Positive Women’s Newsletter – September 2026

Welcome PWN family! We’re happy you’re here. The September Equinox is fast approaching—bringing a time of harvest, recalibration, and transition. PWN will be gearing up for a busy season: USCHA, HIV & Aging Awareness Day, Day of Action to End Violence Against Women Living with HIV, Latine Heritage Month, and the midterm election. 

In the spirit of the equinox, we encourage you to practice the ritual of pausing for a moment to enjoy your personal harvest. Honor and appreciate everything you have been nurturing, gathering, and bringing to fruition this year. Take time to clear the energy in your space and restore balance—sweep out the stagnant energy to make room for new intentions.  

Let this be our reminder that the work of our collective liberation is not a sprint, it is a marathon. We must be intentional about taking care of ourselves and each other as we continue to fight for our people. The future we are building is beautiful, we have to make sure we are there to see it. 

With radical love, 

alex aphroditus

Over the past year, PWN staff and members have had the pleasure of working with Helina Haile through Boston University School of Law’s Lessow Reproductive Health Law Fellowship. Helina’s sharp political analysis, steadfast commitment to abolition and healing justice, and deep connection with our members has been a gift to PWN. 

Helina’s fellowship ends in early September. During her time, Helina has contributed so much to our community, including:

• working with PWN leaders Myra Franks and Meta Smith Davis to host the 2025-2026 PWN Policy fellowship; 
• writing the #HIVResists Monthly Policy Update; 
• supporting robust federal policy advocacy, including writing a public comment in unequivocal opposition to the Trump administration’s latest public charge rule;
• ensuring PWN’s Alabama and Colorado chapters had the tools needed to further their reproductive justice policy priorities;
• furthering PWN’s voter engagement campaign by creating the 2026 #PWNVotes Resource Hub.

These are examples of how Helina has supported our work and members; they do not reflect how Helina approached organizing with love, care, and an abiding commitment to transformational solidarity. In her own words, “...as we know harm and violence transcends borders, so must our solidarity and organizing. Political organizing that recognizes the interconnectedness of both our harm and liberation serves as a north star amidst the chaos of current times.” We will be forever grateful for Helina’s immense contributions to PWN. You can read Helina’s Fond Farewell in the August Monthly Policy Update, here.

Join PWN-USA on 09/15/26 at 6PM ET/5PM CT to learn what you need to know about the 2026 midterm elections and how to make a voting plan. Together, we’ll identify common voter suppression tactics, explore ways to overcome barriers to voting, and learn how to use accurate, up-to-date voting information. We’ll also introduce the #PWNVotes Toolkit, designed to support phone banking, canvassing, and community conversations. Most importantly, we’ll talk about why voting matters for people living with HIV and how our voices can shape the policies impacting our communities. Make your plan. Build people power. Vote!

Join our webinar on 09/09/26 from 6-7PM ET for a smart, sexy, and zesty conversation about confronting anti-science naysayers, holding the CDC accountable, and uplifting our dignity as people living with HIV. The panel is moderated by Comms Baddie Xeena Ellison and backed with subject matter expertise from Dr. David Malebranche, Danielle Warren-Dias, and Marnina Miller.

For years, we’ve listened to people question HIV science for no other reason than to stigmatize our community. And we’re tired of it. Especially when we have known for nearly 20 years that the science of Undetectable equals Untransmittable makes it impossible for folks with undetectable viral loads to transmit HIV — even through condomless sex. That’s one reason why Xeena conceived this webinar: to look at why more people don’t know this science and why some people who do know it continue to question it.

Bad faith actors aside, the CDC is to blame. Let’s talk about it. 

The 2026 United States Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA) is almost here! PWN members, staff, and board are showing up BIG to represent cisgender and transgender women, gender-diverse people, and transgender people living with HIV. Our voices and leadership are critical—and must be heard.

Are you a PWN member joining us in Anaheim, CA from Sep 17th-20th? Complete the form below to let us you are coming so we can connect with you about the PWN photo, dinner, and presentations! Be sure to let us know if you are presenting and how we can support you.

Are you going to USCHA? Want tips, tricks, and a chance to connect with other PWN members attending? Join our Road to USCHA prep discussion on 09/09/26 at 6PM ET/5PM CT!

Medicaid work reporting requirements are supposed to go into effect on January 1, 2027; but, some states have started the process early. If you or someone you know is on Medicaid, pay attention to what’s happening in your state! 

About 20 million people in 44 states will be impacted by Medicaid work reporting requirements – that’s nearly one in four of all Medicaid enrollees across all states. Moreover, an estimated 3 million to 7 million people will lose Medicaid coverage in 2028 because of these requirements (and that doesn’t account for the other changes to Medicaid through HR1!). People with serious or complex medical conditions and other select groups should be exempt, but the exemption process is fraught and still being worked out in many states.

Medicaid work reporting requirements aren’t really about getting people to work. They are a ploy to use paperwork and administrative barriers to kick people off the Medicaid program. If you have questions, contact info@pwn-usa.org. Learn more at the HR1: Big Ugly Murder Bill Resource Center. 

Join PWN AL for their next Summer of Freedom Tour stop in Phenix City for the Community Love Fest! This will be an opportunity for community members to come together, learn about issues important to people in Alabama, and share resources.

Healthcare is on the ballot this upcoming midterm election. The PWN-TX-Greater Houston Area chapter has been in the community talking with voters. Some of the main issues people in North Houston are concerned about are their families and healthcare. Join PWN TX-GHA as a volunteer to talk with people in the community and build bridges of support.

If you’ve looked on our website, you may have noticed that some of our foundational factsheets on subjects like HIV Criminalization and Harm Reduction haven’t been updated since 2018! Y’all deserve the best and most recent updates on these subjects. PWN-USA, with the help of our wonderful summer intern, Treasure Welle, has been hard at work updating our key factsheets. Stay tuned for their release next month!

🔥 PWN-Pennsylvania member, Stephanie Knupsky, attends the Fireside Chat Retreat in Pittsburgh to discuss the emerging crisis facing the Pennsylvania AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. 

📢 Volunteer with PWN-CO this Fall to Fight Anti-Trans Ballot Measures! PWN-Colorado and local partners CORA and Families Not Politics will be canvassing and phone banking in opposition to the anti-trans ballot measures (initiatives 109 and 110) in Denver this fall. These initiatives may sound reasonable on the surface, but they go much further than many voters realize. We’re having real conversations, sharing the facts, and making sure voters understand the potential consequences. Join in the fight to help voters understand what these measures could mean for our communities. Email barb@pwn-usa.org to volunteer with us!

🥰 PWN-TX-Dallas-Fort Worth Chapter takes on The Grace Project Conference 2026! This is the nation’s largest conference specifically for women living with HIV/AIDS. Conference attendees gain valuable skills and understand health issues pertaining to their diagnosis through discussion groups, workshops from healthcare professionals, team-building challenges, and many other activities led by local leaders and community members. Check out these beautiful pictures! 

💯 The Texas Strike Force Appoints New Coalition Coordinators, Jessica Erves and Eddie Reed. Congratulations!

Sister Circle Virtual Support Group – September 3rd & 17th

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, 09/03/26 and 09/17/26 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 – September 11th

Our next PWN members call is Thurs, 09/11/26 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!

• “Speaking to power ensures we all have power: Community is not separate from expertise—it’s one type of expertise” in Positively Aware (08/17/26)
  • Written by Bee (Brandi) Velasquez and LaDawn Tate
• “Georgia Advocates Fight for HIV Care for Black Trans Men” by Capital B Atlanta (08/10/26)
  • Featuring Octavia Lewis

• #HIVResists: August 2026 Monthly Policy Update (08/27/26)
• Watch Our #PWNVotes Training Series on YouTube!
• “House passes funding bill to avoid shutdown before midterms” by The Guardian (09/01/26)
• “Postal Service work to comply with Trump’s executive order is rushed and sloppy, a whistleblower contends” by AP News (09/01/26)
• “HHS Issues False Report Linking Support For Gender Affirming Care With ‘Authoritarianism’ And Violence” by Erin in the Morning (08/28/26)
• “Supreme Court gives Trump an interim win on his mail voting order, but hurdles loom” by NPR (08/24/26)
• “Medicaid says it will stop paying for some gender-affirming care for transgender minors” by AP News (08/11/26)
• “READ: A New Draft Rule for the Census Seeks Sweeping Changes to How Political Power Is Allocated” by Talking Points Memo (08/11/26)
• “A Texas county is quietly planning to swap voting maps between its primary and November election” by Democracy Docket (08/05/26)
• Flock Out Toolkit by Fight For The Future
• “The Supreme Court Blesses the Destruction of Black Electoral Power” by Hammer&Hope
• “Anti-Trans Ballot Initiatives Spread In Five States, As Some Opposition To Them Grows” by Erin in the Morning (07/27/26)

If you’ve been to a PWN celebration in the past few years, then you’ve grooved to the song stylings of our very own DJ Big Sal, a.k.a. Sallie Thomas – the decriminalization specialist on our policy team. Now she’s bringing you a song selection to get your joy on!