I can still remember turning 18 years old and all the excitement of becoming an adult. I was excited yet humbled and frightened. I had the power to make my own decisions and step out of the rule of my guardians for the first time in my life, but I also had to register to be drafted for war. I couldn't drink yet, but I could now die for the right to. I could also be charged as an adult for any crimes I might be involved with. I could now join the military or work full time. But the most memorable part of turning 18 for me was gaining the power to vote. I remember learning in school about how...
KatieAdsila's blog
I remember a very persuasive man telling America, "Yes We Can." Up to that point I had lived in a completely different world, still deep in the closet, fearful that the world was not ready for my truth, extremely introverted, almost debilitated by social anxiety and clinical depression, living in a body that didn't reflect my soul. I cried when Obama was inaugurated because I finally felt real hope that America was making progress and was capable of change. Everything felt different, change actually felt possible, and for the first time in my life I felt halfway safe to start living my truth...
I'm sitting on the plane to fly home from my second USCA experience, and what an experience it was. Last year was my first and I remember it to be a much more overwhelming experience. It was so big; it was unlike any conference I had ever been to at that point, there was so much to take in and so many amazing people, like a sea of advocates, providers, and pharmaceutical reps, anyone and everyone playing a role of any kind in this ongoing fight against this damned life-altering virus. From all over the country they come to gather, from different lands and different languages, from different...
Going to AIDSWatch was a wonderful experience that I'm honored to have been a part of.
I just had an awesome experience in Washington DC at my very first AIDSWatch, and I plan to share my experience with you in full honesty, though I'm a little ashamed to do so. But in order to benefit you, should you ever get the opportunity to speak with your legislators as a representative of your community, and I hope you will, I will share my humiliation with you. The thing that I'm ashamed to tell you is that I committed an advocate's greatest sin; I went in less prepared than I should have. I went to the plenary and the workshops, I read all the materials and talking points, I planned and...
When I was a child, 5 or 6 years old, we lived on the banks of the Tennessee River. I couldn’t swim so I had to wear a life jacket anytime I wanted to go by the water.
By now I’m sure we’ve all seen the news about the Supreme Court ruling allowing the transgender military ban to take effect, a policy imposed on America by the trump administration via tweet in July 2017.
The lights have come out all over town, in the department stores, on the city lampposts, and in homes and yards across the country. How I used to love those lights, along with everything else that made the holidays festive: annoying dinners with family, shopping in crowded stores, and watching memorized Christmas specials… but it was still special.
It was a normal quiet Monday night when I got the first email. It was after eleven o’clock and I was winding down for the night while watching tv, who could be emailing me I wondered, pinkfoxxphoenix?? Who the hell is this?
I may never forget the night I got the email from Bruce Richman (founder and Executive Director of the Prevention Access Campaign U=U) asking if I would be interested in joining a campaign.