Positive Women’s Newsletter – July 2026

Part of our birthday celebration included our first fundraiser since World AIDS Day 2025. We set ourselves a goal of raising $7,500 and thanks to the goodwill of our allies, we raised $4,200 by June 8th. Currently, we are at $7,120.36, so we know we’re going to make it.

We’re not asking PWN members to donate to this fundraiser because we’re collecting this money for y’all. But if you’d like to talk about the work we do, or share the link with folks who might be interested in supporting, we are happy for you to boost: tinyurl.com/PWN18

As everyone who attended our birthday celebration on June 18th heard, our gift to PWN members is the return of our Speak Up Summits in 2028! It’s going to take a lot of work and fundraising, but with this start, we know we’re going to get there! Stay tuned for more!

Shout out to our PWN-TX, GHA chapter for launching their door knocking campaign in North Houston! Campaign staff are talking to voters in CD18 about the role the vacancy of their representative in Congress played in passing the Big Ugly Murder Bill. This is also a way for the chapter to build deeper, lasting relationships with folks in the community and continue to keep them engaged in local and state elections.

Mark the date! #PWNVotes 2026 will be launching on July 15th! We will be unveiling our new #PWNVotes toolkit, updated website page, past and upcoming trainings, and ways you can get involved. Stay tuned!

PWN-AL is continuing their Summer of Freedom Tour with a recent state-wide meeting with the Alabama Prevention and Care Group in Montgomery. Chapter members talked to over 65 people who worked in health departments, ASOs, and CBOs across the state. 

Myra Franks, Deirdre Watkins, and Barbara Fields facilitated a conversation about PWN and the meaningful involvement of people living with HIV (MIPA), introducing the concept to many of the folks in the room. Myra says she is committed to this work because “educating people about HIV is very freeing for me.” She hopes the Summer of Freedom can “help end the stigma surrounding HIV so others can feel this freedom.”

Over the next few months, PWN-AL will tour the state to talk directly with Alabamians about issues that matter to them, especially people living with HIV.

Please join us in congratulating and celebrating PWN-USA’s Policy Fellows Class of 2026!

PWN’s policy fellowship is a 13 month program designed to build the policy leadership of cis & trans women, gender diverse, and trans folks directly impacted by the epidemic and historically underrepresented in federal health policy advocacy. The fellows have completed 14 web sessions, 8 office hours, and a 6 month practicum period, including the creation and execution of a policy project with a host organization.

We are so proud of the commitment, brilliance, and love our fellows have invested in their work!

🎓 Policy Fellows Class of 2026 🎓

• Yves Chu (he/they)
• Brooke Davidoff (she/her)
• DeOnyae-Dior Valentina (she/her)
• Denise Drayton (she/her)
• Xeena Ellison (she/her)

• Millicent Foster (she/her)
• Marcia Gullatte (she/her)
• Nakeisa Jackson (she/her)
• L. Tang 唐雯 (she/her)
• René Garrett Wright (they/them)

PWN-Colorado was a key planning partner in the June 5th Care is Critical rally and candlelight vigil at the Colorado State capitol as a part of Seven Days in June. Together over 50 advocates, community members, and health justice leaders demanded that health be treated as a fundamental governing priority.

This powerful evening of action brought our community together to raise our voices against cuts to healthcare, demand equitable access to lifesaving care and treatment, and to honor those whose lives have been impacted or lost due to barriers in our healthcare system.

Together, we will send a clear message: care is critical, health is primary, and our work is intersectional.

Shout out to our speakers Jack Teter, Rica Muneca Rodríguez, Adam Fox, and Barb Cardell, our fantastic MC Alexis Tatum, and our heart forward singers Joy and Monica!

Did you participate in a Seven Days in June action? Let us know! Tag us on social media @pwn_usa to share your photos! You can also talk about your experience in a blog post, just reach out to us at communications@pwn-usa.org.

The Texas HIV Medication Program (THMP) provides HIV-related medications and support services to eligible Texans. At the June 3rd advisory committee meeting, the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) stated that the program is expected to experience a budget shortfall by June 2027. In combination with strains from the expected Medicaid shortfall, the THMP is in need of additional funding from the state legislature, or it will face changes to the program. 

Texas Strike Force members attended the meeting to provide public comment and submit written testimony in support of fully funding this program and maintaining transparency to ensure Texans living with HIV maintain access to their life-saving medications. 

The next advisory committee meeting is on Friday, 07/10/26 at 1:30 PM CT! We need people to continue providing testimony about the importance of fully funding this program. You can do this either virtually or in-person.

Read Steven Vargas’ blog to learn more.

Are you interested in being paid to learn about and change public health conversations? This fellowship is for you!
The PWN Comms Baddies Fellowship is open ONLY to members of PWN-USA: cis and trans women, gender diverse, and trans folks living with HIV. Applications are open now until 07/27/26.

To apply, send us an email at info@pwn-usa.org telling us:

• Your name and location.
• What public health means to you.
• How you wish a public health issue had been explained to you.
• Why you want to participate in this fellowship.

Please limit each response to no more than 300 words. Don’t use ChatGPT, write your responses in your voice. Note, you don’t need a degree or specific training to participate.
If you have questions, please send an email to info@pwn-usa.org.

The Big Ugly Murder Bill (H.R.1) is a federal law that slashes funding for healthcare and other basic needs programs while increasing funding for Trump’s massive deportation project. It passed last summer and it will continue to wreak havoc on our quality of life and access to care over the next decade. To help you stay on top of what’s changing and what you can do about it, we created the HR1: Big Ugly Murder Bill Resource Center. 

The Resource Center is a living document! Every month we will break down the latest updates and lay out what they mean for people living with HIV, especially Black and brown communities, immigrants, women, cisgender and transgender and gender diverse people living with HIV, who are often hit first and the hardest.

Our latest podcast episode, “Transcending Barriers” is live and available to watch on YouTube. The episode features Marnina Miller in deep conversation with Michael Elizabeth, our nonbinary transgender sister-in-power (and Co-Chair of the HIV Caucus), with our ally Christen Coco Valentine about the realities of trans existence and negotiating safety — all while living with or being exposed to HIV.

This includes addressing the fact that HIV movement spaces do not always respect trans people or their needs. This is about more than identity; this gets to the root of power imbalances and why HIV remains a crisis even today.

Stay tuned for our episode 3 dropping on July 26th, which features Marnina speaking to Shadawn McCants and Kevin Anderson about wellness, art, and the power of healing.

Treasure Welle is a law student and ASPIRE Scholar at Boston University School of Law. Her work focuses on racial and reproductive justice, and she is particularly interested in examining how law can both reinforce and challenge systems of medical surveillance.

This summer, Treasure is supporting PWN’s policy team on HIV decriminalization and reproductive justice initiatives. Her work includes researching emerging policy issues and updating advocacy factsheets to ensure they reflect the current political landscape and effectively support members in their advocacy efforts.

PWN-USA is excited to announce that LaDawn Tate has joined the team as the Leadership Development and Training Manager! A longtime leader within PWN-USA, LaDawn brings years of experience in community organizing, advocacy, leadership development, and advancing the meaningful involvement of people living with HIV.

Throughout her journey, LaDawn has remained dedicated to ensuring that women living with HIV have opportunities to lead, share their stories, and create meaningful change.

“We are thrilled to welcome LaDawn into this role,” said Barb Cardell, Leadership Development Director. “Her subject matter expertise, passion for developing leaders, and unwavering commitment to our mission make her an incredible asset to PWN-USA and the communities we serve.”

📝 PWN is currently hiring canvassers ($25/hr) and phonebankers ($20/hr) for our Voter Engagement campaigns this summer and fall. We are currently hiring in Texas and Pennsylvania. We are prioritizing applicants who are local to the state they apply. If you have any questions about your application or the position feel free to email Tati at ive@pwn-usa.org

Want to Be a Comms Baddie? – July 7th

The PWN Comms Baddies’ newest cohort shares their experiences about the program and answers questions from people who are interested in applying for PWN-USA’s 2026-2027 Comms Baddies Fellowship.

Panelists include: Xeena Ellison, LaDawn Tate, and Bee Velasquez. The discussion is moderated by our Director of Communications, Juan Michael Porter II.

Whether you’re interested in applying for the fellowship or learning what it was like to participate in

in its most recent edition, this conversation is for you. Join us on Tues, 07/07/26 at 8PM ET/7PM CT/6PM MT/5PM PT.

Register here: tinyurl.com/PWNcbdE

Sister Circle Virtual Support Group – July 9th & 23rd

Are you a PWN member living with HIV? Join our virtual support group, Sister Circle, for a space to release, connect, and find peace! ✨ Join us Thurs, 07/09/26 and 07/23/26 at 8PM ET/7PM CT/6PM MT/5PM PT. Registration required to attend: bit.ly/PWNCARES (all caps). Hope to see you there! 💗

PWN National Membership Call – July 10th

Our next PWN members call is Friday, 07/10/26 at 4PM ET/3PM CT/2PM MT/1PM PT. Note: you must register as a PWN member before getting the Zoom link. PWN members include women (cis and trans), gender diverse, and transgender people living with HIV. Register here!

#PWNVotes Training: They Work for Us! Understanding the Difference between a 501c3/c4 – July 29th

The #PWNVotes Training Series exists to build the knowledge, skills, confidence, and political clarity of trans and cis women, gender-diverse, and trans people living with HIV to lead transformative voter engagement and civic power in our communities.

Join us on Wednesday, 07/29/26 at 6PM ET/5PM CT/4PM MT/3PM PT for our next training: They Work for Us! Understanding the Difference between a 501c3/c4 and What You Can & Cannot Do. Register for all our trainings here!

• “In Today’s Young Black HIV Leadership, We Hear Echoes of Stonewall’s Heroes” by TheBody (06/25/26)
  • Featuring Elena Ferguson
• “Community Highlights: Meet Marnina Miller of Positive Women’s Network-USA” by Voyage Houston (06/24/26)
• “Here’s What You Need to Know About Medicaid Work Requirements” on POZ Blog (06/18/26)
  • Written by Kelly Flannery

• #HIVResists: June 2026 Monthly Policy Update (06/25/26)
• Watch Our #PWNVotes Training Series on YouTube!
• “US judge blocks DOJ from obtaining transgender care records from New York hospitals” by Reuters (06/24/26)
• “DOJ memo stokes fear among disability advocates of a return to institutionalization” by NPR (06/20/26)
• “Freedom Has Receipts: Why Black Public Health Leaders Must Shine” by Leisha McKinley-Beach [Substack] (06/18/26)
• “Inside Trump’s Reversal on HIV” by Politico (06/12/26)
• “What’s in Congress’s New ICE Funding Law?” by National Immigration Law Center (06/11/26)
• “‘Fascism’—New Federal Rule Would Require Federal Funding Recipients To Deny Trans People Exist” by Erin in the Morning (06/08/26)

• “Senate approves $70bn for immigration crackdown amid splits over Trump fund” by The Guardian (06/05/26)

• “Colorado Gov. Polis Signs New Conversion Therapy Ban, Defying Supreme Court” by Erin in the Morning (06/03/26)