It's Time We Include Women in the Conversation Around HIV
all of us to embrace women of all experiences at the forefront of change.This National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day’s theme is “YOU.
ME. WE. Changing the Face of HIV.” One change we must make is to expand access to PrEP, a daily pill taken to prevent HIV, for women.
According to the CDC, only 7 percent of women who could benefit from PrEP have been prescribed the medication. If you are sexually active, talk to a health care provider about your options to prevent or manage HIV, as most diagnoses in women are attributed to heterosexual sexual contact.Unfortunately, funding to market PrEP to women has lagged behind when compared to campaigns directed at gay white men.
We must continue to change the HIV narrative and include those who have also been carrying the burden of HIV, especially Black cisgender and transgender women.According to a recent report from the CDC, an estimated 14 percent of transgender women were living with HIV, and specifically, 62 percent of Black transgender women and 35 percent of Latinx transgender woman were HIV-positive.We must do better for women when it comes to HIV prevention, treatment, and care.
