Sex / Health Alliance Commits to Sustaining Decriminalization Efforts at New Orleans Convening

In October, CHLP co-convened the Sex / Health Alliance for an in-person gathering of core partners and grantee organizations. Hosted at Crescent Care in New Orleans, the two-day meeting provided an opportunity to reflect on the impact of the Alliance’s initial grantmaking, hear directly from organizations advancing decriminalization efforts in the Mississippi Delta, and explore opportunities for continued collaboration and investment in the movement.

The Sex / Health Alliance was established in 2022 to mobilize resources for community-centered organizing and advocacy aimed at dismantling laws that criminalize consensual sexual behavior and health status. Its formation responded to a growing need for sustained, flexible funding for decriminalization efforts, particularly in communities disproportionately impacted by the intersection of criminal law, public health, racism, and discrimination. The Alliance's core partners include CHLP, AIDS United, Equality Federation, New Moon Network, and the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law.

Last year, the Alliance awarded grants for general operating support to four organizations across the Delta that support the well-being and healing of communities disproportionately impacted by criminalization. They include:

• Below Sea Level Aid, a community-driven harm reduction organization dedicated to supporting neighbors in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the surrounding parishes.
• Black Butterfly Collective, a Mobile, Alabama-based organization dedicated to offering support and empowerment for BIPOC individuals who are trans and non-binary.  
• Arkansas Black Gay Men's Forum, a movement organization working to improve healthcare access and create safe spaces for central Arkansas’ Black and brown LGBTQ+ communities.
• Louisiana Coalition on Criminalization and Health, an organization fighting to end the harmful impacts of laws that stigmatize people living with HIV throughout the state.

The first day of the convening centered on dialogue with grantees about their experiences, challenges, and the resources and relationships needed to sustain their work. As the Alliance's initial yearlong grant cycle approaches its conclusion at the end of 2026, these conversations provided an opportunity to assess the Alliance's impact and consider how future collaboration could better support community-led organizing and long-term movement building, including in states where immediate legislative reform may not be possible.

"Decriminalization work requires sustained investment in the people, relationships, and organizing that make lasting change possible," said CHLP Executive Director S. Mandisa Moore-O'Neal. "Hearing directly from our grantee partners reinforced both the urgency of this work in this moment and the need for funding that responds to what communities actually need."

On the second day of the convening, representatives from core partner organizations reflected on the Alliance's accomplishments, assessed its current structure, and discussed its future beyond the conclusion of the existing grant. Partners agreed that the need for coordinated investment in decriminalization organizing remains urgent, even as the political landscape continues to evolve since the Alliance's founding. The meeting affirmed the value of collaborative approaches that center the leadership and experiences of communities most directly affected by criminalization and support the sustained organizing necessary to build a future beyond punishment and stigma.

Pictured above are Jazmine Carroll (LCCH), Hannah Norris (AIDS United), Savannah Sly (New Moon Fund), Laurel Sprague (Williams Institute), Dietz (LCCH), S. Mandisa Moore-O’Neal (CHLP), Melodie KG (New Moon Fund), Athena Cross (AIDS United), Michael Elizabeth (Equality Federation), Antoine Ghoston (Arkansas Black Gay Men’s Forum), Kelmyah Turner (Black Butterfly Collective), Matt Blinstrubas (CHLP), and Angel Gomez (AIDS United).