Lanzamiento de la Fraternidad de Hombres Gays de Color de NMAC

Luego de meses de planificación, la Fraternidad de Hombres Gay de Color sobre prevención biomédica ha sido lanzada. El compromiso de les miembres me inspira [link to bios]. Es un privilegio poder amplificar sus voces según desarrollamos juntos esta campaña para las redes sociales.

Este programa es muy significativo para mí porque busca romper con los silencios. Como hombre gay nacido y criado dentro de un contexto colonial, los conozco muy de cerca. Me refiero a los silencios que se me impusieron. De la misma manera en que el poder político inhibe la autodeterminación de la isla, la normativa cultural en Puerto Rico se impone sobre mi cuerpo y mi sexualidad.

El motor de la resistencia al no conformar con la norma, ha sido para muchos de nosotros, el poder auto-empoderarnos y reclamar nuestro espacio y nuestras vidas. Resistir es informarnos, llenar los vacíos de una educación sexual ineficiente fundamentada en el miedo y la heteronorma. Me correspondió a mí resignificar mi sexualidad como hombre gay y aprender a disfrutar del placer sin reparos.

Nos encontramos en un momento histórico, donde los avances en la prevención biomédica nos dan la oportunidad de enfocarnos en el placer y no en el miedo. Desde el 2012, la PrEP(Profilaxis pre-exposición, por sus siglas en inglés) está disponible para prevenir el VIH. De igual modo, la profilaxis post-exposición, o PEP por sus siglas en inglés, puede ser tomada luego de un evento de exposición. Las personas que viven con VIH no transmiten el virus si su carga viral está no detectable; empoderándose de su estado de indetectabilidad para también enfocarse en el placer. Sin embargo, son las personas afectadas desproporcionalmente por la epidemia las que carecen de un acceso apropiado a estas nuevas tecnologías para la prevención.

Las personas de color hemos sido históricamente inhibidas de los procesos de toma de decisiones y a la equidad en el accesos a los sistemas de salud, impactando no tan solo nuestras experiencias de vida sino también lo más cercano que tenemos, nuestro cuerpo. A pesar de que la prevención biomédica ha avanzado, aún faltan espacios donde se hable para la comunidad desde la comunidad.

Bajo este fundamento es que se desarrolla la Fraternidad de Hombres Gays de Color. Aunque nuestras propias experiencias informan el trabajo que hacemos como parte de NMAC, reconocemos la importancia de proveer nuestras plataformas y su alcance a la diversidad de voces que compone nuestra comunidad. Desde la fraternidad se desarrolla una campaña de redes sociales fundamentada en sus 18 miembres. Se reconoce que son elles les expertes en sus experiencias y en cómo enfrentar los silencios, especialmente aquellos alrededor del sexo y el placer entre personas de color.

Desde el comienzo, les miembres han tenido la oportunidad de informar el desarrollo del branding, los temas a incluir y los visuales. Además de proveer un espacio para dialogar sobre las cosas que nos afectan como comunidad, el programa contiene varios componentes como entrenamientos, webinars dirigidos a nuestros constituyentes y oportunidades para extender sus redes, ya sea virtuales y personales.

Me siento honrado de contar con un grupo maravilloso de miembres con un compromiso y una pasión que me energiza. Abajo pueden encontrar algunos de sus trabajos. Si le interesa conocer más sobre la campaña siga #gmoc en todas las redes sociales. Para conocer más sobre cada uno de les miembres, presione aquí.

Damián Cabrera
Gerente de Programas- División de Tratamiento

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUKe4pir7ys/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUdvaSNs8lE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUf9ihqBWIs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUQRkmCJWGU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PTSD

Figuring out how to survive can be overwhelming. As I look back on my life, I see how the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) of HIV still impacts my life. Combine that with the isolation and trauma of COVID, and my feelings of depression are real. Trauma informed HIV services are more critical than ever. Our staff, clients, and donors are all going thought it. How do you manage the PTSD of HIV in the middle of the COVID epidemic?

I thought life would start getting back to normal this fall, so the Delta variant has been a gut punch. With breakthrough infections and so many people unwilling to get vaccinated, I worry about the future. The worry can lead to depression because there is no end in sight. The excitement about vaccines has been tempered by the need for boosters.

I’m sharing my journey because there is so much stigma about depression and too often it goes untreated. I grew up in a family that believed depression was a luxury for the rich. Therapy was for people with money. Looking back on my parents, I believe the PSTD they suffered in the internment camps during WWII set the trajectory for their lives. To this day, life in the camps is not openly discussed in most Japanese families. As children of survivors, we have little to no information about what happened.

It’s time to take back the narrative. What happened in the camps to my parents was not their fault. What happened to my community at the start of the HIV epidemic was not our fault. What happened to the world during COVID is not our fault. My parents lived in shame with the burden of being Japanese when the US was at war with Japan. Too many gay men live in shame and take on the unfair burden that HIV was a punishment from God. Too many people will die from COVID because they don’t trust the government or vaccines.

As we fight our way back, the need for trauma informed HIV services is more critical than ever. We are a world in trauma trying to provide HIV services to communities who have been traumatized because they are different. Thank you Jeffrey Long for the infographic. It’s time to “come out of the closet” again. PTSD is real and its not our fault. I am crazy because of a chemical imbalance that was triggered by life experiences beyond my control. Too many people suffer from the stigma of living with HIV. This stigma can lead to isolation which is a pathway to depression. On better days I wear my depression as a badge of honor because it reminds me that I survived the early days of the HIV epidemic. The pain reminds me to never forget the people we lost and to fight like hell for the living. I’ve also learned that asking for help is not a bad or weak thing. There are healthcare professionals and medications that can make a difference. You are not alone. In my mind I will outlive COVID. Now I just need to convince my heart.

God is Love and Love is for Everyone,
Paul Kawata
NMAC

Paul Kawata

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NMAC Announces 2021 Capitol Hill Champions Award Recipients

NMAC is pleased to announce Chairwoman Maxine Waters and U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge as the 2021 Capitol Hill Champions Awards recipients. The awards will be presented at a virtual event in December.

In honor of the late John Lewis and Elijah Cummings, NMAC will present awards in their names for their lifelong commitment to racial justice and creating equality for all.

The John Lewis Good Trouble Award will be awarded to Chairwoman Waters who embodies John Lewis’ dedication to racial equality on all fronts. Throughout Chairwoman Waters’s 40 years of public service, she has been at the foreground of tackling controversial and difficult issues. Whether it be her success on affirmative action legislation during her time as a California state legislator to spearheading the creation of the Minority AIDS Initiative, Maxine Waters has been a champion of human rights and embodiment of dedication to racial equality. The award will be presented by last year’s recipient, Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The Elijah Cummings Award for Minority Health Equality will be presented to Secretary Fudge, who dedicated her congressional career to fighting for healthcare equality and equity for minority communities. As Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congresswoman from Ohio, Marcia Fudge successfully tackled issues spanning the political gamut. Through her leadership as HUD Secretary, she is working vigorously to solve issues such as the growing homelessness crisis and racial disparities affecting homeowners. The award will be presented by Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings.

What Is Fair?


A White Gay colleague recently shared his concerns about speaking out and not getting canceled. I appreciated his courage and honesty. This is a difficult time. Between COVID, Black Lives Matter, the Jan. 6th insurrection, and climate change, the paradigm is shifting, and we are still working out what that means.  There are no clear rules and that can be scary. What some White folks don’t understand is that the world was built to accommodate them and their culture. Making a world that works for people of color and people who are different means taking some of that away. For example, “what is fair” usually is code for “what is fair to White people?” When something is fair to people of color but not White people, then it’s usually deemed unfair. Or the transverse, when something is fair to White people but not People of Color, then it is usually deemed fair.

Last year White America woke to the over policing of Black people through the killing of George Floyd and too many others to name. What happens when something is unfair to People of Color but needed in White communities? This is the paradigm shift that America is working to answer. In our fight to end HIV, PrEP users are 75% White, yet the majority of people living with HIV and the majority of new cases of HIV are among people of color. PrEP is reaching Gay White men, but not Gay Black men. What does that mean?

I remember talking with a White straight cisgender male federal official who told me he had the answers for ending the epidemic. Yet his leadership brought no changes in the outcomes. What happens if we end the HIV epidemic in White America while HIV continues for People of Color? Some might say the fight is over and we won.

To my White friends, here is how I navigate these challenges. As an old fem Asian cisgender Gay man and the Executive Director of the agency formerly known as the National Minority AIDS Council, I am professionally aware of the privileges and discrimination that goes with how I present myself to the world. Part of my job is to hold-up communities that are often overlooked or undervalued. Most of my job is to listen and learn from those communities.

When I am in spaces for African Americans, Latinx, American Indians/Alaska Natives, women, the transgender community, people living with HIV, then I shut the fu** up and listen. When I am in spaces for People of Color, Asians, LGBTQ, or the general HIV community, then I fully engage and feel a responsibility to bring my perspective to the table. It’s been my experience that most people get in trouble when they try to fully engage at tables not meant for them. My experience of too many White people, especially cisgender White heterosexual men, is they believe all the tables are set for them because mostly they are.

Privilege is taking all the oxygen out of the room. I purposely use my privilege in rooms full of White people. I want them to understand that they are not the only important voices. It took me a long time to get comfortable, some would say too comfortable, with this privilege. As an Asian man, it was not something that came naturally. In the world of HIV, it is a very important skill. It is difficult if not impossible for many of you to understand what it means to present as White, yet it is something that every person of color intimately knows. Our value depends on how we present ourselves in the world. The closer we show up as white heterosexual men the better. For most of us that is impossible, yet that is the gold standard for power and wealth in America.

COVID has made us insane, and I think it is the catalyst for this paradigm shift. The virus has makes us rethink everything. If this is my new reality, who do I want to be? Where do I want to live? How do I want to present myself to the world? For some of us, it will change the way we work. Are you willing to commute 90 minutes to and from work? I could never have imagined NMAC’s staff would primarily work from home, yet that is what we do.

COVID, Black Lives Matter, the Jan. 6 insurrection, and climate change have forced a reckoning. We can probably end the HIV epidemic in the White community by 2030, but if we stay on the same course, I have real doubts about ending HIV in communities of color. This is my pledge to the HIV movement: what is fair cannot be based on White privilege. Our work must embrace the challenge of what is fair to communities who have lived under generations of discrimination and oppression. This is bigger than change; it is a shift in the paradigm. Ending the HIV epidemic in America starts by re-looking at what is fair.

 

God is Love and Love is for Everyone,
Paul Kawata
NMAC

Paul Kawata

 

 

 

 

 

Remembering Carl

Archbishop Carl Bean passed last week. The funeral is Saturday. I’m going, but I’m not ready. I’m not ready to say goodbye to the man who changed the course of my life. It was Carl who talked me into taking the job at NMAC.

Carl’s many achievements were outlined in articles in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and on the Today Show. I knew a different Carl from the person in these publications. He was my friend and partner in crime. We were each other’s lifeline in the storm called AIDS. Together, we navigated some of the most difficult days in the epidemic. I knew the man who wanted to get away, if only for a moment, from the shackles of his position. I will never fully understand the burden of leading a religious movement, but I often saw it in his eyes as members reached out for answers. Why did God take my child?

Carl and I traveled the world together. He loved to go on cruises, so we went to Alaska to see the glaciers, the Caribbean to look for gentleman callers, and ultimately, a trans-Atlantic crossing from New York to Southampton. We visited the Vatican, the Louvre, and the west end of London. Most of these trips were work related because Carl was asked to preach all around the world to bring his unique voice of liberation theology that God is love and love is for everybody.

I never knew Carl the Broadway entertainer, but from his stories, I imagine he was amazing. He could talk and I could listen for hours about performing on Broadway or touring the country. It was his work in the entertainment industry that would later support his fight to end HIV. I remember sitting next to him when Whitney Houston performed at a benefit for his agency. It was very heavy times. He had Dionne Warwick on speed dial, and Maxine Waters not only returned his calls, but also called to check in. While it might seem glamorous on the outside, it was also a huge burden.

People would cry as they reached out to hug him. Members of his church would copy his sermons because his words were touched by the Holy Spirit. I think it can mess with your mind and was part of the reason Carl went into seclusion. For many years he did not leave his home or welcome visitors.  However, Carl always had God.

I was not religious. I felt the church had turned its back on me and my kind. Before meeting Carl, I had never attended services in a Black church. Going to Carl’s church was mind blowing. My friend was singing and preaching like he was touched from above. You could almost watch him go to another place as he spread the gospel of the Lord. As a child I went to Japanese Presbyterian Church. We were the polar opposite of my experience in Carl’s church. To be in a room full of love was transformative, especially because this was in the mid 1980s during some of the most difficult times in the HIV epidemic. What we take for granted now was truly revolutionary when Carl started the Unity Fellowship Movement. He started a religious movement for the African American LGBTQ community at the height of the HIV epidemic. Out of his work with Unity Fellowship Movement, he opened the Minority AIDS Project (MAP), the first minority-led HIV organization. As the Executive Director of MAP, Carl worked nationally as one of the founders of the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC)

It was our work on NMAC that served as the foundation for our friendship. Together we would travel the country, him preaching and me teaching about HIV. Back then, people of color were too often marginalized. Carl and I became a team to fight the stigma and racism that was too prevalent in our work. We would spend hours talking about race and our frustrations with people in power. His concerns for his communities became the corner stone of the work. Carl was a living example of liberation theology.

I got to talk to Carl the day before he passed. He was in a coma, so they had to hold the phone to his ear. I thanked him for being a gift to my life and our movement. I let him know that it was OK to let go. His was a life well lived. Finally, I told him that I loved him and will miss him. This is a ritual from the early days of the epidemic that too many of us know too well. Thank you, Carl, for being my friend. My life is better because you were in it.

God is Love and Love is for Everyone,

Paul Kawata

Policy Update: If Governors Won’t, Congress Must

By Joe Huang-Racalto, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Policy

U.S. Capitol BuildingIt is rather remarkable that 12 states still refuse to expand Medicaid, leaving two million Americans subject to the Medicaid gap – denying these Americans access to Medicaid and making them ineligible for subsidies to purchase private insurance on the Marketplace.

This is inexcusable.

The refusal for these governors and state legislatures to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is another attack on vulnerable citizens who reside in these states. Neither political courage nor political will will change the minds of legislators in these remaining states:

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming

The Center for Health Law and Policy Innovations at Harvard Law School recently issued a report (June 2021, Filling the Medicaid Coverage Gap A Federal Policy Priority for People Living with HIV) that correctly and strongly stated “HIV demonstrates the cruelty of this gap and the widening disparities it has wrought across Medicaid and non-Medicaid-expansion states. With access to regular antiretroviral treatment and care, HIV is not only manageable, it is impossible to transmit to others, making increasing access to care and treatment a public health priority and at the center of the federal government’s ambitious plan to end new HIV transmissions by 2030. But for the 20% of people living with HIV in non-Medicaid-expansion states who remain uninsured, regular access to care and treatment is far more challenging. Ninety-seven percent of individuals in the Medicaid coverage gap live in the South, a region that is also home to over 50% of new HIV transmissions.”

I cited this section because it not only factually connects the failure of these states to the high percentage of new HIV transmissions, but because NMAC has consistently advocated for an all-approach towards Ending the HIV Epidemic (EHE).

That is, we cannot End the HIV Epidemic until we close this Medicaid gap.

NMAC recently joined other NGOs to advocate that Congress take immediate action on this issue. Absent action from these states, Congress must step in.

NMAC is proud of our history of advocating for bold actions and this is yet another example. While there are a few options for Congress to take, perhaps the boldest option would be for Congress to direct the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop a federal Medicaid plan for these remaining 12 states.

If you live in one of these states, we’d like to hear from you – NMAC will help you advocate for change. Please email Andres Rodriguez at ARodriguez@NMAC.org. We will form an advocacy committee to help constituents in these states mobilize.

Few issues are more urgent if you are living with HIV in one of these states and are in the Medicaid gap. If these states will not act, Congress must.  While the American Rescue Plan does include incentives, it’s worth noting that no incentives to date have been enough to encourage these states to expand Medicaid. Therefore, we must do everything possible to provide those living with HIV in these states a more permanent solution.

A good first step would be to federalize Medicaid in these remaining states.

Challenges for Aging People with HIV

ESCALATE 2

A Special Announcement on USCHA

This is the letter I didn’t want to write. When we announced the 2021 United States Conference on HIV/AIDS was going to be in person, I was joyous about the thought that we could come together. Unfortunately, the Delta variant of COVID is too easily transmitted, even by people who are fully vaccinated. What seemed like a reasonable decision in May now feels impossible. After a long discussion with our board, NMAC will move USCHA to the virtual space. I am so sorry. I know this is very disappointing. NMAC must always prioritize the health and well-being of people living with HIV (PLWHIV). Data from Berlin about the impact of COVID on people living with HIV along with new information about the Delta variant made an in-person meeting with thousands of participants too much of a risk.

The virtual USCHA will be pushed back to December 2-3 (World AIDS Day Adjacent). These later dates give staff time to close-out and pivot to a virtual meeting. Also, the Biden-Harris Plan to End the HIV Epidemic is slated to be released on World AIDS Day, so there is much to be discussed.

I’m sure you have a lot of questions. Join us for a Facebook Live chat this Thursday, Aug. 12, at 1:00 PM on our Facebook page. Our Conferences Director Tara Barnes-Darby, and our Treatment Director Moises Agosto will be available to answer questions. You can also check out the FAQ page on the USCHA website.

This decision was based on data from two key reports.  The first was the report out of Provincetown that revealed that vaccinated people can transmit the Delta variant as easily as those who are not vaccinated. The second was the study of people living with HIV over 65 in Berlin that found high risk of death from Covid. Those two reports convinced us that we could not guarantee the safety of conference attendees.

Dr. Fauci Speaks @ Opening Virtual Plenary
Dr. Anthony Fauci will be part of USCHA’s Opening Virtual plenary. He will join Dr. Rachel Levine to update our movement on efforts to end two epidemics. We all know how busy COVID is keeping him, so NMAC is extremely grateful that he will be part of this session. Given his busy schedule, it will be recorded in advance. It is not easy being the face of the Trump and Biden COVID response. He has shown a grace and grit that he learned fighting HIV/AIDS.

Telling the Truth & Asking for Help
As you can imagine, ending an in-person conference creates financial issues. Our cancelation insurance does not cover meetings that we cancel. NMAC will be fine in the long haul, but we ask for your grace and patience. We hope that most attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors will still be a part of the virtual meeting. This is the second year that we were unable to hold USCHA and your support is needed and appreciated. The agency also understands this is not the event that we all wanted, so we will give refunds.

Registration
During the week of August 9, NMAC will send out an email from the registration portal to all registrants with instructions on transferring or cancelling your registration. If you have not received your email by August 13, contact the Conferences division at conferences@nmac.org. Please be patient; refunds will be processed in 3-4 weeks.

The registration fee for the virtual USCHA is $295. NMAC will automatically refund the difference. If you do not wish to attend this year’s USCHA, you can either:

  • Option 1: Keep your registration to attend the virtual USCHA Conference. NMAC will refund the difference.
  • Option 2: Transfer your registration to the 2022 USCHA in Puerto Rico.
  • Option 3: Cancel your registration and get a full refund.
  • Option 4: Donate your registration payment to NMAC.

If you need immediate assistance, please contact the Conferences Department at conferences@nmac.org. Raise any concerns directly with me, Paul Kawata. I am an old Asian queen who knows my value.

Wonderful Sponsors
This is not the USCHA that was discussed. NMAC hopes Sponsors will continue to support this important meeting and NMAC. These are scary times for all nonprofits, so please know how much we appreciate and need your support. Sponsors will get a call from Robert York. A new prospectus will be available soon. Thank you for understanding as we navigate these challenges.

Amazing Exhibitors
If you purchased an exhibit booth for the in-person conference, please let us know if you’d like to have a virtual exhibit or if you’d like to cancel your booth purchase. The virtual exhibit fee is $595. NMAC will refund the difference. If you’d like a full refund, then send an email to conferences@nmac.org by September 24, 2021. Thank you for your support.

Virtual Meeting & Presenters
Information about the virtual meeting will be posted shortly. We hope that most of the in-person workshop presenters are willing to switch to virtual. Presenters will get an email from Conferences offering you options for moving forward. You can expect the email by the end of August. If you can’t wait, then please email the wonderful Alison McKeithen.

Scholarship Applicants
USCHA will continue to give out scholarships, but now they will be for a virtual and not an in-person meeting. Since staff must address these other issues and the virtual meeting is being pushed back to World AIDS Day Adjacent, notifications about 2021 scholarships will be pushed back to October 1, 2021.

Hotel Cancellations
If you have made a reservation in the USCHA group block at the Marriott Marquis hotel they will automatically cancel your reservation and process refunds for any deposits.  Refunds will be issued in 4-6 weeks. It is not necessary to contact the hotel to cancel your reservation.

If you made a reservation OUTSIDE of the USCHA group block, you should contact the hotel directly to cancel your reservation.

Additional information about cancellations for the Courtyard hotel will be posted soon.

This was not an easy decision and probably no one is more disappointed than the board and staff of NMAC. I am truly sorry. Thank you for your continued support.

God is Love and Love is for Everyone,
Paul Kawata
NMAC

Paul Kawata