QNotes, August 20, 2021

HRC Takes Aim at Gen Z With Program
to Create an HIV-Free Generation
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) launched the My Body, My Health campaign on June
22. Now, over a month later, the campaign has expanded with the creation of Generate.
“There is no question that the next generation of health activists will have a
powerful role to play in putting an end to the HIV epidemic and boosting positivity
around prevention and treatment measures,” says Alphonso David, president of HRC,
“Marginalized people disproportionately bear the brunt of social and economic inequities
that fuel HIV stigma and discrimination.”
The goal of Generate is to spark a conversation between one LGBTQ-identified
Black or LatinX person and another, creating a system of role models for those in danger
of contracting HIV or those living with HIV. With the collaborative efforts of Gilead
Sciences, one of California’s top bio-pharmaceutical companies, the Human Rights
Campaign has been able to study the correlation between Black, Indigenous and other
people of color and their sexual health.
Through this research, HRC found that one of the primary factors in each of these
cases is the limitation to adequate health care. Us Helping Us, an organization dedicated
to finding holistic solutions to HIV/AIDS, partnered with HRC as well, allowing interested
parties to have an in-home STD/HIV testing kit delivered to their front doorsteps.
Within the My Body, My Health campaign, the HRC has created an HBCU
(Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Sexual Health Directory. This links university
students to health care professionals and services both on and around campus.
Using a “find your school” search engine, prospective students may also see what
contraceptives, testing or telemedicine is offered in over 50 colleges.
Some of the North Carolina-based universities include Bennett College, Elizabeth
City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, St.
Augustine’s College, Winston-Salem State University and Shaw University. The goal
with Generate is similar: to find advocates in college campuses to spread sexual health
information to their peers.
Sign-ups for the program will continue through August 19. For those interested, go
to bit.ly/3CAaQEx.
Facilitators urge applicants to keep in mind that advocates must be between 18
and 24 years of age, have access to technology that allows virtual training for webinar
participation, be willing to share personal HIV-related stories, be of Black or LatinX
heritage and be fully vaccinated.
Each fellow will receive a $1,000 stipend but will not receive hourly wages. Only
15 individuals will be selected for Generate in 2021. To pose any questions or concerns,
contact HRC’s Associate Director of HIV and Health Equity Vanessa Castr at
vanessa.castro@hrc.org.
info: bit.ly/3iKmZ1z
— Julianna Peres
P-Town Experiences COVID-19
Delta Variant Outbreak
Provincetown, Massachusetts, a town with
3,000 year-round residents, has been a haven for
the LGBTQ community long before COVID-19 hit.
Their annual festivals and parties are dominated
by the gay male circuit scene, but have grown to
include events like Womxn of Color Weekend,
Bear Week and Carnival, all bringing in tens of
thousands of visitors. Although guests are always
welcome to this stretch of mainland, Provincetown
became concerned that they would bring more
than just their enthusiasm; they feared they would
also bring new strains of the COVID-19 virus.
The July 4 holiday weekend confirmed those
fears. Thousands of guests poured into the town, participating in the legendary parties
and activities without wearing any masks. Not long after, between July 3 and July
17, 469 Massachusetts residents were reported to have COVID-19 by the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC). Over 75 percent of these individuals were fully vaccinated and,
as per the state’s face mask restrictions, did not wear any coverings when engaging in
the fun that Provincetown had to offer.
Once the numbers broke, Provincetown natives started to speak up. Director and curator
of the AMP Gallery, Debbie Nadolney, said that she and her partner were one of the
first to demand that all patrons use face coverings and social distance whenever possible.
“Provincetown is such a little place, but obviously we’ve been a petri dish for the
country,” Nadolney explained.
Provincetown’s Manager, Alex Morse, told CNN, “What we’re taking from here is
that this Delta variant is highly transmissible, more contagious, more likely to have a
breakthrough infection, but it’s not likely you’re going to be hospitalized, and you’re
certainly not going to die.”
Despite saying that this variant is not necessarily lethal, Morse laments the 103
new cases of COVID-19 in the town, saying that the most efficient way to rid the
LGBTQ sanctuary from the virus is by getting the vaccine. With local entrepreneurs
and employees taking it upon themselves to create stricter mask and vaccine regulations,
numbers are dropping.
Hotel owner Ken Horgan shares, “if you’re planning to travel and you’re not vaccinated,
please, please don’t come to Provincetown. We really take our health seriously,
and for our local businesses to survive, we need to stay operational. And to stay
operational, we need to stay healthy.”
info: wapo.st/3COfuyE
— Julianna Peres
Aug. 20-Sept. 2, 2021 qnotes 7