November 27, 2018: PWN-USA members and staff will be at the Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit in beautiful Los Angeles, California, representing U.S. women living with HIV. We hope you will join us for some of these discussions and presentations if you are there.
Whether you are at summit or at home, you can follow us on Twitter to get in on the conversation by using the hashtags #pwnspeaks and #biomed. Here is where you will find us at the summit!
December 03
Opening Plenary: #MeToo Movement and the Intersection with Trauma-Informed HIV Prevention
8:30 am-10:00 am Diamond Ballroom 4, 4th Level Panelists: Michele Andrasik, Jessica Sales Mahlet Kabede, Naina Khanna, and special guests Michelle Anderson, Keiva Lei Cadena, Stephanie Vasquez, Positive Women’s Network
Advancing Racial Justice in the HIV Response: Unlearning Racism 101
10:30 am – 12:00 pm Diamond Ballroom 1, 4th Level This introductory workshop is designed to support HIV advocates in utilizing a racial justice lens in their work. Through discussion, activities, and training, we will deepen our collective understanding of what racial justice means and what it looks like when we achieve racial justice. Participants will learn basic concepts, including different ways that racism manifests through interpersonal interactions and structures in our society. Finally, we will consider ways that policy and practice in the HIV arena can uphold or dismantle racial inequity. Presenters: Venita Ray, Positive Women’s Network and Naina Khanna, Positive Women’s Network.
Trans Justice Is Gender Justice: Here’s Why
2:45 pm – 4:15 pm Diamond 2, 4th Level This workshop will challenge participants to reconsider what we’ve been taught about gender and sexuality. Participants will consider social and political gender constructs, learn about how people of cis and trans experience can be differently impacted by these constructs, and learn to apply gender justice as a framework. We will conclude by hearing participants’ visions to ground HIV advocacy in a deeper analysis of gender and power. Presenters: Waheedah Shabazz-El, Positive Women’s Network; Kelly Flannery, Positive Women’s Network and Keiva Lei Cadena.
PrEP-ception: PrEP and Reproductive Health
4:30 pm – 6:00 pm Platinum H, 3rd Level Research shows a strong desire to have a child among HIV serodiscordant heterosexual couples (where one is HIV-positive, and the other is not). But what does is encompassed to have a discussion of reproductive justice in an HIV context? One of the many uses for PrEP is to make reproduction possible for those in serodiscordant couples. This session will explore not just PrEP-ception but also what does reproductive justice mean for the HIV community. Presenters: Yamini Oseguera-Bhatnager, HIVE; Naina Khanna, Positive Women’s Network; Lashonda Spencer, USC and Alice Stek, USC.
December 04
Women of Color & Community Mobilization
10:30 am – 12:00 pm Platinum J, 3rd Level The Community Mobilization (CM) model calls for the engagement of communities in dialogue and strategic action around shared concerns. This model has been used to promote safer sex and reduce gender-based violence among at-risk individuals. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), shoufor ld be considered a woman-initiated approach to HIV prevention because it provides the opportunity discreet use and does not require the consent or knowledge of a male partner. Despite these advantages, PrEP access, uptake, and adherence among cisgender and transgender women have been suboptimal to date. Various gender-based barriers such as intimate partner violence (IPV), reproductive coercion, and financial insecurity can impede the effectiveness of PrEP among women. This workshop will address the components of the CM model as they relate to PrEP uptake among at-risk women. Presenters: Tiffany Marrero; Ebony Gordon, Nashville Cares; Naina Khanna, Positive Women’s Network and Jada Cardona, Transitions Louisiana.
The Kids Aren’t Alright: A Conversation with Youth Leaders about HIV in the Age of Millennials
10:30 am – 12:00 pm Diamond 6, 4th Level A session run completely by and featuring only youth across the nation from NMAC’s Youth Initiative Scholarship. We offer an honest look at the climate surrounding HIV from these youth leaders. They will share their individual experiences in their respective communities and what youth-serving/youth-inclusive organizations can learn and implement to better serve and reach more youth. “Millennials” have undeservedly gained a bad reputation, and we want to dispel any myths and misconceptions about why communities (namely, younger communities of color) are perceived as “hard-to-reach”, “uneducated”, or “reckless” and get into the real root causes of the rise in new HIV diagnoses in youth, as observed by youth that are walking that fine line between serving our communities while being very much a part of them. Presenters: Tapakorn Prasertsith, Youth Advocate; Ariel Sabillon, Youth Advocate; Terrance Walker, Youth Advocate and Marnina Ross-Miller, Youth Advocate.
