I watched the CNN LGBTQ Equality Town Hall last night.
I am writing this early in the morning of the next day, which is National Coming Out Day. I haven’t seen many the mainstream media reviews because there’s still not much out yet. There is a twitter response — some of which I will include here.
I’m glad CNN hosted this. It certainly was groundbreaking, which was pointed out by Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David in his opening welcoming remarks.
Human Rights Campaign President Alphonso David gives remarks and the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles perform the national anthem before CNN's Equality in America town hall
I’m a Kamala Harris supporter. Since I’ve been perturbed about the way she gets covered (or not covered) by certain media outlets, this is my take.
Here’s a video clip of her town hall segment.
One of the reasons she has my unequivocal support is that she is the Democratic Party presidential candidate with the longest proven track record fighting for LGBTQ rights.
That’s what we call “receipts” in both the black and black queer community.
Last night, Kamala brought her receipts.
I am also a medical anthropologist/activist who has been in the fight to stop HIV/AIDS from the beginning.
So the part of Kamala’s time on the town hall stage discussing HIV/AIDS meant something very personal to me.
To see a young, black gay man, Thomas Davis, openly talk about his HIV diagnosis at 20 and question the Senator, with both seriousness and loving, sharing, back and forth conversation gave me hope.
Curious — I wanted to find out more about his story. This is what I found after a quick google.
Thomas Davis
Thomas Davis, 24, works at the Los Angeles LGBT Center and has been a voice and advocate for Black gay and bisexual men living with HIV. After being diagnosed with HIV in 2013, Thomas wanted to share his story with others to let them know that they are not alone, and that each individual has an opportunity to turn a possibly devastating experience into a positive one. Since then, Thomas has spoken to audiences in the U.S. and abroad, and he’s been part of several youth-led initiatives aimed at empowering young people in the fight against HIV.
How did you first get involved with the movement to end the HIV and AIDS epidemic? How, if at all, did that inspire you to become an HIV 360° Fellow?
I didn’t see any Black gay or bisexual men speaking about their experiences with HIV when I was diagnosed in 2013, so I started to vlog about mine on social and digital media. I’ve always loved sharing my story, but I wanted to find more ways to be effective in this field after being involved with so many different initiatives, campaigns, and programs. Hence why I applied.
Each fellow has been asked to design, implement, and evaluate a community service project to combat HIV transmission rates in their respective communities. Tell us about yours and what you hope to accomplish with it.
Mine is called “The Catharsis Project” and it uses performance art — mainly dance — to educate people about the history the HIV and AIDS in the U.S. I worry that many people, particularly young people, don’t know what it was like in the early days of epidemic. I want to honor this history and also show that art can be an effective way to combat the spread of HIV.
What is one key learning you’ve gained from the fellowship program? What have you enjoyed the most about it?
From emotional intelligence to project management and delegation, I’ve really enjoyed learning about the different skill sets that are needed to be effective working at a non-profit organization. I’ve also learned how to measure the impact of my work in ways I didn’t know were possible.
How can people learn more about your organization and support the work you are doing?
Folks should visit our website to learn more about the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the extensive list of programs and services that we offer to the LGBTQ community.
Senator Harris doesn’t back off from dealing with and addressing issues that make some folks uncomfortable. She openly addressees the racial hierarchy that exists in access to health-care, and life saving treatment for HIV/AIDS.
She stressed when talking about ending the epidemic, “Making sure we don’t end it for ‘some’ and not for all”
She made it clear that racism is also a key factor in the murders of transgender folks.
This was an interesting tweet:
Some other twitter responses to her segment:
This was in reference to:
More from Kamala:
Closing here — will add more to comments as more responses come in.
Thanks for reading.
#Kamala2020