Five Takeaways from the 2025 US Conference on HIV/AIDS
Mark S. King Blogged Sept 10 2025 Living with HIV/AIDS My Fabulous Disease News Prevention and Policy Trump
Oh, USCHA, how we love you. You are the Grand Hostess of the HIV/AIDS community, and nowhere else can anyone working for, volunteering in, or living with the reality of HIV find so many beloved allies, frontline workers, and friends. And sometimes, well, we love USCHA in spite of itself.
My takeaways don’t deal with the clinical or research content of USCHA. You’ll find plenty of that elsewhere. I’m more interested in the vibe, the people, and the things
Save HIV Funding Rally at the U.S. Capitol (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
that inspired or irked me. (I won’t take space asking USCHA to stop blaring music so loudly before plenaries that we can’t talk with others at our table and make new friends. I have tried.)
Let’s dive into my five takeaways from USCHA 2025.
Without Plenary Activism, USCHA Did Not Rise to the Occasion
There were times when USCHA felt a bit like the dark musical Cabaret, as if we were watching Sally Bowles perform in the Kit Kat Club in Berlin in 1929 while, just outside, freedom burned to the ground.
In an environment where HIV funding – virtually all of it – is on the congressional budget chopping block, it felt ludicrous to take victory laps through HIV/AIDS history, as we did in one plenary, or share emotional, resilient tales about our past,
Signs of political protest at USCHA were few
as we did in another, without providing the crucial context that every shred of progress is under attack from a fascist regime.
(The GOP-led budget is winding its way through congress right now, and you can use your voice by going to this site and objecting to the crippling cuts that do real harm to our community. It’s life or death, folks.)
At a conference that has always been known to helpfully schedule protests right into the program (recent years have seen loud, thrilling protests addressing the needs of trans people, the U=U campaign, and those born with HIV), it was simply stunning that there were no protests at all, much less anything to do with the this frightening political moment.
This may very well be the influence of Big Pharma, which sponsors the plenaries and takes charge of its content. Even pharma is feeling the pressure of a belligerent Trump administration and its constant threats. Things can get touchy. But grassroots activism has been and must continue to be central to our efforts.
At least Paul Kawata had some choice words in his parting speech on the last day of USCHA. “For people coming up (in HIV work) today, you are writing the book on fascism,” Paul said to the crowd, “and what you do today will be the story that will define the rest of your lives.”
Powerful words. Too bad we did not demonstrate for the largely young audience what HIV/AIDS activism actually looks like.
Beyond the walls of the Washington Marriott, where USCHA was held, there were visits to the Hill coordinated by NMAC, a rally sponsored by the Save HIV Funding Campaign, and a “Cuts Kill” protest that featured quilt panels (reminiscent of the AIDS Memorial Quilt) containing messages begging congress not to slash HIV prevention and treatment programs.
While I disagree with there being no protests at the USCHA conference itself, I do appreciate the realities of the approach.
“Many of the people that would have been leading an action at the USCHA conference itself were moved to do something outside of it,” Maxx Boykin, manager
of the Save HIV Funding Campaign, told me, “especially since we were in DC, where decision makers are.”
Maxx added that protests within USCHA could have been powerful and even instructive for younger advocates to see, but time, resources and energy were stretched to the limit during this tumultuous time in our nation’s history.
We Love Paul Kawata but We are Grooving on Harold Phillips
Incoming NMAC director Harold Phillips with former director Paul Kawata (photo: NMAC) NMAC has expertly handled the passing of the baton from 36-year executive director Paul Kawata to his successor, Harold Phillips. Not only does Harold have government experience as a former director of the White House Office of AIDS Policy, but as a gay Black man living with HIV, he will bring direct lived experience to the job in a way that cannot be approximated.
Besides, Harold is as open and friendly as he is elegant. He will be a welcome national leader and the response to his new gig has been overwhelmingly positive. And Harold’s speech during the opening plenary was fire. NMAC needn’t worry about any loss of oratory skills. He was even wearing an “I �CDC” t-shirt.
Welcome, Harold!
You all know those conference bags. Sometimes they are colorful but impractical, or they don’t translate into anything you might use again. Sometimes they barely hold up for the plane ride home.
Not this year. The canvas bag with USCHA branding – and branding from Gilead, who evidently paid for them – is sturdy and, dare I say, even kind of cool? They came in three colors and I chose the khaki color because I’m as fashionably adventurous as an Old Navy catalogue.
Very cool.
The USCHA Conference Satchel is On Point
The USCHA conference satchel
The Theme of HIV & Aging was Welcome and Instructive
Considering conference attendees lean toward younger people working on the front lines, it’s nice to be recognized as an older person, much less have so many of the conference plenary and workshops focus on our needs and issues.
More than half of the people living with HIV in this country are over 50. That figure grows each year. Too many clinical and research questions are still unanswered, but USCHA gave us plenty of food for thought.
Elders were on the main stage during plenaries, leading workshops, and speaking to folks in the hallways. We felt seen. As an aging gay man who has long passed the age of visibility to younger gay men
Advocates at USCHA included Barb Cardell, Yolanda Diaz and Elder Antionettea Etienne
in the bar or grocery store, it was reassuring that my own HIV community hasn’t left me behind.
Jeff Berry, the director of The Reunion Project (the national voice of long-term HIV/AIDS survivors) even worked double duty during USCHA. He was a compelling plenary speaker, sharing his moving story of survival, and then he brought his library of music and his DJ headphones to the Saturday night dance event and spun funk and disco oldies for the crowd. Young and old danced together. It was glorious. Where did I put my boogie shoes? I know they were around here somewhere.
Bonus: The HIV Media Dinner was a Religious Experience
If you think HIV community work is underpaid, and it is, you wouldn’t want to know how little it pays to write about it. No one is more aware of that, or is more dedicated to telling our stories, than the talented folks who write about HIV or edit HIV publications and online platforms. It is, like so much of HIV work, a labor of love.
During what has become a yearly tradition during USCHA, yours truly hosted writers and editors from across the journalism spectrum for a dinner event. There is a wondrous lack of competition between us. We’re genuinely supportive of each other and of the stories we are privileged to tell.
This year, as we were gathering our things to leave the restaurant after an evening of friendship and some dishy gossip, I asked everyone to join me on one side of the table and gave them one piece of direction: “look conspiratorial.” Our server snapped three quick pictures and, with apologies to DaVinci, something hilarious and remarkable was created in less than a minute. My literary friends definitely understood the assignment – especially once writer and long-term survivor Shawn
With apologies to DaVinci. Front: Olivia Ford (The Well Project), writer Victoria Noe, Michael Lavers (The Washington Blade), Mark S. King (My Fabulous Disease), writer Charles Sanchez, writer Daniel G Garza, Back: writer Gwenn Barringer, Oriol Gutierrez (POZ Magazine), writer Liz Highleyman, Trenton Straube (POZ Magazine), writer Shawn Decker, Jennifer Morton (POZ Magazine), Rick Guasco (Positively Aware Magazine). Not pictured: Raif Derrazi (Plus Life Media).
Decker added some of a certain classic painting’s background to the photo. (Are those twelve people around me? Insert your own joke about my martyr complex here.)
And that’s it for another year. There’s no doubt our community is under siege, but just as during the most murderous days of the AIDS epidemic, there is still lightness, inspiration, and humor to make the journey bearable. USCHA provided it all.
Thanks for reading, my friends, and please be well.
The Manufactured Boy Wonder of the Right
--(Charlie Kirk was playing “Charlie Kirk”)--
The myth goes something like this. An 18-year-old kid, straight out of high school, has a stroke of genius: start a nationwide conservative youth movement to save America. With grit, hustle, and a few prayers, he builds Turning Point USA into an empire. Inspiring, right? Except that it is pure fiction.
The truth is that Charlie Kirk didn’t even think of the idea himself. He didn’t bankroll it, he didn’t build it alone, and he sure as hell didn’t pull it off on the strength of his teenage mind. Like so much of the MAGA machine, Kirk was manufactured. Here is what really happened.
In 2012, a 72-year-old Tea Party activist named Bill Montgomery heard Kirk give a talk at a small local event. Montgomery took one look at this kid with ambition in his eyes and told him to skip college and start an organization. Within weeks, Turning Point USA was born. Montgomery wasn’t just a mentor. He was the co-founder, treasurer, and strategist. In plain English: Kirk didn’t invent Turning Point USA. He was recruited into it by an older political operative who saw in him a useful mouthpiece.
Then came the money. Kirk didn’t scrape together pennies from bake sales. He stalked the Republican National Convention in Tampa in 2012 memorizing donor
faces. That’s how he buttonholed multimillionaire Foster Friess, pitched him, and walked away with a five-figure check. Add in Bruce Rauner, the future governor of Illinois, and the DeVos family, and suddenly this ‘teenage entrepreneur’ had more capital than most actual start-ups. By 2016, Turning Point’s budget had ballooned from $50,000 to over $5 million. That doesn’t happen because of hustle. That happens because deep-pocketed billionaires decide you are worth buying. And those billionaires weren’t random.
Kirk’s early lifeline came directly from the Koch donor network, DonorsTrust, and foundations like Bradley and DeVos. He was plugged into the same machine that bankrolls every other right-wing think tank and dark-money group. FreedomWorks gave him credibility. Ginni Thomas, wife of Clarence Thomas, signed on as an
advisor. Adam Brandon from FreedomWorks joined the board. This wasn’t a kid’s side project. It was a conveyor belt operation: find a willing young face, hand him talking points, surround him with old guard donors, and push him forward as the ‘future of conservatism.’ The right loves to talk about ‘merit’ and ‘bootstraps.’ But Charlie Kirk is the anti-bootstraps story. He didn’t build it. He was built. His speeches were derivative. His ideas weren’t his. His network was manufactured by billionaires who wanted a college-age mouthpiece to run campus operations they could never pull off themselves. Without Bill Montgomery, Foster Friess, the Koch donor network, and the DeVos family, Charlie Kirk would be a forgotten kid still trying to get into West Point.
What makes this important is not just debunking the Kirk myth. It is understanding the machinery of American conservatism. These people don’t grow movements organically. They don’t rise from the grassroots. They are cultivated, recruited, and bankrolled. They are test-tube populists. Charlie Kirk wasn’t a prodigy. He was a project. And when you look at TPUSA today, raking in nearly $80 million a year, the fingerprints of that project are all over it. The next time you hear someone gushing
about Kirk as a ‘self-made’ activist, remember this: he didn’t even think of the idea himself. He was told what to do, handed money, plugged into a network, and carried to national prominence by people decades older and millions richer. That’s not vision. That’s ventriloquism. And Charlie Kirk has been the dummy on their lap ever since.”
Brent Molnar
EDITOR’S NOTE: We decided to run this article to give a perspective of where this type of “hate speech” comes from. The debate over “free speech” has to include the things we don’t agree with as well. Our opinion of Charlie Kirk…to say he was not an ally is beyond an understatement. His work was for the other side. That’s why we need to work together to fix our communities TOGETHER.
For October 2025 we have chosen Horror Films and you can vote on which one we will be watching on October 19th by joining our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/195374003920591 Our movie night is growing and we even have discussions about the films afterwards as well as pick what theme will be for the next month. It’s a cheap date night and we even throw in the popcorn and pop! Everyone is welcome (although this is not an event for children since we often watch films with mature subject matters). So, come join this intergenerational evening.
Over the years I have sat on several boards and committees to help find solutions and ideas to improve the lives of people living with HIV. I have always believed that if we concentrated on our local communities that the good works would spread around the world. So, I work with and honor as many people around me as possible. I created the POZ-TO Awards to give thanks to those who do the "thankless work" of HIV/AIDS. Last year at the 2024 POZ-TO Awards (and our 10th Anniversary) I nominated and recognized an individual who is a researcher named Devan Nambiar. I've worked with him on a committee for Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC) back in 2023 and learned of the important work he is involved in. So, I decided that I should sit down with him and introduce our readers to him and his work.
JE: Devan, darling....I am so glad that you agreed to do this interview. I don't believe that most people in the LGBTQ2+ Community realize that we need folks like you. How are you today?
DN: I am keeping well. Overall, I am grateful for the life lessons I have learned and the many blessings in life. Even on the days with the aches and pain of aging, it’s a bit surreal as I reflect on my life and achievements. I am very proud of my achievement, but to be honest, I was always guided. It's only now that I am aware of all that happened. I would not be here if not for all of my spiritual teachers, family, and their blessings. I have often thought, what would my life be like if I were not poz. It’s a different reality. I turned 65 years young this year, and like many PLHIV, I never thought I would live this long, but I always knew I would only die until I have completed what I came here to do. It appears that there is still a lot more to do. On a deep level, I knew HIV was not going to kill me. I am so glad I stayed active, continuing to work and being physically fit, with a focus on the future, even when there was no future to look forward to. Every day, wherever I am, I start the day with my meditation, prayers, and Vedic chants as I have done for over 45 years, since I was 20 years old. My spiritual and religious practice is my go-to drug. I would not be who I am today if I had not had the personal experiences I went through. Personally, I would not wish my challenges and experiences on anyone. As I look back, I am always grateful to have to simple day of peace and quietude.
JE: Although we have sat on a committee together, I really don't know that much about your background. Would you mind telling our readers a little about yourself? Where are you from? Are you originally from Canada?
DN: I identify as Indian or East Indian or South Asian, which is a term used in Canada. My parents are from Kerala, India, and I was born in Malaysia. I arrived in Canada at the age of 19. It was a steep learning experience. I still remember arriving in January, and I was not crazy about snow, and still am not after 46 years here. While I have settled into a “Canadian” life, I have learned to love my unique identities of who I am over the years, versus looking for a sense of belonging. When I add the HIV status, it is even harder to belong in any one specific community, whether it is men, gay, straight, or Indian or white.
As a non-white person, I am always aware in all spaces how I am perceived, with my male privilege and being racialized/ Indian.
In Canada, and literally across the world, I am one of the most public Indian/South Asian people living with HIV. My mentor was Kalpesh Oza, also an Indian/South Asian. He was a microbiologist, activist, ACT UP Montreal, AIDS Action Now, and an artist. He worked at/ with Dr. Mark Wainberg’s lab, a scientist who worked in HIV research. Kalpesh passed away from HIV related complications in 1995. He took me to my first HIV meeting in 1993, at the Canadian AIDS Society. He also introduced me to AIDS Action Now, and my first protest march at Church and Wellesley St. in Toronto.
Kalpesh was a fierce activist, spoke his mind, but also funny, eccentric, energetic, angry at injustice, brilliant, literally a genius, and most of all caring. When I was at my lowest, lost, confused, hopeless, Kalpesh infused wisdom, compassion, and the not to give up. I love science, but had no knowledge of HIV medications, drug approval process, the immune system, clinical trials, HIV research, basic or clinical sciences, how governments approve drugs, why there are no treatments for HIV, or opportunistic infections. Kalpesh took me in my naivety and taught me the benefits of learning the science of HIV and what works or not.
I believe it is the responsibility of some of us as PLHIV to learn the science, it is our bodies on the line, we have to advocate for ourselves, we need to be number one in our lives! It is because of HIV advocates and many HIV activists; we have an array of HIV treatments. Kalpesh is my ongoing inspiration for what I do in HIV work, sexual health, research, STBBIS, and advocacy. As a scientist, he told me, you can learn all the stuff. If I have done a decent job, it is due to Kalpesh Oza!
JE: So, if you have done your homework about our interviews, you know that this is the point where we ask how long have you been HIV+ and what was it like when you got your diagnosis? Some may think that I'm just being noisy but actually I believe that sharing this information could help others deal with their diagnosis.
DN: It has been 36 years since I tested HIV positive. What a journey of reclaiming my life, purpose, meaning, and spiritual awakening. I must add that it did come only after experiencing so much loss, pain, and contemplation of my life. I realize nothing was guaranteed, so I have to make the best of the life I have been given, take a chance, and never regret what if. I speak my mind; I do what my heart tells me. I listen a lot to my gut instinct.
A bit of context: in 1986, when the AIDS epidemic was soaring in Toronto, I volunteered in a HIV Buddy program. It was set up by three women in a small one-room office in the northwest corner of Church and Wellesley. We received basic training in universal precautions, were paired up with mostly gay men who were sick and dying, and were assigned to help them with baths, groceries, food, banking, and medications. Many of them died within weeks. It was devastating and terribly sad, and we continued. So, from this perspective, HIV was not news to me.
I took my HIV test in 1989. In the late 80s and early 90’s there were many false positive HIV test results. As such, I did not believe my first HIV test results entirely. So, I went to Hassle Free Clinic to get a second test. At that point, you were given a code number, waited for 3 or 4 weeks of anxiety building up, and went back in person for the results. Then you were taken to a room, and the counsellor would inform you of the test results. I remember a friend drove me to the Hassle-Free Clinic. I was taken to the room. My counsellor was Rob, a gentle soul. He asked me how I was. I was so anxious. Rob said, “Your test is back, and it's positive. Would you like to talk about it?
It felt like being hit by a truck, confused, shocked, and numb. I just could not process my emotions. Because I have seen so many people die, I could not even process my own death, or how horribly I would die with a litany of opportunistic infections. I have been to hospitals to visit so many people dying of AIDS; those images were seared in my memory. As I got up to leave, I realized my mind was in absolute mental turmoil, and emotionally numb. I remember Rob mentioning that AZT was available as treatment. But I had also read the book, Poison by Prescription: The Azt Story. I decided I would not be going on AZT. It took me many months to get a grip on my life. It was a survival strategy.
Thankfully for me, in my growing years, my parents' guidance emphasized the importance of healthy eating, yoga, meditation, prayers, vitamins, supplements, and exercise. I did not smoke, drink alcohol, or use substances/drugs. I continued with what I was doing.
I took a few months' leave of absence from work and backpacked through several countries in Asia-with much of the time spent with spiritual teachers in India. It was amazing, an incredible immune booster, just to be with myself, no judgment, freedom to be. While travelling, I realized if I was going to die, there is so much I have not done.
Everyone I knew, and close to me, and loved, was sick, dying, or had died. At that time, when I went to the hospital to visit friends, colleagues in the hospital, I could smell death in the hospital wards. All the men who died were in their early 20s or late 30s; not a single one of them was over 40. In a span of seven years, everyone I adored and loved passed away. It was devastating. When I went to visit my family in Asia, I also found some of my close friends there had passed away too, and with a lack of access to ARV, the stigma of HIV dying in shame and secrecy.
In all of this chaos, I knew I had to keep myself sane; I meditated, practiced yoga, and ate healthily. In the fall of 1991, I had the most profound spiritual experience from my spiritual teacher, Lahiri Mahasaya, from the Kirya Yoga tradition. Lahiri Mahasaya changed my entire core belief about my future purposes. Till today, his message is my go-to mantra. In the past 37 years, my life has been marked by a series of various spiritual experiences with various spiritual teachers from India.
In 1993, I had two very close people pass away. One of them was my dad in Malaysia. I went home to be with him and take my dad through his end-of-life process. I sat by his feet next to him, read to him the Vedic hymns from the Bhagavad Gita. It was a very lucid conversation. My dad asked me about my work, life, and he said he was very proud of what I was doing. That night, he passed away. It was definitely a turning point in my life, being with my dad before his passing.
My health was decent till May 1996. As I was not on ARV and was on Dapsone to prevent Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP)- an opportunistic infection, a fungal infection of the lungs. But I ended up with PCP in June 1996. I remember, I had difficulty breathing, and I could not breathe at all lying down. Plus, there was a rancid and putrefying smell from my breath. After two nights of literally suffocating, I called my doctor and told him of my inability to breathe. He shouted on the phone, “Get to the ER right now.” I called the ambulance, and I was taken to Toronto General Hospital. When the nurse examined my oxygen, she was horrified. She said, “If you had come a few hours later, you would not be alive. At the hospital, right away, I was taken for a bronchoscopy. I looked at the screen, and 80% of my lungs were black versus pink healthy tissue. My CD4+ was below 50 cells/mm. I was admitted for 4 weeks, connected to oxygen, and to receive Septa medication by IV.
Here is where it gets interesting. I am allergic to sulfa drugs, and Septra is a sulfa drug. The infectious disease specialist informed me, we have to treat you with an increased dose of IV Septra; there is no other option. I said, “Okay, I will do what I can to make sure my body doesn’t react.” Looking back, I am sure the physician was wondering if I was delirious. What I did was speak to my body, cells, tissue, to accept the medication, and with my family’s prayers and care, I recovered. With gratitude, the universe blessed me; I had no allergic reaction, much to the surprise of the clinical team. I remember the physician was so glad. I asked him, “Can you take me on as your patient?” He said, “Of course.” Long story short, this physician has been my HIV specialist for over 30 years. He saved me.
In my second week, while hooked to an IV drip, an Oxygen mask, I had a near-death experience (NDE). I remember looking down, seeing my body on the hospital bed, I was floating, and I saw my other spiritual teacher, Ramana Maharishi. He asked me, “Do you want to go?” I said, “No, I am not ready, I have so much more ore to do. My mom will not be able to bear my death.” All this happened in less than 30 seconds. I remember looking down at my body on the bed, emaciated, I had lost around 40 pounds, skin and bones. I remember thinking, “Oh, you can’t die looking like this.” Vanity even in death. Back into my body I went. I was discharged two weeks later, remembering I had a purpose, and a lifetime of work, on myself, career, life, and love, awaited me to accomplish.
My NDE gave me a perspective that has changed my outlook and priorities on life forever.
When I look back now, in terms of partner, love, companionship, one person stands outStan. He impacted my life most with his unconditional love, passion, warmth, caring, and his untimely death in 1995. He was admitted to Casey House. I went to see him, he was unconscious, my crying a river, so angry at the injustice of life, why must he die? He showed me what love is, in all the uncertainty of life. I was lucky to find love & be in love, with a person who adored me, and vice versa. To experience unconditional love changes you, and it stays with you forever, even after their passing. In sorrow and in the unknown during the time of so much death around us, we all took a chance on love, and it sustained us. When you have experienced love of such intensity, it’s hard to settle for anything less.
In living with my HIV diagnosis, as I get older, I often think of the friends, partner, lovers who touched my life, no longer here, but always in my memory and heart. They enriched my soul to carry me forward. I hope everyone experiences the intensity of such love at least once in this lifetime.
I do consider myself blessed in spite of all the intense, painful episodes, and the love, joy, and moments that are etched in my heart and memory. On days when I need a pick-meup, I think of these moments, and it brings a smile to my lips and a song to my heart. I know I am not alone, but always guided if I pay attention and am aware. The HIV diagnosis was the catalyst to push me to live my life with full intent! But also, it taught me to avoid pondering a decision forever.
For my personal goals to make a difference, during my time in research work in Tamil Nadu, India, I set up an HIV drug recycling program for women and children from 19982002 at Tambaram Hospital. In 2008, I left CATIE after 12 years and took a new job at Rainbow Health Ontario, Sherbourne Health. I created with the physicians the first Continuing Medical Education on Hormone Replacement Therapy for transgender care in Canada in Jan 21, 2009. I was the guest lecturer at two medical schools on LGBTQ care. I have also come to realize I am the conduit for the work. As such, I am grateful for these opportunities and thank the divine for giving me the intelligence and skills to deliver these sessions.
Also in 2008, I went back to university while working FT, completed two more degrees, including my master’s at 55 years of age in 2015. In 2017, I applied for PhD studies at the University of Bristol. I got accepted into a PhD program in the School of Policy Studies, and my research area was The Spiritual and Religious Practices of HIV-infected Gay Men in Canada: Opportunities for Health Promotion, Mental Health and Clinical Care. I did not receive a scholarship, and it was too costly, so I declined the offer. But I am always a sucker for learning, and I did apply to another PhD program in 2025, in Quantum Science. I got accepted, but I am still thinking if it's the right decision for me.
In 2010, I went to the Himalayas to two temples, Badrinath and Kedarnath, at 11,000 feet. It was an incredible experience of a spiritual high. I also did my first 5 K run in 2010 at the age of 50 years, and a 22 K in 2012. The 22 K was a torture. Then in 2018, I set up my consultancy at GHIS.CA. In 2021 I set up an online dating site Positivelove.ca for
PLHIV. It’s free to join. I like to do my best and live my life to the maximum possibility before my last breath. I am hoping I will be able to do one more marathon before I turn 70 years old. I am in the process of editing a book I am writing, a biography of my experiences from a global perspective.
JE: Now, let's get down to brass tax. What kind of research do you do? And don't skimp on the details....but put it in layman terms so the average person like myself could understand.
DN: The research I am involved in varies from social sciences to clinical sciences. Below is the list of various research projects I am actively involved in at my work at Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance. Currently, I am actively involved in five research studies listed below, and four other research proposals are awaiting reviews and funding if approved.
• Mentor and Co-Investigator: 2SLGBTQ Health Hub. Dalla Lana School of Public Health. University of Toronto. In this 5-year research, my role is to mentor two graduate or post-graduate students in 2SLGBTQ research and social determinants of health.
• Co-Chair: ACCESS study (Anal cancer equity in Screening Services), Unity Health, Toronto. This is an Ontario research study, and it has just started recruiting participants in September. As a Co-Chair, I assist with reviewing meeting notes, agenda, finding diverse community members for the Community Advisory Board who represent PLHIV, help with interviewing participants, input on training module for clinicians, and share any new resources on new publications on HPV and anal cancer. In the ACCESS study, we are interviewing diverse PLHIV from all genders and sexual orientations on their knowledge of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and anal cancer. Secondly, it is to conduct a needs assessment among the health care providers, deliverers, and recipients of an anal cancer screening program prior to implementation in Ontario, Canada. Thirdly, to train health care providers on how to conduct a digital rectal exam and or use an anoscopy to examine cells in the rectal wall during an examination and provide appropriate referrals for treatments of anal cancer. AT GMSH, we have written a factsheet on HPV and Anal Cancer Screening, Treatment and Care, and 3 resources for PLHIV on how to talk to their health care provider about anal health screening, and or HPV Gardasil9 vaccine, and a guide for Healthcare providers. In 2023, the results of the groundbreaking ANCHOR study on HPV and anal cancer in PLHIV were released. It was the largest study ( n=4,459) of HPV and anal cancer revealed in the data of high prevalence of anal cancer amongst PLHIV. In the ANCHOR study, gbMSM and transwomen living with HIV have the highest risk of developing anal cancer, and screening to start at age 35 and above (refer to Figure 1 in the factsheet and guidelines from the International Neoplasia Society's consensus guidelines for anal cancer screening.
• Knowledge User: Learning from mpox: Community-Based Mixed Methods Research to Support Intersectional and Stigma-Informed Approaches to Pandemic Preparedness for Gay, Bisexual, Queer, and Other Men who Have Sex with Men in Canada. Dalla Lana School of Public Health. University of Toronto. As a knowledge user, I use the findings from the research to inform GBMSM and in our work on updates to Mpox.
• Co-investigator: Building capacity in interdisciplinary research on mpox and other (re)emerging zoonotic threats to health. Intersection of mpox and STBBI. School of Population and Public Health. The University of British Columbia.
• Co-Chair and Knowledge user: Burden of COVID-19 among people living with HIV in Ontario. Unity Health. This study is completed, and we have been analysing the data.
From the COVID -19 data analysis, we have published two peer-reviewed journal articles as listed below.
• Chamber et al. 2019. Coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine effectiveness among a population-based cohort of people living with HIV. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36254892/ “Two doses of COVID-19 vaccine offered substantial protection against symptomatic illness and hospitalization/death in people with HIV prior to the emergence of the Omicron variant. Our findings do not support a broad conclusion that COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness is lower among people with HIV in populations that, for the most part, are attending HIV care, taking antiretroviral medication, and are virally suppressed.”
• Frietas C. et al. 2025. COVID-19 vaccine uptake in a retrospective population-based cohort of people living with and without HIV in Ontario, Canada doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2025.127422. “Uptake of the first two doses of COVID-19 vaccine was high among people living with HIV in Ontario, Canada; however, disparities in uptake of ≥3 doses remain, especially by sex. Continued monitoring of COVID-19 vaccine uptake is crucial to informing immunization programs, policies, and guidelines for people living with HIV in Canada.”
• In addition, I have been for nearly 10 years on the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) of CIHR-CTN HIV Clinical Trials Network (CTN+). CTN+ is a national organization. I joined the CAC of CTN+ in 1996 when I was working at CATIE. Currently, I am the Community Co-lead for HIV Cures and Immunotherapies Think Tank at CTN+. In discussion with the scientists and physicians on the HIV Cures and Immunotherapies Think Tank, we created a tip sheet for PLHIV on the immune system and the various types of HIV cures and immunotherapy currently being studied. The tip sheet will help PLHIV learn more about what HIV cure research, stages of research and what type of cure research is being conducted. The tip sheet is HIV Cure & Immunotherapies Approaches: a brief overview | The CTN+
• Lastly, I have served on the Canadian Drug Agency (CDA) as the Patient Community Advisory Committee for 5 years. The CDA advises health system leaders with independent evidence and data to make informed decisions on drugs, vaccines, new treatments, medical devices, health technology, and health system decisions. Example: when HIV drugs are approved, the CDA does an independent review of the drugs from the clinical trial results, and advises the Health Ministry on the pros and cons of the drug, and the ministry makes a decision which drug will be on the provincial formulary. Here is a review of injectable ARV, https://www.cdaamc.ca/cabotegravirrilpivirine
One area of HIV research that needs urgent work is HIV inflammation and U=U. In 2008, U=U was a breakthrough in reducing HIV stigma. While U=U is important, it oversimplifies HIV, reducing it to a catchphrase. U=U leaves out the very real concerns around disclosure
and the long-term impacts on the body of the inflammation caused by HIV infection. Even with U=U, new HIV viruses contribute to lower levels of continuing inflammation. HIV inflammation can accelerate physical changes normally associated with aging. The inflammation translates to comorbidities, to manage higher rates of heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and non-HIV-related cancers. Here are some research articles on inflammation.
• 1. https://www.iapac.org/fact-sheet/hiv-and-inflammation/
• 2. https://www.sfaf.org/collections/beta/the-low-down-on-inflammation-from-anhiv-doctor/
• 3. https://www.poz.com/article/chronic-inflammation-big-deal-people-hiv
• 4. https://www.aidsmap.com/news/jul-2019/could-better-understandinginflammation-help-research-towards-hiv-cure
JE: Are you working on any projects right now that you can share with us?
DN: Yes, I have five new projects.
First, we have an exciting collaboration in HIV cures and immunotherapies with an Australian research team and the Community Advisory Committee. The goal is to set up an online portal of one site with all information on HIV cures and immunotherapies, currently happening. The goal is also to connect and collaborate with other HIV cures & immunotherapies Community Advisory Boards across the world.
This year at GMSH, we launched the GMSH Research Digest: Health and Wellbeing for 2SGBTQ+ Men – Summer 2025 Edition. To keep up to date on the science, I subscribe to approximately 25 free publications, journals, and updates, from aidsmap, ibase, CROI, the body, CATIE, and OTHN. The Research Digest will be a one-stop information update for providers on health priorities on gbMSM and PLHIV. There will be a Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring edition. Each edition of our Research Digest focuses on current evidence, new developments, and emerging priorities in the health and wellbeing of 2SGBTQ+ men. This issue highlights critical updates in HIV prevention, STI trends, sexual health, aging, and the ongoing impacts of structural stigma. While it is targeted to clinicians, it is available for anyone who wants to learn more and stay current. It will be launched in fall 2025.
The third project is updating the Primed Guide, a sexual health guide for trans men, queer trans men, and non-binary people. The fourth edition is called PRIMED 4U. The project is a collaboration between CATIE and GMSH. It is now complete and will be available online for download and in print in French and English.
Fourth project, I worked with a graphic artist to create the brochure of Zones of Engagement for gay, bi, men who have sex with men(gbMSM) who Party and Play. The brochure is a tool for gbMSM who Party N Play to assess where they are in the Zone and also for mental health clinicians to work with gbMSM.
Fifth project, I created a series of 5 checklists for cis and trans gbMSM, on Conversations with your Healthcare Provider. It is for gbMSM who are HIV-negative, gbMSM living with HIV, gbMSM trans and non-binary men, aging, HIV and tests for inflammation, and HIV disclosure. This is translated to French and Spanish.
I have co-created a series of medically reviewed factsheets at work, ranging from Prostate cancer, HCV, HPV, doxycycline, PrEP, race and health for gbMSM, PnP and holistic care, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and the latest factsheet is, Mental and Emotional Health of 2SGBTQ+ men . To serve the needs of diverse populations, some of the contents are also translated into French and Spanish.
JE: Before I let you go, what advice would you give someone who would like to get into AIDS research?
DN: (1) I would say, never underestimate what you can learn if you have a passion and or inquisitive mind for the topic. Always ask questions. It is important to want to question everything we know about HIV, sexual health, infections, addictions, medications, immune system because we are always learning something new. Science is a constantly evolving field. Decide if it is social, basic, clinical, or science.
(2) HIV research is very broad, and in HIV research things are evolving constantly. HIV research is a varied range of basic science, clinical or social sciences. Ask yourself which of these sciences is your passion, and which are you new to? My suggestion is stick with your passion and learn a little of the science you are new to. This helps challenges your critical thinking, and broadens your skills, and knowledge. Over time, read more of the science that you are new to, and become familiar with it. It takes time, be gentle with yourself.
(3) The HIV world needs many more PLHIV to take an interest in basic, clinical, and social sciences.
(4). Attend at least one HIV related webinar a month. Most webinars are free. Ask questions and take notes, and it helps you understand when you read science and health journals.
(5) Subscribe to free journals, newsletters, updates on HIV and related content. In Canada, for community members interested to be involved in research, check out CTN + and subscribe to the newsletter at https://www.ctnplus.ca/resourcecategories/community-engagement/
The work can be found at the Gay Men’s Sexual Health Alliance I will post some research or health-related information/research on my LinkedIn and Instagram @devannamb Thank you very much for this opportunity, Jade Elektra. Many blessings, good health to you.
Listen to the mix here: https://www.mixcloud.com/djrelentlessny/ear-candy-october-2025
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I hate to say it, but the world is fucked up right about now! I don’t know about you, but music has been my only refuge and sanctuary from the dumpster fire that is the United States. Freedom of speech…speech that pleases the Wanna-Be-King. So glad that I finally got my Canadian citizenship but feel scared for my family friends throughout the states. I hope that this month’s mix gives you a distraction for just a moment to practice self-care and organize to stop the steal.
We’ve got twenty-one tracks to talk about. There are five LGBT Artists, six throwbacks and four Latin Club tracks to throw some love to our ICE victims. So, let’s get started…
As my grandma used to say, “They could make a whole new world out of the thangs I don’t know.” And no statement could be truer. I am discovering artists that I missed or never heard of. This is the case with Cain Culto. And his remix of “KFC Santeria”
featuring Sudan Archives was a revelation! It encapsulates all that I would like to say about the political world right now! I had never heard of him, but I am always glad to find more openly gay artists doin’ their thang! If you get a chance, check out his catalogue. He has some great tracks and an interesting cover of Madonna’s “Like A Prayer”
Oh, speaking of Madonna…reports say she has returned to Warner Bros Records for her next album that they believe will be “Confessions On A Dance Floor 2”.
Our second selection is “East L.A.” by Will.I.Am featuring Taboo. With Plump threatening to send the National Guard into major cities, places like Chicago, New York and Los Angelos are definitely targets. I believe Will.I.Am wanted show solidarity with his fellow Black Eye Pea, Taboo. I can’t believe they actually run ads to join ICE on television. What a shameful time this is. And it feels like it’s been a year or so of this takeover, but it’s only been nine months. But ya’ll were warned and didn’t listen. The fear of a black woman in the Oval Office was a bridge too far to help improve the country. So, all I wanna know is…”Are you tired of winning yet?”
I know that Ciara has been pumpin’ out tracks for a while but honestly, she hasn’t been on my radar in a while. She’s got a track out with Tyga right now but her single with
Diamond Platnumz called “Low” seemed more in line with the flow of my mix. I don’t love all Afro tracks or productions. Like Reggae, Salsa and Metal…they all start to sound the same. But if it’s done right with the right vocals all of these genres can be interesting and good. There’s something about Ciara’s style and the video that sold me on this one.
Our fourth selection only came to my attention while watching this year’s Video MTV Awards. I had never heard of Conan Gray. His performance of “Vodka Cranberry” featured Conan dressed as a prince kissing a male Sleeping Beauty. Was the song something that would have been on my radar as a working DJ in clubs and bars? Nope. But I always try to support our LGBT artists as much as I can. So, I decided to remix this downtempo Pop song into something that I would play. So, I give you the Relentlessly Touched Vocal version exclusively heard here. He doesn’t even know this version exists.
So, I think in my last article I wrote that the Pop Princess spell of Sabrina Carpenter was wearing off. I still stand by that…but her performance at the VMAs of “Tears” was significant because the show was on CBS for the first time this year and she recreated the music video with a gaggle of Drag Queens and Trans People. The only problem was that CBS must have been scared of this administration because they quickly cut away from most shots of the dancers and people on stage with signs that had references to “The Dolls”. In the actual video out actor Colman Domingo is in drag and lip syncs a
good portion of the song. So, I have been having fun programming it into my sets at my new Video Tea Dance called VIDEO JUKEBOX at Toronto’s Black Eagle. So, if you’re in Toronto, come dance, socialize and enjoy a return to the traditional Sunday Tea Dance days from 4-8 PM.
Our sixth selection is from Doja Cat You remember her, don’t cha? The girl who threatened to leave the music industry after being trolled by Braziian fans who were not pleased with her concert and for cancelling a show in Paraguay due to a deadly storm that could’ve killed millions. I personally thought it was for being caught on an alt-right chat called Tiny Chat. But here we are three years later, and she is a bonafide Pop star.
Her latest single is called “Jealous Type”. The production is a throwback to the 80s. There seems to be a lot of that these days. Not sure how I feel about that. Yeah, this was the decade that I was a teenager and grew up with MTV and that fun fashion, but it was also a tough time for a lot of people of color. In a way, I guess this is history repeating itself. Economically we are suffering all over again. Perhaps the 80s productions are a nod to the struggle. The song is cute. Will it be a chart topper? Unless there’s some phenomenal remixes, I don’t see it.
Every year for Halloween I throw in a throwback track remixed. This year I chose the Kaktuz Remix of “Everybody” by the Backstreet Boys. I have to be honest. I didn’t care about this song when it was a hit, but this remix kinda slaps!
So, keeping with the Halloween theme we have “The Dead Dance” by Lady GaGa I’m not sure if this is on her new album or if it was a single to coincide with her guest spot on HBO’s second season of “Wednesday”. According to the Billboard charts it didn’t do so well. It didn’t even make it to the Top Ten. And I have heard a few remixes…a couple good but many too Circuit. I will never understand how putting the vocal on top of a sneakers-in-a-dryer production of drums is considered dance music. That is so 2000 and late!
But speaking of throwbacks, the Danros Mashup of “Sweat (Everybody Dance)” by C+C Music Factory x Purple Disco Machine. If you ever needed an updated version of this 90s Dance Classic, here’s the perfect one. It doesn’t use the rap by Freedom Williams, but it gives a great Club vibe for a dance floor in 2025.
A few years back Madonna introduced us to Latina female rapper Tokischa when she updated her 2005 hit “Hung Up” with a Moombahton remake. Tokischa has released a few tracks since then but her latest caught my attention and I decided to include it in this month’s mix. It called “MUXAXA” and features La Mas Doll. Don’t understand a word of what they are sayin’ but it’s got a party vibe! The only bad thing about the track is it obviously was made for TikTok. It’s only a couple minutes long. Let’s hope that someone remixes this one and makes it about five minutes long for Club play.
Before I talk about our eleventh track, I need to issue a correction. I assumed from Karol G’s music video for “Contigo” I naturally assumed she was bisexual. She has never publicly addressed her sexuality but is currently engaged to Colombian musician, Feid. I guess we as the LGBT Community are so starved for acceptance that any glimpse of someone acting gay gives us hope that they are. And since Karol is a huge Latino artist, that would be huge if she was gay.
Her latest single is “Latina Foreva” and the “Moska Remix” slaps! I guess you know your track is good when someone who does not speak your language likes what they hear.
To prove that I do not hold grudges against others who vote against their own best interests, I decided to program the Alex Bendell Remix of “Rompe” by Daddy Yankee. When I found out that he was a Republican back in the 2000s, I immediately stopped playing his music. And those were the George W. Bush years. I wonder where he stands today on the issues of ICE. So many Latino voters used their votes to hopefully keep other Latin immigrants out of the U.S. They never dreamed that their votes would make them the targets to be removed. Do I like this remix? Not particularly. But I’m sure there is a Daddy Yankee fan out there that would appreciate an updated Club version of this Reggaeton (not Moombahton…that’s just a term to get away from the word Reggae since the production is originally created on Black musicians).
Our thirteenth selection is from Myke Towers. To be honest, I had heard the name but never actually investigated any of his music. He charted for the first time in 2020 with an album called “Easy Money Baby”. With seven albums under his belt and tons of singles and awards, I guess I should have looked into his catalog much sooner. His latest release is “JETSKO” a great Latin House track. This one is definitely going into my programming.
And for our fourteenth selection I decided to turn my sights on a new remix of a 2000s hit by Jennifer Lopez The Joel Corry Remix of “Get Right” is a banga! It is a nice updated version of one of my favourite J-Lo track.
And since we are going back to the 2000s, here’s the Juush Remix of “Lose My Breath” by Destiny’s Child. I keep hearing a buzz about a reunion. I personally think it won’t happen for a while. With Beyoncé’s next Betty Davis tribute album coming, I’m sure she will do another tour. But as for this remix it’s not as good as Maurice Joshua’s but it could work as a good dub. They should have used more of the vocal. It’s a little too repetitive for my taste.
My husband is always sampling and researching new music. I do what I can with my busy schedule. So, I always appreciate him for doing this. He told me about a new record by Sunday Church called “Are There Any Queens In The House?”. I rather liked it. I had hoped there was a music video but there wasn’t. Then he told me that this recording was written and produced by Honey Dijon & Sia. I knew that Honey had done several Ballroom inspired House tracks recently. And who could forget “The Hello Track” from the 90s? Legendary! So, if you’re looking for a good Cunty track to get the gyrls goin’ this is a good one.
The seventeenth track in this month’s mix is the K3ONI Remix of “TGIF” by GloRilla Y’all know I am no fan of this child. Her name is so offensive to me. And I don’t really use her music. But a good remix is a good remix.
However, the Danny Diggz Bootleg of “Twinzzz x Everybody” by Saweetie is FYYAH! I heard the original and obviously recognized the Black Box sample. This remix gives me all the life I need to satisfy my Hip Hop meets classic 90s Dance!
I still haven’t jumped on the K-Pop trend. Honestly I’m not a fan. It bothers me that these groups are manufactured and sent out to be like The Beatles for Korea. And they do carbon copies of American genres and are praised for it. Meanwhile, there are plenty of American artists who can’t get a break. So, I see and hear the releases and a few sound good enough to program but the majority I just ignore. In my Facebook video jockey group, there was a lot of hub-bub about the Sefu Remix of “Jump” by BLACKPINK. If I had to play something by them, I guess this would be it. But be let’s be clear…I wouldn’t go out of my way to play any of their music.
Our twentieth track is the Brett Brisbois 2k25 Remix of “Handclap” by Fitz & The Tantrums. I vaguely remember this song but never played it and had no interest in it until I heard this remix. Brett has given a new take on this one and I’d play it.
And to closeout our mix is an opportunity to toot my own horn. If you have followed me in the past, you know that I am not only known as DJ Relentless but also as drag recording artist Jade Elektra. And after about a decade of talking about it, Simone Denny and I actually sat down and wrote a song together called “Let’s Call It Love”. It was produced by my iUnderground Records label partner, Erik Elias. We got signed to Matt Moss’ label, Vidon Music Erik did the original mixes but on October 3rd , new remixes by Dirty Disco as well as Matt Moss will be available on all platforms. Simone and I are in talks to do a music video. And there is another Matt Moss remix that isn’t scheduled to be released. I’m gonna try to talk Matt into letting us use that mix for the music video.
