How An Open Talk About PrEP Transformed a Mother-Son Bond into Advocacy
When Winnie Thompson called her 20-year-old son, Sidney Keys III, to talk about PrEP, his initial reaction was what did an HIV prevention drug have to do with him; a straight, Black college student? Because of his mother’s commitment to harm reduction and open dialogue, that unexpected phone call challenged his widespread assumption that HIV awareness is meant for someone else.
‘The Talk’ I Didn't Expect to Have
When Winnie Thompson dialed her 20-year-old son between classes to ask if he had ever heard of PrEP, she had no script. She only had the conviction that her own discomfort mattered far less than his access to life-saving information. Reflecting on that unprompted phone call, Thompson challenges the demographic blind spots in HIV prevention marketing and reframes sexual healthcare from an awkward taboo into a routine discipline of personal responsibility.
Be PrEPared: The Complex & Ongoing Battle for PrEP in the Courts
In September, 2023, hundreds of key stakeholders and advocates convened in Washington, DC, to attend the annual United States Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA). The yearly conference featured over 120+ sessions on critical topics like biomedical HIV prevention, aging, service delivery, health equity, and telehealth, all while centering on the needs of those with HIV and the mission to end the epidemic.
The Invisible Divide: Dr. Hyman Scott On Confronting Racial Inequalities in PrEP Use
A nationally-known HIV researcher and practicing clinician, Dr. Hyman Scott believes that PrEP, the once-daily drug that can prevent transmission of the potentially deadly virus, has become arguably the most important weapon in the anti-HIV arsenal.
The Revolutionary Romance of Deontez and Jerald: How Faith and ‘U=U,’ Led To I Do
A lot has changed since Deontez Wimbley first walked into the Chilli’s restaurant in the Lindbergh section of Buckhead in April 2016. Today, the restaurant is permanently closed, but nearly six years later, the connection he made with Jerald Nuness, then a server, and now his husband, proved to be worth the risk of being rejected. Like customers who frequently tipped less than the standard 20% or not at all, Nuness says he was accustomed to being hit on at work, and Wimbley, who also worked in the restaurant industry for a period, knew the odds of the conversation moving beyond a two for $20 were slim to none, or so he thought.