GMHC

Latex! Ball! 2024! Read our recap and scroll through more photos here: https://lnkd.in/gfyt82TV -- Photos: Daphne Salgado

At GMHC, we believe in the importance of using inclusive and non-stigmatizing language to ensure that everyone feels respected, regardless of their identity or HIV status. Check out this updated HIV Language Guide to learn more! https://lnkd.in/g8qfcV5c

Did you know that having another STI increases your risk of contracting HIV? Check out this article to find out more about the latest updates in STI prevention efforts: https://lnkd.in/gG6yMe3A

Tickets for “Keep on Dancin’: A Dance Party Celebrating the Spirit of the Paradise Garage” are available today at noon! Put on your dancing shoes because the iconic and influential NYC nightclub Paradise Garage will once again be resurrected at Lincoln Center, this time with an amplified and silent disco for the ages! There are two ways to access this FREE event: 1. General Admission, first-come first-served. Just show up! 2. Fast Track, opening today at noon via this link: https://lnkd.in/gr9JvcDn

On June 27, we hosted our annual Aging Mental Health Awareness Day to provide folks the opportunity to build community, talk about accessing mental health services at GMHC, and get free massages & other self-care activities. We had wonderful discussions on what it means to thrive and flourish in our mental health, the stigma around HIV and aging, and ways to find our own paths and methods of self-care. We talked a lot about resilience – that, like a rock going into water, the water rushes over us as we continue to move on. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gCmDQYDB

A worthwhile read from our friends at The Body: A Timeline of HIV/AIDS Representation at New York City’s Pride March, From the Early 1980s to Modern Times. https://lnkd.in/gpGBjz9D

GMHC launched its onsite Avita Pharmacy so clients can immediately get their medication prescriptions filled while visiting the agency for HIV and STI testing, appointments with counselors, or other services. “It’s a one-stop shop experience for our clients,” said GMHC Vice President of Prevention Programs Armstrong Tingwane. “Having the pharmacy at GMHC offers convenience, comfort, and safety as well,” he added. Q Care Plus and Avita are both staffed by culturally competent providers to supply LGBTQ+ clients with stigma-free health care. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gsYcNWK8

Legends and Icons, Queen Mothers and Children brought glitter, feathers, and passion to Terminal 5 on June 22, transforming the venue into one of the greatest Ballroom events of the year: GMHC’s legendary Latex Ball. Competitors from more than 26 Houses showed up to walk in categories of the 35th annual Latex Ball inspired by the theme of “Ballroom Tapestries.” “Tapestries were status symbols in the Middle Ages. They were a form of storytelling through fabric about a culture’s past, present, and future – and they became pieces of art,” said Ortiz, GMHC’s Coordinator of Prevention Services. “That’s Ballroom to me. Our blood, sweat, and tears are threaded and woven into the fabric of ballroom history.” Undeterred by a brief intermission from a fire alarm, a capacity crowd packed the house at Terminal 5 in Manhattan for one of the New York Ballroom scene’s most anticipated Pride Month events. -- Photos: Robert Ripps (1), Daphne Salgado (2-5)

Today, we’re celebrating the restoration of $5.3 million in funding for NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) HIV and AIDS programs in the final FY25 NYC budget. This funding includes over $688,000 for GMHC’s Undetectables and HIV Prevention and Literacy: Older Adults programs that serve hundreds of community members and employ seven staff members. This funding is key to the health and safety of low-income people of color, LGBTQ+ communities, immigrants, and other New Yorkers disproportionately impacted by HIV. Thank you to NYC Council Speaker Adrienne A. Adams and Health Committee Chair Lynn Schulman for their leadership and advocacy that not only restored $5.3M for HIV and AIDS services providers throughout NYC, but also worked in collaboration with Mayor Adams’ administration to baseline these funds, making them more permanent. We also thank Co-Chairs Erik Bottcher, Tiffany Cabán, and Members of Council’s LGBTQ+ Caucus for their steadfast support. As always, we are grateful for the continued partnership and support from our colleagues in the fight: ACT UP NY, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, Emma L. Bowen Community Service Center, Housing Works, and Harlem United. https://lnkd.in/gxEm8m4Z

On June 28, the eve of New York City’s annual LGBTQ+ Pride Celebration, GMHC celebrated Governor Kathy Hochul signing into law four of our priority statewide bills that advance New York’s plan to end the HIV epidemic. At the signing ceremony at New York City’s LGBT community center, Gov. Hochul said she was proud to sign legislation into law that addresses inequities experienced by New Yorkers living with or affected by HIV and AIDS. Thank you NY State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Cousins for bringing these bills to a vote. We also thank sponsors of these bills in the NY State Assembly Amy Paulin, Linda B Rosenthal, Tony Simone, & David Weprin and New York State Sponsors Neil Breslin, & Brad Hoylman. Thank you as well to NYC Council Member Erik Bottcher and Congressman Jerry Nadler, who were also at the signing ceremony. -- Photo: Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul