Rainbows Moving Forward

Registration for the 2015 National African American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS and Other Health Disparities Opens

 

The NAESM staff,  planning committee and participating sponsors including, ViiV Healthcare, Edge Media Network, The HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN), Gilead Sciences and The UCLA H3/The Black Gay Research Group (BGRG) are gearing up to present the 12th installment of the National African American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS and other Health Disparities which is scheduled to take place during the MLK weekend January 15-18, 2015 at the Renaissance Concourse Atlanta Airport Hotel located at One Hartsfield Centre Parkway Atlanta, GA 30354. For more information on the conference or to register, submit an abstract or apply for a scholarship please visit the NAESM Inc. website at www.naesm.org

 

NAESM 2015, as the conference is affectionately called, is the only national conference planned by Black gay men to highlight emerging social, political, structural, and behavioral trends that impact our communities by bridging health educators, advocates, policy makers, researchers, and PLWA’s in a weekend full of learning, sharing, and growth.  As with our previous Atlanta conferences, we are expecting another large turnout of healthcare providers, government officials, PLWHA’s, researchers and community members. During NAESM2015 there will be a continuation of the Creating Responsible Intelligent Black Brothers (CRIBB) Fellowship which will induct is 7th cohort class.

This years’ conference charge is “Leading the Movement: Pursuing Health Equity through Social Justice.” With HIV prevention rapidly changing through the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), social impediments will continue to impact our communities’ abilities to access housing, employment, education, public safety, and even access to health care.

NAESM's Executive Director Amistad St. Arromand says that “For years, in the health world, there has been a bit of a divide between those who are primarily focused on medical care and those who are focused on public health and social justice. Both medical care and social justice interventions are critical to black gay men, and advocates for both should be on the same team, given a shared interest in keeping people healthy.”  With a continued focus on ensuring the national capacity to conduct social justice and HIV prevention work, NAESM 2015 is allocating double the number of registration scholarships awarded to younger gay men ages 19-25. 

NAESM 2015 will have over 40 abstracts and poster presentations dealing directly with the public policy, public health, and social justice issues that impact the everyday lives of black gay men. Registrants have the opportunity to take advantage of the early registration rate of $275.00 through July 31st 2014. Opportunities to exhibit in the revamped marketplace and advertise in the souvenir booklet are also available. More information is available on the NAESM website or by contacting the headquarters at 404-691-8880.

 

Transgender Lobby Day Scheduled

Transgender Lobby Day in Washington D.C., July 14-15, 2014. Transgender people and allies are invited to participate. There is no cost to register. Organizing entities are working to ensure that participants reflect the diversity of our communities.

Currently local activist and advocate Ms. Tommy Luckett launched a Go Fund Me (www.gofundme.com ) crowd funding widget to outreach to possible supporters in her campaign to attend the event. Luckett has participated in numerous conferences including AIDS Watch and Arkansas HIV Planning Group meetings.

The Transgender Lobby Day is a joint project of National Center for Transgender Equality, Trans People of Color Coalition, Trans Latin@ Coalition, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, PFLAG National, Black Transmen, Inc., and Black Transwomen, Inc.

 On Sunday, July 13, there will be an optional reception that is open to all attendees. On Monday, July 14, there will be a policy conference featuring best practices on a variety of advocacy topics. Featured officials will also brief participants on the status of federal policy that affect transgender people.

On Tuesday, July 15, there will be lobbying training prior to scheduled meetings with members of congress. Both the policy conference and lobbying training will take place at Meeting House of the Friends, located at 2111 Florida Ave, NW. Details of the event are still forthcoming, so please check back regularly for updates. Recommended hotels will be announced in late May.

For more information, please contact: ncte@transequality.org.

 

 

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