AIDSWatch 2025 Agenda
Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel
2800 Potomac Ave, Arlington, VA 22202
Monday, March 31
2:30 PM – 6:00 PM — Registration Check-in
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM — Institutes Session #1
Institute: The Urgency of Now: A Strategy Session for People Living with HIV and Caucus Members
Studio B
Institute: Built to Bloom: A multigenerational conversation with Black women leading the advocacy efforts in HIV – brought to you by the Melanated Movement. (90 min)
Studio E
Institute: Connecting U.S. and Global Advocacy: Building Power to Fight for Our Lives
Studio F
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM — Institutes Session #2
Institute: New Advocate Connect
Studio B
Institute: Using Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies (bnAbs) to End HIV
Studio F
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM — AIDSWatch Welcome/Reception
Grand Ballroom
Tuesday, April 1
~7:30 AM — Breakfast
Grand Ballroom
~8:30 AM – 12:10 PM — General Session & Plenary
Grand Ballroom
12:10 PM – 12:50 PM — Lunch
Grand Ballroom
12:50 PM – 1:05 PM — State Coordinator & Advocates Connect
Grand Ballroom
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM — Workshops Session #1
Community Resilience in Appalachia: Ensuring Continuity of HIV and Substance Use Disorder Services During Disasters
Location: Potomac 1
Speakers: A. Toni Young; Lee Storrow; Lovina John Community Education Group, Lost River, WV
Track: Communities
Description: This workshop will address the impact of natural disasters, like Hurricane Helene, on rural Appalachian communities, particularly those living with HIV and substance use disorder (SUD). Disasters often disrupt access to essential services, disproportionately affecting these vulnerable populations. The workshop will introduce the concept of community resilience, which involves building local capacity to adapt and recover during emergencies, ensuring continuity of care for HIV treatment, prevention, and support. Attendees will explore how strengthening community awareness, resources, and emergency response plans can mitigate the effects of disasters and safeguard the well-being of underserved individuals.
Funding the Fight: Mastering the Federal Budget for HIV Advocacy
Location: Potomac 2
Speaker: Nick Armstrong, The AIDS Institute, Washington, DC
Track: Advocacy Skills
Description: Understanding the federal funding process is crucial to ensuring sustained and adequate resources for HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs. This workshop will demystify the intricate processes of budgeting, appropriations, and reconciliation, providing participants with the foundational knowledge to engage meaningfully in advocacy efforts. The federal budget sets the framework for government priorities by estimating revenue and proposing spending levels, while the appropriations process allocates specific funding to agencies and programs, such as those vital to ending the HIV epidemic. Reconciliation, a legislative tool, can be used to fast-track legislation that could impact important programs that provide HIV prevention and care, such as Medicaid, Medicare, and the ACA. With the return of a Trump administration and a Republican-controlled Congress, advocates must be prepared to navigate funding threats, including cuts to essential HIV programs and changes to healthcare policy that could jeopardize progress. Understanding these processes is essential to countering these risks and ensuring sustained funding and policy support for HIV programs. Through this session, attendees will learn how these processes interact, who the key players are, and where advocates can strategically intervene to influence outcomes. By understanding the mechanics of funding, participants will be empowered to better advocate for sustained resources, effectively address funding gaps, and advance the goal of ending the HIV epidemic in the United States.
From Barriers to Solutions: Advancing Community-Led Initiatives for Increased HIV Prevention Access
Location: Studio A
Speakers: Damián Cabrera, NMAC; Jonathan Ford, NMAC’s Gay Men of Color Fellowship, Fort Worth, TX; Phillip E Russell, NMAC’s Gay Men of Color Fellowship, Hilo, HI; Daniel G Garza, NMAC’s Gay Men of Color Fellowship, Laguna Beach, CA
Track: Prevention
Description: Participants will examine findings from a community-led study by the Gay Men of Color Fellowship that identified barriers to PrEP uptake, such as stigma, systemic mistrust, and limited provider knowledge. This workshop will explore the critical role of community engagement in shaping health initiatives, focusing on how lived experiences and community-driven insights can advance equitable access to PrEP for gay and bisexual men of color. The session will highlight successful strategies, including participatory research and peer-led advocacy, demonstrating how these approaches can be leveraged to dismantle barriers and build trust.
Protecting Health Insurance Coverage for People with HIV
Location: Studio E
Speaker: Rachel Klein, The AIDS Institute, Washington, DC
Track: Advocacy Skills
Description: In this workshop, we will talk about how Medicaid and ACA coverage work and why they are crucial for healthcare access—especially for people living with HIV and other vulnerable populations. We will also discuss congressional and administration threats, such as proposed federal budget cuts, changes to Medicaid eligibility, block grants, work requirements, and potential rollbacks of ACA provisions and what advocates can do to fight back.
HIV Criminalization: A Public Health Threat That Health Departments Can Address
Location: Studio F
Speakers: Jada Hicks, CHLP, Washington, DC; Dori Molozanov, NASTAD, Washington D.C.; Ronnie Taylor, Free State Justice, Maryland; and Adrian Guzman, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York
Track: Rights, Laws, Advocacy and Emerging Threats
Description: HIV criminalization continues to endanger the health and well-being of people living with HIV (PLHIV), especially Black people, Latine people, working class people, people living with disabilities, and women, and undermine public health efforts to end the HIV epidemic. State and local health departments play a critical role in HIV criminalization, whether it is exacerbating, mitigating, or eliminating the harms of these laws, policies, and practices.
An introductory presentation will explain HIV criminalization, including its origins, scope, common features, and disparate impact on marginalized communities.
A presenter will share their work to train and support health departments in addressing HIV criminalization. An additional presenter will highlight a recent example of a health department working to reduce these harms through education of decision-makers and support of PLHIV. Finally, an advocate will detail their coalition’s work to secure the support of state and local health departments for the repeal of an HIV criminalization offense.
The largest portion of the session will be a moderated discussion with the presenters. Audience members will drive the discussion, but the conversation will explicitly convey resources and networks to assist attendees in implementing these actions within their public health settings.
2:25 PM – 3:25 PM — Workshops Session #2
Breaking the Chains: Confronting Gender-Based Violence, HIV, and Misogynoir Through Anti-Carceral Solutions
Location: Potomac 1
Speakers: Akayla Galloway (Charlotte, NC) National Network to End Domestic Violence; Sallie Thomas (Long Island, NY) Positive Women’s Network
Track: Rights, Laws, Advocacy and Emerging Threats
Description: This presentation aims to explore the critical intersections of gender based violence, HIV, and misogynoir within the context of the US policy, focusing on black women who experience heightened vulnerabilities at these intersections. We face compounded challenges due to systemic racism and sexism and the weaponization of HIV criminalization, which exasperate the cycle of violence, stigma and injustice. This workshop will analyze current policy frameworks, their shortcomings and propose anti-carceral, community based alternatives for fostering resilience and accountability.
Confronting the Threats: Advancing Harm Reduction Strategies on Capitol Hill
Location: Potomac 2
Speaker: Naomi Gaspard, The AIDS Institute, Rockville, MD
Track: Syndemics and Comorbidities
Description: In recent years, harm reduction has become more mainstream and a priority across federal agencies. However, the shift from the Biden-Harris administration to the Trump-Vance administration could signal a shift from an environment which enabled and championed harm reduction efforts to one which might examine these programs negatively or mute efforts to expand them. Lessons from the previous Trump administration show that we might experience an increased focus on law enforcement and public safety or resistance to supporting harm reduction as it might condone drug use.
It is critical now more than ever for an event like AIDS Watch where advocates are in-person to showcase how various HIV funding and programming positively impact their communities. AIDS Watch is a unique opportunity for advocates to ensure that harm reduction initiatives are sustained and continue to grow. The Republican majority Labor, Health & Human Services House Appropriations Subcommittee proposed a $6.1m increase to the CDC’s Infectious & Opioid Disease line item in August 2024. This is a positive sign that there is still room to promote greater resources for these programs. This workshop will provide advocates space to discuss how and what to prioritize when messaging for harm reduction advocacy.
Breaking the Stigma: Exploring HIV's Impact on Marginalized Communities Through HIM+
Location: Studio A
Speaker: Chazriq “Chazam” Clarke, Chazam Dreams, Lauderdale Lakes, FL
Track: Communities
Description: HIM+ is a compelling short film that follows the journey of Chris, a recent Morehouse College graduate, as he navigates life after an HIV+ diagnosis. Through Chris’s story, the film sheds light on the challenges faced by Black LGBTQ+ individuals, tackling themes of stigma, resilience, and the power of faith and community. This presentation delves into the film’s message and its mission to spark meaningful conversations about HIV’s impact on marginalized communities, fostering education, empathy, and advocacy.
Purple Orchid: Advocacy in Bloom
Location: Studio E
Speaker: Jonathan W. Anderson Organization: Unspoken Treasure Society, Jacksonville, Florida and Gainesville, Florida
Track: Prevention
Description: “Purple Orchid: Advocacy in Bloom,” is an informative workshop highlighting how Purple Orchid Master Peer Specialist Program, designed specifically for BIPOC cisgender and transgender women living with or affected by HIV/AIDS is helping advocacy, care and mindfulness blossom. In this session, we’ll explore the unique challenges faced by our communities and discuss vital topics such as self-care, navigating healthcare systems, and understanding legal rights related to health and wellness. Through sharing insights and experiences, we aim to foster a supportive atmosphere that encourages connection and understanding.
This workshop will provide valuable information and resources to help you build your advocacy skills and gain confidence in expressing your health needs. Together, we will discuss effective strategies to challenge stigma and work towards better health outcomes in our communities. Join us as we cultivate a network of empowered voices, ensuring that the spirit of advocacy blooms and leads us toward a brighter future.
The San Francisco Principles 2020: The Growing Needs on an Aging HIV Population
Location: Studio F
Speaker: Paul A. Aguilar, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, San Francisco CA
Track: Communities
Description: The San Francisco Principles 2020 build on the Denver Principles (1983) to amplify the voices of long-term HIV/AIDS survivors (LTS) facing unique challenges as they age. This declaration highlights the urgent need for attention to the interconnected issues of aging, health inequity, and systemic neglect affecting marginalized communities.
LTS survivors often experience accelerated physical and mental decline due to factors like poverty, stigma, and limited healthcare access. Their contributions to HIV/AIDS knowledge and advocacy are frequently overlooked in research and policymaking. The San Francisco Principles call for specialized geriatric care and accessible mental health services that acknowledge their experiences.
Increasing the representation of LTS survivors in decision-making ensures fair resource allocation. The San Francisco Principles advocate for a unified approach that links the struggles of HIV/AIDS survivors to broader social justice movements. Panelists will discuss how collaborative efforts can address systemic disparities and promote health equity for people of color and those living with HIV/AIDS.
Beyond the High: Advancing Harm Reduction Strategies for Chemsex in Black Queer Communities
Location: Salon 1
Speaker: Daniel J. Downer / Asheville, NC
Track: Prevention
Description: For Black gay and queer communities, chemsex is often a pleasure-centered practice, but systemic inequities limit access to affirming healthcare. This workshop reimagines harm reduction as a tool for joy, safety, and empowerment, offering strategies for both substance use and sexual health that prioritize cultural responsiveness.
Participants will explore harm reduction approaches that frame safer chemsex as an act of pleasure and well-being. Topics include sexual health strategies like doxy-PEP, PrEP, TasP, and STI vaccinations, as well as policy advocacy to challenge stigma and expand equitable access to care. The workshop will also highlight community-driven solutions grounded in Black queer lived experiences.
Masterclass: Advocacy in the Disinformation Age
Location: Salon 2
Speakers: Christina Adeleke, AIDS United, Washington, D.C.; Anna DeShawn, E3 Radio/The Qube, Chicago, IL; Johnnie Ray Kornegay III, Counter Narrative Project, Chester, PA; Dr. Ravi Perry, Howard University, Washington, D.C.; DaShawn Usher, GLAAD, Atlanta, GA
Track: Advocacy Skills
Description:
The rise of online disinformation has fueled HIV stigma and discrimination across social media platforms, undermining advocacy efforts and public health initiatives. This workshop equips advocates with the tools and strategies needed to counteract false narratives effectively.
Participants will:
- Develop criteria to assess and vet the credibility of information sources.
- Learn best practices from AIDS United and the Counter Narrative Project (CNP) for combating disinformation.
- Explore the critical role of influencers and advocates as agents of narrative change.
- Gain practical skills to craft and share personal stories that challenge HIV-related disinformation.
This interactive session will feature a multimedia presentation from our advocacy toolkit, showcasing insights from leaders who are reshaping the discourse on HIV advocacy in the digital age. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies to amplify truth and promote positive narratives in their communities.
3:35 PM – 4:35 PM — Workshops Session #3
Advocacy in Action: Amplifying the Voices of People Aging with HIV
Location: Potomac 1
Speakers: Terri L Wilder, SAGE, Minneapolis, MN; Ronald S. Johnson US People Living with HIV Caucus, Silver Spring, MD; Aaron Tax, SAGE, Washington, DC
Track: Advocacy Skills
Description: This interactive workshop prepares advocates to effectively communicate the needs of older people living with HIV during meetings with elected officials. As the number of people aging with HIV continues to rise, addressing their unique challenges—such as healthcare access, stigma, and social support—is essential to ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S. The session will focus on key advocacy skills, including how to frame discussions on HIV and aging, use respectful language, and make clear, actionable policy asks. Participants will learn how to craft powerful personal stories that humanize the issue and advocate for policies that ensure better healthcare, funding, and resources for older adults with HIV. Role-playing exercises will provide practice for engaging lawmakers from both parties, helping advocates refine their message and gain confidence. By equipping advocates with the tools to address HIV and aging in legislative visits, this workshop will help shift policies toward a more inclusive, equitable approach to HIV care and prevention. Advocates will be empowered to push for changes that address the specific needs of older adults with HIV, reducing health disparities and advancing efforts to end the HIV epidemic.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the unique challenges faced by older people living with HIV, including healthcare access, stigma, and social support needs.
- Discuss effective advocacy techniques for engaging elected officials, including how to craft clear policy asks and use respectful, inclusive language when discussing HIV and aging.
- Demonstrate how to craft and present personal stories that highlight the impact of HIV and aging, in preparation for legislative meetings.
Braidwood at the Supreme Court: Navigating Potential Outcomes and Strategic Planning
Location: Potomac 2
Speaker: Jose Abrigo, Lambda Legal, New York, NY
Track: Rights, Laws, Advocacy and Emerging Threats
Description: The Supreme Court’s decision to grant certiorari in Braidwood v. Becerra raises significant stakes for the future of public health policy, preventive care access, and the role of federal agencies in shaping healthcare standards. This presentation will explore the key legal issues before the Court, including the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services mandate and its implications for public health equity.
We will discuss potential outcomes of the case, from narrow rulings to sweeping decisions that could undermine the authority of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and other expert bodies. The presentation will also highlight the critical need for proactive planning, including coalition-building, public messaging, and legislative advocacy, to mitigate potential harm to vulnerable communities.
As Braidwood presents a pivotal moment for healthcare advocates and policymakers, this session will provide actionable insights for anticipating and responding to the Court’s decision while reinforcing the importance of collaborative advocacy to safeguard preventive healthcare access for all.
Increasing Access to Long-Acting Injectable PrEP through National, State, and Local Policy Solutions
Location: Studio A
Speakers: Latonia Wilkins, Co-Executive Director at Project Red Paint, Atlanta, GA; Michael Chancley, Communications and Mobilization Manager at PrEP4All, Atlanta, GA; Jeremiah Johnson, Executive Director at PrEP4All, New York, NY
Track: Prevention
Description: PrEP4All has been the leading organization calling for a National PrEP Program (NPP) to immediately address significant racial and gender disparities in uptake of HIV PrEP. Following the Biden Administration’s 2023 proposal for a PrEP for All to End the HIV Epidemic program, advocates have pursued all possible pathways to funding, successfully working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to launch five pilots in key jurisdictions in October 2024.
Such programs are especially crucial now. Data from CDC has shown racial disparities have only widened as only 13% of Black people who could benefit from PrEP have received a prescription, in comparison to 94% of white people who could benefit.
Through consultations with PrEP users, providers, community leaders, health department representatives, and researchers, PrEP4All has identified simplified medication access for un- and underinsured populations as a major pillar for an NPP. While access to generic PrEP is key to scaling up PrEP uptake, addressing complexity of cost coverage and other barriers to accessing lenacapivir, a promising long-acting injectable PrEP product by Gilead Sciences, will improve outcomes for populations not benefiting from PrEP. This workshop will identify policy solutions to increase access to lenecapavir and address PrEP disparities.
Coalition Building for State Advocacy with Courage Forward Strategies & Southern AIDS Coalition
Location: Studio D
Speakers: Sara Ziegler, Courage Forward Strategies; Aliyah Ali, Courage Forward Strategies; Will Ramirez, Southern AIDS Coalition
Description: Whether you are looking to mobilize new partners, strengthen your coalition, or overcome roadblocks, this interactive session will provide the tools and strategies you need to move your goals forward. Aliyah, Will, and Sara work with you to troubleshoot challenges, explore real-world examples, and share proven approaches for coalition-building that drive meaningful change. Drawing from their experience in policy advocacy strategy, advocacy training, and grassroots mobilization, they will guide participants through practical frameworks for advancing equitable public health policies. We will also introduce adaptable strategies from the RxEACH initiative, a model designed to expand HIV prevention services in pharmacies, that can be applied to a range of HIV and social justice advocacy efforts. By the end of the workshop, you will walk away with concrete next steps, valuable resources, and a stronger network to support your work.
Syndemic Approaches in Rural Areas: Economic and Workforce Development for Health Equity
Location: Studio E
Speakers: A. Toni Young; Lee Storrow; Lovina John, Community Education Group, Lost River, WV
Track: Syndemics and Comorbidities
Description: This workshop will explore the intersection of syndemic health issues, such as substance use disorder (SUD), HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with economic and workforce development, particularly in rural communities. Participants will learn how economic distress and lack of opportunities exacerbate syndemic conditions and increase vulnerability to HIV and other health outcomes. Strategies such as employing Community Health Workers (CHWs) and promoting Second Chance Employment (SCE) will be highlighted as solutions to enhance workforce development while addressing health disparities. The session will emphasize the critical role of economic stability in ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S. through innovative, community-driven approaches.
The Threat Has Always Been Here: Stigmatized Diseases and the Weaponization of Health Data
Location: Studio F
Speakers: Amir Sadeghi, CHLP, New York, NY; Kelly Flannery, PWN-USA, Philadelphia, PA, Benjamin Brooks The Institute for Health Research & Policy at Whitman-Walker, Venita Ray The US People Living with HIV Caucus
Track: Rights, Laws, Advocacy and Emerging Threats
Description: This panel will discuss the evolving legal, policy, and ethical landscape about the dangers of porous and inconsistent safeguards surrounding sensitive HIV health information. For decades, mandatory disease reporting requirements have led to the collection and analysis of HIV-related information that is then shared across jurisdictions without uniform legal protections in place to prevent patient data from being weaponized against people living with HIV. This has undermined trust between PLHIV and our medical and public health infrastructure, jeopardizing public health by alienating marginalized people away from care. For several years, molecular HIV surveillance (MHS), a pillar of the initiative to end the HIV epidemic in the United States, has inflamed these issues even more by forcing states to map sexual and social networks of HIV transmission without the knowledge or consent of PLHIV.
Panelists will unpack the public health rationale for MHS and discuss its legal and ethical issues by drawing from the groundswell of PLHIV-led advocacy targeting public health practices that harm their communities. Participants will learn the realities of HIV criminalization in the United States, the advocacy movement formed to dismantle it, and engage with principles to better protect the health, dignity, and bodily autonomy of PLHIV and people affected by HIV.
Centering Latine Immigrant and Undocumented Voices in HIV Advocacy
Location: Salon 1
Speakers: Omar Martinez Gonzalez (he/him), AIDS Foundation Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Milani Varela (she/her/they/them), CALOR-AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Chicago, Illinois
Track: Communities
Description: We cannot end the HIV epidemic in the United States without centering our most vulnerable communities. The HIV epidemic has disproportionately impacted Black and Latine communities, and despite the progress we have made over the last decade to reduce the burden on impacted communities, the progress has not been equitable. While HIV incidence fell for White and Black individuals in 2022, rates remained the same for the Latine community at 39% of all new diagnoses among same gender-loving men. This panel will discuss the intersection of immigration status and the HIV epidemic from a first-person, lived experience lens, the work that immigrants are leading in the U.S. to help end the HIV epidemic, and how immigrant and undocumented people can unite to advocate for HIV priorities at all levels of government.
Addressing HIV Seroconversion Among Transmasculine Individuals: Strategies for Change
Location: Salon 2
Speaker: Yves Chu, HIV Advocacy Network, San Francisco, CA
Track: Communities
Description: This workshop examines the increasing rates of HIV seroconversion among transmasculine individuals, shedding light on unique risk factors and barriers to care, elucidated by first-hand experience. Participants will gain insights into culturally competent prevention strategies, inclusive healthcare practices, and community-led solutions to support this population. Designed for advocates, providers, and educators, the session emphasizes actionable steps to create equitable and affirming care environments.
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM — AIDSWatch Congressional Reception
Rayburn Foyer, Rayburn House Office Building
Wednesday, April 2
7:30 AM – 8 AM — Bus from RACV to Capitol Hill
8:00 AM – 8:45 AM — AIDSWatch Rally
Capitol lawn / El jardín del Capitolio
9 AM – 5 PM — Congressional meetings
Individual schedules will vary / Los programas individuales pueden variar
For any issues with Hill meetings Wednesday, please contact Soapbox directly at (202) 362-5910.
To view the agenda in Spanish, click here. / Para ver la agenda en español, haga clic en el enlace.
