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Save HIV Funding Campaign Update

BREAKING UPDATE: Reversal of SAMHSA Cuts, Potential Progress on Florida HIV Care & ADAP Crisis... With the unfolding public health crisis in Florida brought on by changes announced by the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) & across America the Save HIV Funding Campaign has provided statements from its organizers & partner orgs addressing this crisis. Jeremiah Johnson, Executive Director, PrEP4All & Co-Founder, Save HIV Funding Campaign stated, “Visibility on these interrelated & simultaneous attacks will be critical to preventing a catastrophic return to the darkest days of the AIDS crisis. Those working to undermine HIV funding are not only showing inhuman cruelty toward people living with or vulnerable to HIV, but they are also being fiscally reckless. For every dollar invested in HIV prevention, three to seven dollars are saved.” Maxx Boykin, Manager, Save HIV Funding Campaign added, “We spent all of 2025 fighting massive proposed funding cuts from the House majority & now, as 2026 begins, the cancer is spreading. After the White House’s unprecedented decision not to honor World AIDS Day last month, we’re seeing a major federal agency scrap critical preventive services that disproportionately benefit red states, alongside a direct attack on people living with HIV from Governor DeSantis’ Department of Health. We are also closely investigating reports of other major funding disruptions across the United States.” Paul Samuels, Director and President, Legal Action Center concluded, “The cancellation of $2 billion in SAMHSA grants will directly impact the ability of organizations all across the country to provide critical substance use prevention, treatment, HIV & hepatitis, harm reduction, education & support services to people who need it most. It is a bizarre & extraordinarily harmful move from an Administration that has claimed to want to end the HIV epidemic & support rural communities that have been hit hardest by the opioid crisis.” 
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“Red Light Diaries” Announce Casting

The new scripted drama series “Red Light Diaries” created & directed by Micheal Ighodaro has announced that Dashaun Wesley (“Legendary”), Toni Bryce (“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law”) & breakout artist Billy The GOAT have joined the cast. “Red Light Diaries” is a bold intimate drama about LGBTQ people of color living, loving & surviving in the shadows of stigma, HIV, faith & desire where secrets are currency, intimacy is dangerous & being seen can save or destroy you. The project was filmed on location across 6 global cities Lagos, New York, Atlanta, London, Lyon & Bangkok bringing together an international cast & crew to reflect the regional specificity of each story. Each episode functions as a stand-alone character-driven narrative grounded in the cultural, social & emotional realities of its setting. Director Micheal Ighodaro stated, “HIV has a way of flattening people into categories & outcomes. With “Red Light Diaries”, I wanted to pull back that veil — to see queer people of color, migrants & sex workers not through the lens of the virus, but through their intimacy, contradictions & resilience. The story begins with the human, not the condition.” Red Light Diaries is produced by Global Black Gay Men Connect & supported by an international creative team that includes award-winning screenwriters Noni Salma & Collins Akon & cinematographers Daniel Oshodin & Nouridine Zerhoun. Additional producers on the series include Joseph Adesunloye, Pamela Adie & Sebastien Rossi. Global Black Gay Men Connect (GBGMC) centers on lived experience to address structural inequities across HIV, human rights, migration & access to care. GBGMC operates at the intersection of culture & policy supporting local leaders & amplifying narratives that affirm the humanity & complexity of Black LGBTQ lives across regions. 
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US Withdraws From International Orgs


The current administration has decided to withdraw from international organizations, conventions & treaties it claims are “contrary to the interests of the United States” including United Nations bodies advancing racial justice, reparations, climate justice, democracy & gender equality. Desirée Cormier Smith, Co-President of The Alliance for Diplomacy & Justice & former U.S. Special Representative for Racial Equity & Justice, stated, “Explicitly including the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent in this memo was a racist dog whistle. The U.S. already withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council in 2025 & the Permanent Forum is a subsidiary of that body. The U.S. had not participated in the Permanent Forum since the beginning of the Trump administration & there had never been a dedicated line of funding for this body. Naming the Permanent Forum in this memo served no other purpose beyond playing to the MAGA base & showing that this administration’s attack on Black people is not limited to the borders of the United States. Furthermore, Marco Rubio’s statement calling out ‘DEI mandates’ as a justification for the U.S. to leave these entities is laughable since the world is by definition diverse. This administration’s obsession with imposing their white Christian nationalist agenda on the world is a dangerous & unconstructive way to conduct foreign policy.“ Let’s call on Congress to reject this reckless retreat & defend the United States’ engagement in global institutions that advance reparative justice, human rights, climate justice, gender equity & democracy. The path forward is not denial or isolation but leadership rooted in truth, repair & collective responsibility. 

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New Zombie Movie Queens Of The Dead

Tina Romero’s camp horror film "Queens Of The Dead" follows a group of drag queens who come together with their community to survive a night of a zombie apocalypse is now available on streaming platform Shudder. The film stars Dominique Jackson, Katy O’Brian, Nina West, Jaquel Spivey, Tomas Matos, Margaret Cho & more. Filmmaker Tina Romero the daughter of horror icon George A. Romero takes the audience on a fabulous feature debut in this horror comedy loaded with fun & meaningful ideas by combining a familiar genre with a LGBTQ twist. Romero stated, “The idea of taking drag & queer nightlife & mashing it up with zombies, I was like, that’s delicious. What a delicious, yummy way to do a zombie film & also how special to be my dad’s kid & carry his torch & the monster forward into 2025. But to make it queer, it feels so right. Especially now in 2025, I’m so grateful that IFC & Shudder are putting this film out this year, specifically. If you make an indie film, you take it to a festival & it can take years to get it into the world. But, with the year that we’ve had & with the shit that’s going on in the queer community, specifically in the ways that we’re feeling erased & under attack & afraid, I’m so happy that this film, the vibe of it, isn’t bleak. It’s hopeful, it’s joyful, it’s fun. I just feel really happy that this can be out in the world right now.” Queens of the Dead was directed by Tina Romero & written by Romero & Erin Judge. WATCH TRAILER
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NEA Funding For 2026 Advances

The U.S. Senate & the House of Representatives released final funding levels for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Interior, Environment & Related Agencies Appropriations bill including $207 million for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The Creative Coalition commends Congress for maintaining FY 2025 funding levels for the NEA & calls on lawmakers in both chambers to approve this funding level when it comes for a vote in each chamber. Tim Daly, President of The Creative Coalition stated, “Maintaining stable funding for the National Endowment for the Arts is a vital step toward nurturing creativity, boosting local economies & ensuring access to the arts for all Americans. This funding supports jobs, education & community vitality across the country. It’s a smart investment in our nation’s cultural & economic strength.” Robin Bronk, CEO of The Creative Coalition concluded, “The Creative Coalition applauds this bipartisan agreement to preserve NEA funding at current levels, but our work isn’t done until it becomes law. We’ll keep pushing to protect & grow support for the arts, which drive innovation, heal communities & contribute billions to our economy every year.” The House of Representatives is expected to vote on NEA funding as part of a larger spending package as soon as this week. If the bill passes the House the Senate must also approve the measure before it is sent to the President for signature. The Creative Coalition will continue to engage with lawmakers as new funding for the NEA moves toward finalization. Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating its members on issues of public importance. 
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Andrea Jenkins Announces Retirement

Andrea Jenkins President of the Minneapolis City Council has announced her retirement. I remember how amazing she was during the George Floyd murder back in 2020 in Minnesota when she was Vice President of the Minneapolis City Council. Dr. David J. Johns CEO & Executive Director of the National Black Justice Collective (NBJC) stated, “As my dear fraternity sister Andrea Jenkins prepares to retire from the Minneapolis City Council, I want to celebrate her extraordinary legacy of groundbreaking leadership and unwavering commitment to justice. Andrea made history in 2017 as the first openly transgender African American elected to public office in the United States & she continued to break barriers by becoming the first out trans person to serve as a city council president… Andrea's leadership through the aftermath of George Floyd's murder demonstrated her courage & vision, guiding the city through profound grief & upheaval, championing meaningful police reform & investing in community safety while never losing sight of the humanity at the center of these debates. Her commitment to restoring communities, supporting violence prevention initiatives & creating the Office of Community Safety reflects her dedication to building a Minneapolis where all residents can thrive. Beyond her political achievements, Andrea is a gifted poet, writer & historian whose cultural contributions have enriched our understanding of transgender history & Black LGBTQ+/SGL experiences. As a member of NBJC's Good Trouble Network, she has been an invaluable ally & advocate & I am deeply grateful for her support of my own leadership & of our organization's mission.” NBJC is America’s leading civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black LGBTQ people including people living with HIV. 
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Stronger Than Ever Moving Forward

A year ago I was in a wait & see mode like so many others in America. Now a year later as we enter 2026 I’m much wiser, focused & stronger as so many others in this country have become. When I reflect on the 2025 I have to agree with Bette Midler who stated, “In my entire life, I have never lived through a more horrible year…It was hideous & left us a smaller nation in the eyes of the world; we may never shine the way we once did. Every day was full of cruelty, viciousness, sadism, stupidity, corruption, even towards our friends. Every day, decimation of every value & institution we as Americans hold dear. It has been a heartbreaker, we got through it, but barely.” So to everyone who  survived 2025 celebrate yourself for persisting in the human experience to depths we have all experienced this pass year & though it still feels like an uphill battle, we are more rooted than ever to take on 2026. Two of my major mantras for this year are first from Duke Ellington who stated, "Life has two rules: #1 – Never quit. #2 – Always remember rule #1.". The other mantra that has saved me from despair is from my Aunt Ruby who told me “Nothing is so bad it can’t get worse & we spend our lives worrying about things that never happen.” 2025 as shocking as it was is over & what everyone in America does now counts. So dust off 2025 as effectively as you can & be true to your authentic self because as Eleanor Roosevelt stated, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
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Save HIV Funding Campaign Update

BREAKING UPDATE: Reversal of SAMHSA Cuts, Potential Progress on Florida HIV Care & ADAP Crisis... With the unfolding public health crisi...

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