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Living Our Best Sexual Lives in the After Times

June 24, 2021

By Jim Pickett,  Senior Director Prevention Advocacy and Gay Men’s Health  at  AIDS Foundation Chicago The last time I  wrote  about safer sex and pleasure during COVID-19  – last April (in other words, three lifetimes ago)  –   I focused on lots of tasty treats on the sexual menu .  ...
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First-ever Getting to Zero Illinois Community Grant Program awards over $350,000 in grants

June 17, 2021

T oday, AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) is thrilled to join Getting to Zero Illinois (GTZ-IL)  in announcing the grant recipients for the first-ever Getting to Zero Illinois Community Grant Program, a pool of grants totaling $350,000. Fourteen organizations across the state have each received one-time grants of up to $30,000 for new projects that will help the...
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Naming and celebrating bi+ identities during Pride and beyond

June 15, 2021

By Lauren B. Beach, JD/PhD @laurenbbeach  The term “ Pride” is synonymous with the history of protest and celebration for the liberation of LGBTQIA+ people and communities. Little known, however, is that the origins of Pride have  bisexual   roots .  In 1969, Black and Brown transgender women, including Marsha...
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COVID-19 Resource Center

June 14, 2021

Safety Guidance Testing Vaccines Access and Distribution Suggested Readings Additional Resources Safety Guidance CDC: How to protect yourself & others CDC: Fully Vaccinated Guidace COVID Testing   Chicago Department of Public Health Howard Brown Health Vaccine education, access and information ...
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Coming out and how it led me to advocacy

June 8, 2021

By Danie  Muriello  Everyone in the LGBTQ+ community has a coming-out story. I am a 69 -year-old transwoman, and I’d like to share just the beginning of mine. A little more than six years ago on a very ordinary Sunday afternoon, I was leisurely reading the paper, something I did almost every Sunday. One of the sections I really liked ...
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End of Session Report: 2021 State Legislative Session

June 7, 2021

By Timothy S. Jackson, AFC Director of Government Relations With a final gavel at  3:10 a.m., the 102nd Illinois General Assembly adjourned its Spring session on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. B lending the traditional bill debate from legislators on the Senate and House floors with new virtual committee hearings  and COVID-19 precautions,  the  hybrid...
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Digital drag shows: Pride in the age of COVID-19

June 1, 2021

By Ella Shapiro For over a century , drag has been an essential performance art within the LGBTQ+ community. While the roots of drag can be traced back to theatre performance in the late 1800s, the 1900s saw drag transform into a unifying space for the LGBTQ+ community in the face of oppression and criminalization. Drag shows have served as places to come together, be entertained, challenge...
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Marc reflects on a year working as an ER trauma nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic

May 27, 2021

By Ella Shapiro Marc Querol,  a TEAM TO END AIDS (T2 )  athlete and  a n e mergency room (ER) trauma nurse   from  Chicago , is one of many  health  care  professionals  who have dedicated themselves to caring for other s  during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Marc   and other nurses working in hospitals...
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How to get vaccinated in Chicago and Cook County

May 26, 2021

U pdated May 26 , 2021  All people  ages 12 and older are now eligible to get a COVID vaccine. There are many ways to get vaccinated in Chicago and Cook County – here are some of the main ones:   1. Your primary care provider:  Call and see if they are offering vaccines.  If you don’t...
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AFC and IL HIV Action Alliance celebrate Illinois Senate voting to end criminal penalties against people living with HIV

May 25, 2021

Today, the Illinois Senate voted to approve  House Bill 1063 , which would end criminal penalties against people living with HIV (PLWH). Under current law, PLWH face the threat of arrest, prosecution and incarceration even if they do not transmit HIV to another person. Additionally, PLWH may face longer sentences simply because of their HIV status.  “We are thrilled the Illinois...
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