Conferences

National LGBTQ Task Force: Creating Change

CHLP's PJP team will be attending and presenting at the National LGBTQ+ Task Force's annual Creating Change conference in Washington, DC.

HIV Institute
At the Intersection: Building Power Through HIV Policy Advocacy and Civil Rights Collaboration
Wednesday, January 21: 10:45am

This workshop explores the critical role of federal, state, and local HIV policy advocacy in addressing health inequities and creating sustainable change for communities disproportionately impacted by the epidemic. Participants will examine how policies shape lived experiences, identify strategic opportunities for intervention at multiple levels of government, and analyze successful advocacy campaigns. A central focus is building powerful coalitions with the broader civil rights community, recognizing that HIV advocacy intersects with movements for racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, housing rights, criminal justice reform, and economic equity.

Speakers:

Jada Hicks, CHLP
Victoria Kirby York, NBJC
Michael Elizabeth, Equality Federation

Elder & Intergenerational Institute
Living & Working in the Context of Aging
Friday, January 23: 11:00am

The Elder & Intergenerational LGBTQ+ Institute is a day-long gathering that centers LGBTQ+ elders and fosters connection across generations. Through workshops, storytelling, and shared learning, we’ll explore how intergenerational solidarity strengthens our movement and supports LGBTQ+ people as they age. Featuring leaders and activists from across the country, this event offers tools for age-inclusive advocacy, insights on sustaining long-term change, and space to honor the resilience of LGBTQ+ elders. Join us to build community, bridge generational divides, and shape a future rooted in justice, care, and belonging.

Speakers:

Sean McCormick, CHLP
Wilfred Labiosa, Waves Ahead
Sophia Ross, Capitol Hill Village

HIV and the Americans with Disabilities Act
Saturday, January 24: 9:00am

In addition to renewed attacks on federal and state public health and social services, people living with HIV (PLHIV) continue to face discrimination in housing, healthcare, employment, and other settings. Although successful challenges using the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) have resulted in the removal of discriminatory laws, policies, and practices for decades, novel legal strategies leveraging the ADA are now being used to attack HIV criminalization.

Speakers:

Sean McCormick, CHLP
Faith Hudson, Northwestern Law Bluhm Legal Clinic, LGBTQI+ Rights Clinic
Kara Ingelhart, Northwestern Law Bluhm Legal Clinic, LGBTQI+ Rights Clinic
Kamaria Laffrey, SERO Project
Liam Lindsay, Northwestern Law Bluhm Legal Clinic, LGBTQI+ Rights Clinic
Allen Morris, Know Your Rights/Legal Advice

Abolitionists Imagining a Brighter Future for TLGBQ+ PLAHIV
Saturday, January 24: 10:45am

Since January 20, 2025, we have seen the systems we rely upon for healthcare, education, etc. be destroyed. The barrage has led many to despair on how to protect those most vulnerable, particularly Black and brown LGBTQ+ folks living and aging with HIV (PLAHIV). People wonder, Can it be fixed? Abolitionist Mariame Kaba challenges us to consider: When something cannot be fixed, what can we build instead? The systems being ravaged, the status quo, while critical to our health and well-being, were also inequitable, consistently failing to meet PLAHIV's needs. This workshop seeks to introduce the oft-misunderstood concept of abolition, with a focus on abolitionist frameworks and strategies for imagining new, equitable systems that promote the health and dignity of all.

Speakers:

Kytara Epps, CHLP
Jada Hicks, CHLP
Nayimah Sanchez, The Bernadine Casseus Transgender Laureate

VICTORY - How our Successful Decriminalization of People
Living with HIV (PLHIV) in Maryland can Free All of Us!
Saturday, January 24: 3:30pm

This workshop will highlight the groundbreaking success of the Black & Trans-led multi-year effort to repeal Maryland's outdated HIV criminalization law and explore how this victory provides a roadmap for advancing liberation and justice for LGBTQ+ and Black -- or other highly impacted communities -- nationwide. Through stories, data, and advocacy, inclusive of communications strategies, speakers from Equality Federation, FreeState Justice in Maryland, the Center for HIV Law & Policy, and the Williams Institute will share how a diverse coalition of advocates, attorneys, researchers, and directly impacted leaders built momentum, overcame resistance, and won. Collectively, we will learn best practices for coalition building, legislative strategy, centering the leadership of people living with HIV, and ensuring racial and gender justice are foundational to reform. Together, we will consider how lessons learned in Maryland can apply to broader campaigns to dismantle harmful laws, fight stigma, and strengthen movements for LGBTQ+ and racial justice. This session will both celebrate the policy win during challenging times while equipping participants with practical strategies to replicate success in their own states and issue areas.

Speakers: