USCHA 2023: My Girls

MY GIRLS! I can't explain the connection and the happiness I feel when I'm around them. When I share space with them, I feel heard and held and so effortlessly it comes naturally for me to do the same for them. We are strong, we are hot af, and we are invincible together. At USCHA 2023 I was reunited with the amazing women of The Well Project. We presented together, we advocated together, we shared food and laughs and hugs together- I felt whole. The experience of being with my sisters revived me and provided me the energy to go forth in the world as me, all of me. They give me confidence to explore my identity outside of a history of trauma and when I'm unsure, they're there.

I seriously love y'all and I am so thankful for experiences like this that bring us together. Never have I been a part of a community so tightly knit and connected. We're family. HIV is never anything that I envisioned being part of my life, but the fact that it connected me to this amazing community of people- it's like a superpower. We are some of the most resilient, powerful women there are and together we are inspiring change that will make the world a better place. I am one part of a force that's continuously moving forward with vigor. Each individual success is our success and we cheer each other on and celebrate one another. The good stuff you want in a friendship. The best stuff. I'd never trade it. Not for a single thing. Love you all so much. Mean it forever. My girls.