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Here’s why LGBTQ+ Illinoisans should care about this election

October 27, 2020

By Mike Ziri, (he/him), Director of Public Policy at Equality Illinois   “2020 is the most important election of our lifetime.”  You’ve probably heard that a lot this year, and it’s true. And not just because of the presidential election.  The 2020 election should matter to LGBTQ+ Illinoisans for 3 big reasons that you may not realize:...
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Dramatic shifts in the Supreme Court could upend the legal rights of many Americans

October 22, 2020

By Colleen Connell, Executive Director of ACLU Illinois  The news of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death just weeks before the 2020 General Election solidified for many the role that Supreme Court of the United States will play – likely with an expanded conservative majority – in addressing numerous civil rights and civil liberties issues that affect our lives.  ...
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Some young gay men of color found it easier to adhere to bimonthly injections rather than daily pills in recent PrEP study

October 20, 2020

By Bailey Williams Currently, there are two FDA-approved pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs available for HIV-negative people looking to prevent HIV transmission. These include Truvada, a generic equivalent to Truvada from Teva Pharmaceuticals (just made available October 1), and Descovy. Each of these drugs typically require daily dosing - meaning individuals take one pill each day coupled...
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Seven things to know about the proposed Fair Tax Illinois constitutional amendment

October 8, 2020

In the coming weeks, Illinois residents will vote on an amendment to the state Constitution that seeks to transform for the better how the state taxes each resident's income. Currently, all residents are taxed on a non-graduated or flat rate of 4.95%. For example, a person making $35,000 per year is taxed the same percentage of their income—4.95%—as a person making $35 million. ...
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Protect the Affordable Care Act this election

October 6, 2020

By Timothy Jackson, AFC’s Director of Government Relations  What’s at stake is a question that many political pundits are opining and asking as the nation approaches the Nov. 3, 2020, general election. From the volatility of the economy and the civil unrest surrounding police brutality and racial injustice to the nation’s lack of coordinated response to the COVID-19...
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How I took civic action as an election judge, and how you can too this year

October 2, 2020

By Gary B. Beringer, Dr. P. H. Co-Chair, Policy & Advocacy Committee, AFC Board of Directors  I am an epidemiologist. Today, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my profession now is understood by many people who inquire about it. This is the backstory of an important occurrence in my rehabilitation from a stroke.  In October 2003, I had the first of my four strokes over...
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Spring Cleaning

September 23, 2020

By Nilah Foster Even far far away  from home I still  am turning my head  at all times double checking corners  I’ve already swept I am convinced my  dad knows a third  of the city- Or my moms side will spot  me coincidentally who will my face be familiar to? I am too paranoid  to be outside with her...
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Meet some of AFC’s behind-the-scenes, COVID-era essential workers

September 17, 2020

By Bailey Williams When the new coronavirus (COVID-19) sent most AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) staff home to work remotely, many members of our finance and contracts team continued to come to the office. A lot of the work this team does cannot be done remotely. Though this work often happens behind the scenes, it is essential to the many services AFC provides to help people living with HIV...
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This year, experience AIDS Run & Walk Chicago however you want

September 15, 2020

By Bailey Williams  I spent most mornings in the summer of 2016 running before work. I’d run a neighborhood route, often in the streets when cars were few, the sun was rising, and nothing but birds and insects could be heard. I was in the best shape of my life and had finally gotten down to easily running 7-minute miles. When the annual AIDS Run & Walk Chicago came around...
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HIV HUB’s COVID-19 financial assistance has “changed the lives” of 289 people living with and vulnerable to HIV

September 1, 2020

By Bailey Williams After receiving an eviction letter, a man in emotional distress called the HIV Resource Coordination HUB. The phone line led by AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) and Center on Halsted is dedicated to providing information and resources related to HIV. By the time Oscar Solis, a Rapid Responder for the HUB at Center on Halsted, answered his call, the man was extremely upset,...
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