat the virus' spread, yet use of this health regimen remains low among vulnerable communities ...
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WORLD Lithuania outlook, HIV/AIDS and COVID, lawyer arrested, trans youth
Lithuania appears set to legalize same-sex civil partnerships next year, but same-sex marriage could be up to a decade away, according to Tomas Raskevicius—the country's only openly LGBT+ lawmaker, Reuters reported. "We're going to submit t ...
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AIDS Garden projected for fall 2021 completion
State Rep. Yoni Pizer convened a virtual meeting Dec. 21 to discuss the progress of the AIDS Garden Chicago. The long-planned site is "destined to become a true Chicago landmark and destination," said Pizer as he ...
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AIDS Garden Chicago installation update coming Dec. 21
CHICAGO — On Monday, Dec. 21 at 11 a.m., 12th District State Representative Yoni Pizer will be hosting a virtual town hall with fellow elected officials, community partners, and project managers to provide a progress report ...
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AIDS Foundation Chicago, Cook County Health mark World AIDS Day
--From a press release
AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) and Cook County Health are collaborating for a special virtual event in honor of World AIDS Day, a global movement to increase public awareness and dialogue about HIV and AIDS, on Dec. ...
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Day With(out) Art: Transmissions launches online Nov. 30
--From a press release
NEW YORK, Nov. 16, 2020 — Visual AIDS, the only contemporary arts organization fully committed to raising AIDS and HIV awareness through dialogue, art exhibitions and public forums, announces their ...
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Congressional co-chairs introduce World AIDS Day resolution
U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Rep. Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon (PR-At Large), co-chairs of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, introduced a bipartisan resolution supporting the goals of World AIDS Day, according ...
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Gov. Pritzker, Vanessa Williams to be at AFC's 'Gala35' Nov. 19
--From a press release
CHICAGO — AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) marks its milestone 35th year of service with 'Gala35,' a virtual celebration and fundraiser taking place Thursday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. The event features an esteemed panel of guest ...
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Advocate Craig Johnson named next board chair of AIDS Foundation of Chicago
In October, AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC)'s board of directors voted Craig W. Johnson as the next AFC board chair. Craig has served on the board since 2017, and most recently worked as board vice chair and ...
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AIDS Foundation of Chicago's 'Gala35' Nov. 19
AIDS Foundation of Chicago's (AFC's) "Gala35"—marking its 35th anniversary—will be a virtual event taking place Thursday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. Gala35 marks the organization's 35th year of service and will be its premier gatheri ...
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NATIONAL Autistic trans guide, trans death, AIDS Quilt, intersex study
The National LGBTQ Task Force and the AWNNetwork released a collaborative guide, "Before You Go: Know Your Rights & What to Expect at the Doctor and in the Hospital"—a groundbreaking first-of-its-kind publication filled with tips and ...
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TPAN names Colleen O'Neill as its new CEO
TPAN has announced the hiring of Colleen O'Neill as its new CEO to assist in empowering the organization to continue to provide care and far-reaching education to people affected by HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and all related issues, ...
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Nat'l AIDS Memorial to launch 50-state AIDS Memorial Quilt Virtual Exhibition
--From a press release
SAN FRANCISCO (October 9, 2020) — The National AIDS Memorial is announcing a virtual exhibition of the AIDS Memorial Quilt (the Quilt) that will feature more than 10,000 Quilt panels representing all 50 state and U.S. ...
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PASSAGES Timothy Ray Brown, who was cured of HIV, dies of cancer at 54
After a five-month battle with leukemia, Timothy Ray Brown—publicized as the first known person to be cured of HIV, and also known by many as "The Berlin Patient"—has died of cancer, according to the International AIDS ...
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NBJC releases statement on National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
In honor of National Gay Men's HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (Sept. 27), the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) released a statement: "Today is a day to celebrate that HIV is no longer the death sentence it once ...
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AIDS Run & Walk Chicago returns with reformatted 2020 event
AIDS Foundation of Chicago's annual AIDS Run & Walk Chicago has been reformatted and expanded so community members can participate in the fundraiser while still social-distancing and adhering to public-safety guidelines. While an event at Soldier ...
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Chicago House moves central hub
Chicago House—founded in September 1985 as an organization committed to providing a home to individuals dying of HIV—has relocated its central hub to the South Loop, at 2229 S. Michigan Ave., Ste. 304. The central hub ...
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WORLD Tom of Finland, India items, Denmark legislation, PrEP study
The works of the iconic Finnish artist Tom of Finland will be exhibited in Japan for the first time ever, a press release noted. The exhibition is the result of a collaboration between the Finnish Institute ...
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Open House Chicago taking place Oct. 16-25
The Chicago Architecture Center (CAC) announced the return of Open House Chicago (OHC) for a 10th consecutive year. It will take place Oct. 16-25, and the festival has been reconfigured for both in-person and remote attendance. ...
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NATIONAL Streisand/Summer, HIV treatment, Alex Morse, Barney Frank
MeidasTouch, a progressive Democratic political action group, teamed with the LGBTQ voting initiative Vote Proud for their latest video, titled "Enough Is Enough," Billboard noted. The video focuses on rallying queer people to vote by pointing ...
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INT'L AIDS CONFERENCE: HIV research informing COVID-19 vaccine development
Journalist Lisa Ling hosted the second season premiere of "The Road to a Vaccine," which was a part of AIDS 2020: The 23rd International AIDS Conference. Panelists discussed how efforts for an HIV vaccine have assisted ...
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TPAN letter: We stand with you
June 8 marks two weeks since the violent death of George Floyd at the hands of four former Minneapolis police officers, who have since been charged with murder. On a personal level, I am heartbroken and ...
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WORLD Zambia pardon, fashion house, HIV+ mayor, Costa Rica marriage
Zambia's president pardoned a gay couple sentenced to 15 years in prison in November under colonial-era sodomy laws in a case that caused a diplomatic conflict with the United States, Reuters reported. Japhet Chataba, 39, and ...
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THEATER Larry Kramer (1935-2020), polemicist and playwright
Larry Kramer was an angry man and he made sure people knew it. The language of his public discourse—the hundreds of articles he wrote and speeches he made, his novels and plays—drips with venom, insult, sarcasm, ...
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Chicago House to present Impact of COVID-19 on trans communities May 29
CHICAGO, IL — Transgender people, who traditionally experience barriers accessing safe and affirming health care and having their concerns listened to and understood, are facing new challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the specific ...
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WORLD New HIV news, Catholic event, conversion therapy, Hungary anti-trans bill
A global trial stated that a new HIV drug injected every two months effectively reduces the rate of infection, and provides longer and stronger protection, than taking pills, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The four-year trial—conducted ...
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Lambda Legal holding HIV/COVID-19 event June 4
Lambda Legal will hold a virtual town hall, "HIV and COVID-19 in Illinois: Ensuring State Responses Protect Everyone Living with HIV," on Thursday, June 4, 2-3 p.m. CT. Lambda Legal Counsel and HIV Project Director Scott ...
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Chicago House forum looks at coronavirus, HIV overlaps
Illinois state Reps. Lamont Robinson and Greg Harris joined local advocates for an online discussion about the intersection between coronavirus pandemic and the HIVAIDS epidemic the afternoon of May 15. The discussion, the third part in ...
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Registration open for AIDS Run & Walk Chicago
On Saturday, Oct. 3, AIDS Run & Walk Chicago plans to look beyond the current state of affairs and focuses on what the community can do to create a better future for people living with HIV and AIDS. Contact the AIDS ...
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Harris, Robinson to talk intersection of COVID-19, HIV epidemic, marginalization
CHICAGO, IL — Illinois House Majority Leader Greg Harris and State Rep. Lamont J. Robinson will headline a public online conversation this Friday surrounding the intersections of COVID-19 and the HIV epidemic, two diseases that create ...
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Planned Parenthood opens new center in Lake County
Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) is building on its 100-year history of providing essential healthcare by announcing the opening of a new, state-of-the-art health center in Waukegan that will enhance ...
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AFC adopts new logo, brand identity
After a year of research and development, AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) is proud to launch its new brand and identity. In early 2019, AFC engaged People Who Care—a Chicago-based consultancy ...
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IL Lt. Gov, Comptroller online roundtable: COVID-19, HIV epidemic, LGBTQ+ marginalization
CHICAGO, IL — The COVID-19 pandemic presents unique challenges to LGBTQ+ communities, people living with or most vulnerable to HIV, and to people of color, and is further exacerbated at the intersection of those populations in ...
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WORLD HIV+ Ugandan men, employment lawsuit, Chilean rejection
Mbarara Rise Foundation (MRF) issued a statement expressing concern about the safety, well-being and health of LGBTQI persons living in Uganda and, especially, for HIV-positive gay men. Founder/Executive Director Real ...
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NATIONAL Trans students, HIV+ men released, LGBTQ judge, centers, Joe Biden
North Carolina's transgender students are worried that their privacy and safety are being put at risk as schools switch to teaching students online during the coronavirus pandemic, The Herald reported. North Carolina's public schools use a ...
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HIV leadership gets focused COVID-19 news to people living with HIV
April 9, 2020 (Nationwide) — In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, 10 national, community-centered HIV service & advocacy organizations partnered to create a resource guide focused on supporting people living ...
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Open Door may close amid staff firings, possible loss of funds
Open Door Health Center of Illinois (formerly Open Door Clinic) is teetering on the brink of closure due to financial issues, according to current and former staff members. The organization's mission, according to its website, "is ...
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Advocates: LGBTQs face additional complications in pandemic
Members of the LGBT community face additional healthcare challenges as they contend with the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, according to national LGBTQ-health advocates and officials speaking in a March 25 webinar. ...
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International AIDS Conference to go digital
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 23rd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2020), to be held July 6-10, will become the first virtual edition of the International AIDS Conference. An announcement from AIDS 2020 International Chair Anton ...
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AFC head details coronavirus response
AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is among the Chicago agencies that have mobilized an aggressive response to the coronavirus crisis. AFC President and CEO John Peller, who has led the agency since 2014, discussed AFC's strategies ...
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Stop comparing coronavirus to early HIV/AIDS. Just stop.
People ask me if our lives today feel like the early years of HIV/AIDS, and I want to scream. There is no comparison. Just stop. No one cared about people dying of AIDS in the early years of the pandemic. The ...
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Williams Institute: Florida's HIV criminal laws undermine public health efforts
Florida's HIV criminal laws may undermine the state's public health efforts by deterring people from seeking HIV testing and treatment, stigmatizing those with HIV, and disproportionately affecting the communities most impacted by ...
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Chicago House looks into alleged theft of agency funds
Chicago House and Social Service Agency has launched an investigation into alleged theft by its former chief financial officer (CFO), who was arrested in late January for allegedly embezzling from another agency. The recently discovered theft ...
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'Love Out Loud' ball Feb. 8
In Demand Entertainment and CSU Royal Court are presenting the Love Out Loud Ball on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2-10 p.m., at Chicago State University's Student Union Building, 9501 S. King Dr. The ball-approved event is offering ...
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Conference on AIDS changes name to Conference on HIV
Feb. 3, 2020 - NMAC announced today that the name of the United States Conference on AIDS will be changed to the United States Conference on HIV (USCH). The conference will be held in San Juan, ...
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Season of Concern has new board president
Season of Concern—the Chicagoland theater community's fundraising effort that provides compassionate care to those in the theater community who are experiencing the effects of illness or injury, and provides support ...
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WORLD Swiss votes, HIV+ pilot, Indonesian raids, Dutch beauty expert
On Feb. 9, Switzerland residents will decide on extending the scope of anti-racism legislation to include discrimination based on sexual orientation, according to SwissInfo.ch. According to the website, this revision is needed, as current law does ...
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NATIONAL Presidential candidates, HIV news, Seattle LGBTQ bars, Tom of Finland
Presidential candidate Tom Steyer was baffled by his own comments he previously made on protecting the health of LGBTQ asylum seekers when asked to flesh out his plan during a New York Times interview, The Washington ...
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IDPH welcomes new HIV section chief
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced its new HIV section chief, Andrea Perez. Perez will play a crucial role in overseeing the administration of HIV surveillance, prevention and diagnosis, and care under Ryan White ...
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Federal court upholds injunction preventing discharge of HIV+ airmen
(Richmond, VA, January 10, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a lower court ruling inRoe & Voe v. Esper that halted efforts by the Trump administration to discharge members ...
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Mayor, CDPH announce decline in HIV diagnoses
On Dec. 23, Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that new HIV diagnoses in Chicago hit a record low—continuing a trend of four consecutive years of declines. A total ...
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AIDS Garden Chicago supporters celebrate Keith Haring sculpture installation
AIDS Garden Chicago supporters gathered Dec. 20 at the 2.5 acre lakefront garden site south of Belmont Harbor near the location of the now-defunct Belmont Rocks to celebrate the installation of the 30 foot Keith Haring ...
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Community turns out for World of Chocolate
About 1,000 Chicagoans and other visitors showed up at Revel Fulton Market in the West Loop for AIDS Foundation of Chicago's annual World of Chocolate fundraiser, which shows off the finest confections from local-area vendors to ...
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CCH HIV chief discusses prevention and treatment efforts
According to Toyin Adeyemi, MD, an infectious disease specialist who is Cook County Health's (CCH) senior director of HIV services, the statewide Getting to Zero initiative, aimed at virtually eliminating new HIV transmissions in the state ...
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Panel faces legal challenges for trans and HIV-positive service members
U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-5) was joined by legal experts at the Pritzker Military Museum the afternoon of Dec. 2 for a discussion of the ongoing challenges facing U.S. military personnel who are transgender and/or HIV ...
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Podcast Plague, Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church launches World AIDS Day, Dec. 1
America Media will launch Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church, a six-episode podcast series, on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2019. Reported by Michael O'Loughlin, who has covered the Catholic Church and L.G.B.T. ...
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