On Friday, Sept. 21, 2018, the Office of the Mayor in the City of Chicago issued a proclamation in recognition of the International Day of Bisexual Visibility. This important holiday was created by three bisexual activists in 1999 to celebrate bisexual people in the face of invisibility and stigma.
“There is definitely a need for the holiday,” said longtime bisexual community...
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The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is gravely disheartened to learn about the Trump Administration’s plans to redirect $266 million earmarked for social services pay for the detention of children separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. The funding includes $9.5 million for HIV programs.
While the Trump administration has the authority to transfer funds among programs,...
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By Earl Fowlkes
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has been with us since 1981 and I have worked in the HIV/AIDS prevention and care field since the mid-80s as a caregiver, volunteer, service provider and administrator. I have often referred to those days as the “time of darkness,” as an HIV diagnosis meant pain and heartache, both physical as well as emotional, as there were very few medicines...
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Chris Wade is more than just your average HIV advocate.
His longstanding work and organizing in downstate Illinois contribute to education and advocacy for the rights of people living with HIV. He attended the 2018 HIV is Not a Crime National Training Academy (HINAC 3) back in June in Indianapolis, Ind., which trained advocates from all over the nation to talk about...
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Avery Matthew grew up in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and moved to Chicago 11 years ago. “I was starving for diversity, things to do, culture, museums,” they said.
“A lot of my growth and identification was defined in Chicago.” Avery works in Accounting and Finance recruiting for a management consulting firm. They also support passion projects like serving on the...
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The day-to-day operations of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago focus on improving access to services for people living with and vulnerable to HIV and other chronic illnesses; this vision emerges from AFC’s 27-person Board of Directors . These community leaders bring a variety of skills and interests to cast the vision for the organization and lead it in achieving its mission. In 2018, the...
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Over the course of the last two weeks, Governor Bruce Rauner has deemed it necessary to veto three pieces of health care access and treatment legislation that would have had a positive and meaningful impact on the lives of people living with chronic illnesses, including HIV. The disappointment we feel in the Governor’s actions is tempered by the knowledge that all of these bills will...
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AFC staff and Board were saddened to hear of the passing of our long-time partner and dear friend Dan Bigg. Dan, the founder and executive director of the Chicago Recovery Alliance (CRA), was a brilliant, passionate, persistent and formidable advocate who will be never be forgotten by the many thousands of people whose lives he touched. We stand in solidarity with his family and CRA staff and...
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Today, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is deeply disappointed that Gov. Bruce Rauner is playing political games with the lives of millions of Illinois residents who rely on the Medicaid program for access to their lifesaving medications, including people living with HIV.
Sign this petition now to urge legislators to override the governor’s veto
Gov. Rauner issued a veto...
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The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) coordinates 135 case managers throughout the Chicago metropolitan area to support clients who are living with HIV and related chronic diseases. Case managers are there to connect with clients directly and help them achieve goals such as obtaining stable housing or getting connected to a medical provider that may help them reach an undetectable viral load...
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