Positive Women's Network - USA http://www.thebody.com/content/69508/us-positive-womens-network.html Positive Women's Network - USA's blog at TheBody.com. http://www.thebody.com/images/blog/pwn_biobox.gif Positive Women's Network - USA http://www.thebody.com/content/69508/us-positive-womens-network.html 115 145 Surviving My Choices http://www.thebody.com/content/81125/surviving-my-choices.html Hello, it's been a minute since I wrote a blog. I am reminded of Long-Term Survivor Day as it approaches. I was diagnosed in 1997. I suspected until yesterday I was given this condition through a sex partner as a teenager. My first boyfriend died of AIDS-related complications in 1994. He received several blood transfusions as a kid.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/81125/surviving-my-choices.html Wed, 27 Jun 2018 19:58:00 GMT The Curse That Has Many Blessings http://www.thebody.com/content/80332/the-curse-that-has-many-blessings.html I'm Shelia A. Crockett, born January 8, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, in an upper middle class environment with big dreams of being a special education teacher and working in different youth organizations.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/80332/the-curse-that-has-many-blessings.html Mon, 21 Aug 2017 17:22:00 GMT "Kill the Bill, Don't Kill Us!": On Capitol Hill and at Home, PWN Members and Allies Take Action to Stop Trumpcare http://www.thebody.com/content/80160/kill-the-bill-dont-kill-us-on-capitol-hill-and-at-.html This Monday, July 10, four PWN-USA members as well as a number of allies joined over 100 other constituents from 21 states in descending on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with a very clear, explicit message for their members of Congress: "Kill the bill, don't kill us!"

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/80160/kill-the-bill-dont-kill-us-on-capitol-hill-and-at-.html Thu, 13 Jul 2017 16:26:00 GMT How Do I Mobilize Relatives and Friends Who May Not Be Politically Aligned to #KillTheBill? http://www.thebody.com/content/80128/how-do-i-mobilize-relatives-and-friends-who-may-no.html In recent days, we have been working to mobilize our family, friends and everyone we know to make calls to their Senators to reject the cruel "health care" bill known in the House as the "American Health Care Act" and in the Senate as the "Better Care Reconciliation Act" -- especially folks in states with Republican Senators who have expressed reservations or concerns about the bill.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/80128/how-do-i-mobilize-relatives-and-friends-who-may-no.html Thu, 29 Jun 2017 18:24:00 GMT America: A Poem http://www.thebody.com/content/80107/america-a-poem.html America,

Land of Opportunity for the Rich
Risk of Opportunistic Infections
for the poor, living with HIV

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/80107/america-a-poem.html Mon, 26 Jun 2017 17:52:00 GMT Colorado HIV Advocacy Day: Success! http://www.thebody.com/content/79832/colorado-hiv-advocacy-day-success.html Colorado Advocacy Day was a huge success on April 21.

We had 25 people participate in our two day training early in April, some who traveled more than 400 miles to join us.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/79832/colorado-hiv-advocacy-day-success.html Tue, 25 Apr 2017 12:00:00 GMT All Women, All Rights at AIDSWatch 2017! http://www.thebody.com/content/79682/all-women-all-rights-at-aidswatch-2017.html The most memorable moment I had at AIDSWatch was standing on stage with all of my PWN sisters and chanting, "All women, all rights!" This powerful moment was one that will resonate in my activism for years to come. I am inspired by PWN's commitment to inclusion and it's great show of love one toward another. I love you all so much!

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/79682/all-women-all-rights-at-aidswatch-2017.html Mon, 3 Apr 2017 12:00:00 GMT Who Would Have Thought? http://www.thebody.com/content/79654/who-would-have-thought.html I am sitting here as the coordinator preparing for a meeting tomorrow for the Stigma Index Project interviewers and core members to discuss our next steps in developing strategies for eliminating stigma in our communities. It dawns on me that I am actually working to coordinate a meeting, me! -- a torn up from the floor up, ex-con, drug addicted, homeless black woman living with HIV ... who would have thought?

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/79654/who-would-have-thought.html Mon, 3 Apr 2017 12:00:00 GMT A First-Time Peek From the Hill at AIDSWatch 2017 http://www.thebody.com/content/79628/a-first-time-peek-from-the-hill-at-aidswatch-2017.html The energy of the tribe of my fellow HIV advocates at AIDSWatch 2017 echoed the heartbeat of those we have lost from the beginning of the epidemic. I was honored to walk to halls of the Capitol building and speak for those lives, my life with every congressperson and staffer I met. Our collective voices together are the rhythm of that heartbeat that will spark change and become a deafening war cry to our legislators if they don't listen to us.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/79628/a-first-time-peek-from-the-hill-at-aidswatch-2017.html Thu, 30 Mar 2017 17:22:00 GMT Georgia's Fight to Modernize HIV Criminalization Laws http://www.thebody.com/content/79619/georgias-fight-to-modernize-hiv-criminalization-la.html On March 23 2017, Georgia Equality helped those who are passionate about reforming Georgia's outdated, discriminatory and unscientific HIV criminalization laws by hosting an HIV Criminalization Advocacy Training. As part of a comprehensive, community-centered approach to HIV prevention and care, this training was led by Emily Brown, Nina Martinez and Torrian Baskerville of Georgia Equality and covered: the content and history of Georgia's HIV criminalization laws; the main reasons HIV advocates want to reform these laws; key arguments against reform, how to listen to the opposition and effectively respond; and basic facts about HIV science that all decriminalization advocates need to know.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/79619/georgias-fight-to-modernize-hiv-criminalization-la.html Wed, 29 Mar 2017 18:41:00 GMT Take Action: Demand That Congress Stand Up for Immigrants http://www.thebody.com/content/79427/take-action-demand-that-congress-stand-up-for-immi.html Issue: Despite assertions from the Administration that deportation efforts are focused on "violent criminals," a memo released last week from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) makes clear that detention and deportation efforts may target any undocumented immigrants. The same memo enlists local police to serve as part of the immigration enforcement apparatus. Such orders from the Administration create more opportunities for law enforcement to target and harass people based on race, language, and appearance . Data shows that immigrants are actually less likely to commit serious crimes than those born in the U.S. Yet, ICE raids have already taken place in at least six states and have rounded up over 600 undocumented immigrants, at least a quarter of whom do not have any felony convictions. We need Congress to step up to oppose these actions and to protect immigrants from harmful stereotypes, mass deportation, discrimination and harassment.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/79427/take-action-demand-that-congress-stand-up-for-immi.html Tue, 21 Feb 2017 19:51:00 GMT Advocating at AIDSWatch Georgia 2017 http://www.thebody.com/content/79403/advocating-at-aidswatch-georgia-2017.html What motivated me to attend AIDSWatch in Georgia was my preparedness and passion to educate representatives about the important issues at stake for people living with HIV/AIDS in Georgia and in the United States, related to policy and funding priorities. I have accumulated a huge fortune of data from PWN-USA, Georgia Equality, The Georgia HIV Advocacy Network, NHeLP and a host of other organizations that raised my ability to advocate in an effective and successful way.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/79403/advocating-at-aidswatch-georgia-2017.html Tue, 21 Feb 2017 19:51:00 GMT Anti-Racism and White Women Living With HIV http://www.thebody.com/content/79260/anti-racism-and-white-women-living-with-hiv.html About 12 years ago I spent three weekends over the course of six months at a grown-up sleep away camp that I called "anti-racism camp." The real name was even better. It was called "Doing Our Own Work" and it was an intensive reading, journaling, discussion and action program for white women who wanted to be actively anti-racist.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/79260/anti-racism-and-white-women-living-with-hiv.html Wed, 18 Jan 2017 12:00:00 GMT Ending HIV Stigma http://www.thebody.com/content/78848/ending-hiv-stigma.html We are not just another case number. We are important to our communities.

You never know who you will run into sometimes, even at the doctor's office. I myself, as so many, live with my status. I don't want to say illness or disease, because both remind me of being sick.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/78848/ending-hiv-stigma.html Mon, 21 Nov 2016 12:00:00 GMT SPEAK UP! 2016 Unites, Energizes and Mobilizes New and Seasoned Advocates http://www.thebody.com/content/78594/speak-up-2016-unites-energizes-and-mobilizes-new-a.html Months of planning and preparation from PWN-USA's Summit Planning Committee, Board, staff and presenters paid off last month, as 250 women living with HIV from 29 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Canada came together in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, for SPEAK UP! 2016 National Leadership Summit for Women Living with HIV.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/78594/speak-up-2016-unites-energizes-and-mobilizes-new-a.html Wed, 12 Oct 2016 12:00:00 GMT It's Time for Change http://www.thebody.com/content/78285/its-time-for-change.html Those of us living with or affected by HIV have a common goal in mind: to eradicate transmission of HIV. So, why are HIV transmissions rates on a steady rise with each passing year?

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/78285/its-time-for-change.html Tue, 30 Aug 2016 12:00:00 GMT Positive Attitude http://www.thebody.com/content/77595/positive-attitude.html I am always telling women that you must make up your mind about how you feel being positive. If you don't have a good mental attitude about being positive, then you will never begin to live your best life while living with HIV.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/77595/positive-attitude.html Mon, 16 May 2016 17:15:00 GMT PWN-USA Colorado Makes Critical Progress Toward HIV Criminalization Reform http://www.thebody.com/content/77300/pwn-usa-colorado-makes-critical-progress-toward-hi.html PWN-USA Colorado, in partnership with allies including the CO Mod Squad, the Colorado Organizations Responding to AIDS (CORA) and the Colorado Department of Public Health, has made enormous strides toward ending HIV criminalization in their state. Described by PWN CO Co-Chair and PWN-USA Board Chair Barb Cardell as a "community labor of love," the process that began four years ago and included stakeholder meetings with over 100 participants, is finally starting to pay off.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/77300/pwn-usa-colorado-makes-critical-progress-toward-hi.html Tue, 22 Mar 2016 20:06:00 GMT Updating the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Vote for the Recommendations Most Vital to Women With HIV! http://www.thebody.com/content/75847/updating-the-national-hivaids-strategy-vote-for-th.html Can you believe it's been almost FIVE YEARS since the first National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) was released in July 2010?

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/75847/updating-the-national-hivaids-strategy-vote-for-th.html Wed, 20 May 2015 15:56:00 GMT PWN-USA Teams With Physicians to Release New Model for Trauma-Informed Care http://www.thebody.com/content/75793/pwn-usa-teams-with-physicians-to-release-new-model.html Today, Positive Womens Network -- USA (PWN-USA), a national membership body of women with HIV, is proud to announce the release of a new model for bringing trauma awareness and healing into primary healthcare settings. The conceptual framework, developed in partnership with University of California -- San Francisco (UCSF) clinician-researchers, provides a practical guide to help providers incorporate trauma-informed care into clinical practice.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/75793/pwn-usa-teams-with-physicians-to-release-new-model.html Wed, 6 May 2015 13:24:00 GMT AIDSWatch 2015 and the Trans* Experience http://www.thebody.com/content/75889/aidswatch-2015-and-the-trans-experience.html What do you do when you are invited into a space and seemingly forgotten once you are present?

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/75889/aidswatch-2015-and-the-trans-experience.html Tue, 21 Apr 2015 12:00:00 GMT Women With HIV Demand Bold Initiatives for High-Quality Services for Black Women and Transgender Women of Color http://www.thebody.com/content/75724/women-with-hiv-demand-bold-initiatives-for-high-qu.html The next National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) must include factors vital to the survival and well-being of women living with HIV, according to Positive Women's Network - USA (PWN-USA), a national membership organization representing women living with HIV.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/75724/women-with-hiv-demand-bold-initiatives-for-high-qu.html Sat, 18 Apr 2015 20:10:00 GMT What Christie's Place Means to Me http://www.thebody.com/content/75569/what-christies-place-means-to-me.html Today I write this with a heavy heart.

When I was diagnosed HIV positive in March of 2013 I very quickly learned how little services there are available to HIV-positive women. The nice woman at Planned Parenthood had very little information for me but she did hand me a short list of organizations in San Diego that provide services to HIV-positive people. There was only one place on that list that catered to women, that place was Christie's Place.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/75569/what-christies-place-means-to-me.html Thu, 26 Feb 2015 08:00:00 GMT PWN-USA Applauds Federal Progress Addressing the Intersections of Violence Against Women, HIV and Trauma http://www.thebody.com/content/75103/pwn-usa-applauds-federal-progress-addressing-the-i.html Oakland, Calif. -- Today, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we congratulate the White House Office of National AIDS Policy on today's release of Updates on Efforts to Address the Intersections of HIV/AIDS, Violence against Women and Girls, and Gender-Related Health Disparities.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/75103/pwn-usa-applauds-federal-progress-addressing-the-i.html Fri, 10 Oct 2014 08:00:00 GMT Request for Workshop Submissions: SPEAK UP! A National Leadership Summit for Women Living With HIV http://www.thebody.com/content/74591/request-for-workshop-submissions-speak-up-a-nation.html Positive Women's Network - USA is hosting our first-ever National Leadership Summit for Women Living With HIV, this Fall! SPEAK UP! A National Leadership Summit for Women Living With HIV will be held September 17-19, 2014 in Fort Walton Beach, Fl. The Summit is designed to provide 200 women living with HIV with a learning and networking experience which supports their ability to advocate for themselves, their families, the communities in which they reside and within the larger community of women living with HIV across the United States.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/74591/request-for-workshop-submissions-speak-up-a-nation.html Tue, 10 Jun 2014 17:41:00 GMT 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence: End Violence Against Women and Girls Living With HIV http://www.thebody.com/content/73300/16-days-of-activism-against-gender-based-violence-.html Oakland, Calif. -- Today marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the beginning of 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence. Around the world, women and girls experience a wide range of violations to their dignity and safety including sexual violence, child abuse, trafficking, and intimate partner violence.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/73300/16-days-of-activism-against-gender-based-violence-.html Mon, 25 Nov 2013 14:28:00 GMT World AIDS Day Video Series by Positive Women's Network - USA http://www.thebody.com/content/73235/world-aids-day-video-series-by-positive-womens-net.html We're gearing up for World AIDS Day 2013 (#WAD2013) and have created a series of videos produced by PWNers. We hope you can use these as tools and resources to educate your community about issues related to women and HIV.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/73235/world-aids-day-video-series-by-positive-womens-net.html Fri, 15 Nov 2013 08:02:00 GMT Sexuality, Romance and Reproductive Freedom for U.S. Women Living With HIV: Groundbreaking New Report http://www.thebody.com/content/73210/sexuality-romance-and-reproductive-freedom-for-us-.html In many ways sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is the narrative to women's lives; it encompasses puberty and sexual development, identity, body image, self-esteem, romantic and sexual desires, relationships, reproductive health, fertility desires, and life during and after menopause.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/73210/sexuality-romance-and-reproductive-freedom-for-us-.html Wed, 13 Nov 2013 03:22:00 GMT PWN-USA Applauds Release of White House Recommendations to Address HIV/AIDS, Violence Against Women and Girls and Gender-Related Health Disparities http://www.thebody.com/content/72631/pwn-usa-applauds-release-of-white-house-recommenda.html New Orleans, La. -- Today, the Interagency Federal Working Group on the Intersection of HIV/AIDS, Violence against Women and Girls, and Gender-Related Health Disparities released an important set of federal policy recommendations to address the health and rights of women living with HIV, especially women affected by violence.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/72631/pwn-usa-applauds-release-of-white-house-recommenda.html Fri, 6 Sep 2013 12:00:00 GMT U.S. Women Living With HIV: Tell PWN-USA About Your Love Life!! http://www.thebody.com/content/72505/us-women-living-with-hiv-tell-pwn-usa-about-your-l.html Positive Women's Network - USA is conducting a community-based research project to better understand the romantic and sexual lives of US women living with HIV, and how HIV-positive women, including transgender women, perceive ourselves with regard to sex and relationships.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/72505/us-women-living-with-hiv-tell-pwn-usa-about-your-l.html Tue, 20 Aug 2013 01:49:00 GMT Important Opportunity for U.S. Women Living With HIV http://www.thebody.com/content/72138/important-opportunity-for-us-women-living-with-hiv.html As you may know, earlier this year, Positive Women's Network - USA (PWN-USA) became an independent and autonomous entity, governed entirely by women living with HIV. We are celebrating our fifth birthday this summer, and it's the perfect time for PWN-USA to do some honest self-reflection, evaluation, and look towards setting a positive direction to uplift HIV-positive women and increase opportunities for collaboration over the next five years!

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/72138/important-opportunity-for-us-women-living-with-hiv.html Wed, 10 Jul 2013 01:49:00 GMT HIV-Positive Cover Girl? http://www.thebody.com/content/71872/hiv-positive-cover-girl.html Openly HIV-positive PWNer Paige Rawl from Indiana is a finalist for Seventeen Magazine's Pretty Amazing Real Cover Girl Contest. Paige has been an outspoken advocate against bullying in schools, including helping to pass an anti-bullying bill in Indiana after she survived bullying during middle and high school.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/71872/hiv-positive-cover-girl.html Thu, 20 Jun 2013 19:47:00 GMT Sign an Open Letter to Tyler Perry: Stop Stigmatizing People With HIV http://www.thebody.com/content/71553/sign-an-open-letter-to-tyler-perry-stop-stigmatizi.html Dear Mr. Perry,

We write as people living with HIV and their allies to express our deep disappointment with your latest film, Temptation. This disappointment is made all the greater because you have done much that can be applauded. Audiences see your plays and films not simply as entertainment, but as opportunities for inspiration, spiritual healing, and unity.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/71553/sign-an-open-letter-to-tyler-perry-stop-stigmatizi.html Mon, 20 May 2013 19:47:00 GMT Redefining Mother's Day From an HIV-Positive Woman's Perspective http://www.thebody.com/content/71486/redefining-mothers-day-from-an-hiv-positive-womans.html This Mother's Day, Positive Women's Network - USA reclaims and redefines motherhood from our perspective. Stand with us! Sign on and show your support for HIV-positive women on Mother's Day.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/71486/redefining-mothers-day-from-an-hiv-positive-womans.html Thu, 9 May 2013 08:10:00 GMT Tyler Perry's "Temptation" Sentences People With HIV to a Lifetime of Stigma and Isolation http://www.thebody.com/content/71250/tyler-perrys-temptation-sentences-people-with-hiv-.html "Tyler Perry's Temptation left me emotionally pained, angry and disappointed. Mr. Perry, a brilliant film maker, missed a genuine opportunity for honest and accurate community education around HIV. Instead, Temptation perpetuated HIV sensationalism and stigma. It demonized people living with HIV as irresponsible and portrayed women who acquire HIV as an undesirable, reclusive, sub-species, destined to live out their lives in suffering," commented Waheedah Shabazz-El, a woman living with HIV.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/71250/tyler-perrys-temptation-sentences-people-with-hiv-.html Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:00:00 GMT Take Action to Oppose Kansas HIV Quarantine Bill -- Your Voice Needed Now: Oppose Substitute for Kansas HB-2183 Today http://www.thebody.com/content/71100/take-action-to-oppose-kansas-hiv-quarantine-bill.html It's not an April Fool's joke!

Today and tomorrow the Kansas Legislature will consider a bill that would expand the authority of state and local health officials to impose isolation or quarantine on people living with HIV and other infectious diseases. But quarantine statutes are designed for dangerous diseases spread through casual contact, thus presenting a danger to overall public health.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/71100/take-action-to-oppose-kansas-hiv-quarantine-bill.html Mon, 1 Apr 2013 10:08:00 GMT National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2013: The Real Cost of Shame http://www.thebody.com/content/70837/national-women-and-girls-hivaids-awareness-day-201.html Yesterday, March 10th marked National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and March 8th marked International Women's Day. We at the Positive Women's Network USA (PWN-USA) are filled with the simultaneous promise of hope and sadness at lost opportunities.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/70837/national-women-and-girls-hivaids-awareness-day-201.html Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:53:00 GMT Coalition of U.S. Women's Health and HIV Advocates Call for U.S. Government Plan for Demonstrating Feasibility of PrEP for Women http://www.thebody.com/content/70709/coalition-of-us-womens-health-and-hiv-advocates-ca.html The U.S. Women and PrEP Working Group, a coalition of more than 50 women from leading AIDS and women's health organizations, today called on US government agencies to coordinate a national agenda that will quickly and accurately answer questions about how the antiretroviral (ARV) drug Truvada can best be made available as an HIV prevention option for women at risk of HIV infection.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/70709/coalition-of-us-womens-health-and-hiv-advocates-ca.html Mon, 4 Mar 2013 17:16:00 GMT This Valentine's Day, Show Your Love! End Violence Against Women and Girls http://www.thebody.com/content/70542/this-valentines-day-show-your-love-end-violence-ag.html This Valentine's Day, Positive Women's Network -- United States of America (PWN-USA) shows our love for women by participating in One Billion Rising's day of action to raise awareness about violence against women and girls.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/70542/this-valentines-day-show-your-love-end-violence-ag.html Thu, 14 Feb 2013 08:00:00 GMT PWN-USA Statement on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day http://www.thebody.com/content/70476/pwn-usa-statement-on-national-black-hivaids-awaren.html Updated: Positive Women's Network-United States of America Congratulates the PACHA for passing Criminalization Resolution

In observance of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Positive Women's Network -- USA (PWN-USA) urges the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) to pass resolution condemning HIV criminalization laws and end the pipeline of unjust incarceration of Black men and women living with HIV in the United States

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/70476/pwn-usa-statement-on-national-black-hivaids-awaren.html Thu, 7 Feb 2013 14:27:00 GMT PWN-USA Announces the Next Chapter in Our Development as an Independent Organization http://www.thebody.com/content/70459/pwn-usa-announces-the-next-chapter-in-our-developm.html Inspired by global networks of women living with HIV and supported by leaders in the United States, Positive Women's Network (PWN) was officially founded by 28 diverse women living with HIV in June of 2008. Its purpose was to create a unified voice and building collective power for HIV-positive women across the United States. When PWN was founded it was with the understanding and goal that one day it would transition from WORLD, an organization which provided a structural umbrella for U.S. Positive Women's Network to establish itself as an independent organization, in its own right.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/70459/pwn-usa-announces-the-next-chapter-in-our-developm.html Wed, 6 Feb 2013 11:35:00 GMT A Holiday Letter From Positive Women Leaders in the U.S. http://www.thebody.com/content/70216/a-holiday-letter-from-positive-women-leaders-in-th.html As 2012 ends and 2013 begins, we are thankful for the incredible blessings and abundance this past year has brought.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/70216/a-holiday-letter-from-positive-women-leaders-in-th.html Tue, 8 Jan 2013 23:36:00 GMT World AIDS Day in Retrospect: Videos, Interviews and Advocacy http://www.thebody.com/content/69991/world-aids-day-in-retrospect-videos-interviews-and.html This World AIDS Day, PWN and women and HIV advocates around the country advocated for an end to violence against women. Check out videos, articles, and interviews below! More to come in the next e-blast. Stay tuned!

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/69991/world-aids-day-in-retrospect-videos-interviews-and.html Wed, 5 Dec 2012 12:00:00 GMT Continued Reflections on Women, HIV and Violence: Involving Local, State and Global Commissions http://www.thebody.com/content/69832/continued-reflections-on-women-hiv-and-violence-in.html The murder of Cicely Bolden on Sept. 6, 2012, both heightened and inflamed our sense of sadness and rage. It also reminded us of the often daily losing battle of violence that many in this country are silently entrenched in. This silence leaves them less able to believe that the end of the HIV epidemic includes them.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/69832/continued-reflections-on-women-hiv-and-violence-in.html Sat, 24 Nov 2012 12:00:00 GMT U.S. Positive Women's Network Responds to the Murder of Cicely Bolden http://www.thebody.com/content/69556/us-positive-womens-network-responds-to-the-murder-.html The U.S. Positive Women's Network (PWN), a national membership body of women living with HIV, is devastated to hear the tragic news that a young woman living with HIV in Dallas, Texas, was murdered for disclosing her HIV status to a partner. PWN calls for immediate action to eliminate HIV stigma and violence against women living with HIV.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/69556/us-positive-womens-network-responds-to-the-murder-.html Thu, 20 Sep 2012 12:00:00 GMT AIDS 2012 Reflections: I Am Empowered. I Am Driven. I Am Fierce. http://www.thebody.com/content/68762/aids-2012-reflections-i-am-empowered-i-am-driven-i.html It is Thursday July 26th, 2012. I am traveling back home to Peoria, Illinois after over a week in Washington, D.C., for the 2012 International AIDS Conference. I am sad to say that I did not even come CLOSE to doing, seeing, or learning all that I wanted to learn at AIDS 2012. That being said, I am full. Full of love for my fellow warriors, full of energy to battle my local community that continues to ignore the national movement and recognition that including those living with HIV strengthens their programs and gives them insight they would not otherwise have. And I am full of new information with which to drive points home when I am having conversations about HIV/AIDS. I am more armed with facts about the role of violence and trauma and the ways they intersect with HIV, I know more about the role and importance of drug users and sex workers in the conversation, and I know a lot more about condoms (doing a little inside cheer on that one!)!

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/68762/aids-2012-reflections-i-am-empowered-i-am-driven-i.html Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:45:00 GMT Criminal Musings at AIDS 2012 http://www.thebody.com/content/68764/criminal-musings-at-aids-2012.html One of the hottest topics of discussion at AIDS 2012 was that of HIV criminalization, both in the U.S. and internationally. Throughout the conference, there were multiple sessions, panels, and presentations on the topic -- which in turn led to a lot of discussion about it amongst the HIV+ participants of the conference.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/68764/criminal-musings-at-aids-2012.html Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:45:00 GMT The Global Village Effect http://www.thebody.com/content/68763/the-global-village-effect.html As AIDS 2012 starts to draw to a close, I start to reflect back on my experiences this week and the one place of the conference which sticks out in my mind is the Global Village. It is an enormous space, filled with people, language, culture, and connection. It's the place where our communities come together and network with each other. It's where we connect; we recharge our emotional batteries, and learn together about how we are all fighting across the globe to bring about changes in this epidemic. The Global Village is a space filled with booths and exhibits and vendors from around the globe. There are also some stages where performances would be happening at all hours of the day by groups and artists from every corner of the world. It was truly an overwhelming experience to come down there for the first time during this conference and find that the whole world had converged upon one large room to share ideas and learn from one another.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/68763/the-global-village-effect.html Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:45:00 GMT Recognize, Prioritize and Formalize Grassroots Caregivers http://www.thebody.com/content/68766/recognize-prioritize-and-formalize-grassroots-care.html After witnessing the devastating effects that HIV/AIDS had on their communities in Africa in the 1980s, and experiencing the multiple stresses that come with caring for someone on their deathbed, home-based caregivers recognized the need to combine their efforts, resources and expertise into a broader movement. They created the Home Based Care Alliance, which today represents over 31,000 volunteer caregivers in 11 African countries. The Alliance enables those groups that are already performing home-based care to gain recognition and self-representation at the local, national and international levels. Collectively, they are calling on their governments to recognize their crucial role in community development, to include them in policy design, to increase and redirect funding to the ground, and to establish an official role for home-based caregivers in international AIDS programs.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/68766/recognize-prioritize-and-formalize-grassroots-care.html Thu, 26 Jul 2012 15:45:00 GMT Sore Arms, No Voice but a Full Heart -- the "We Can End AIDS" March in Washington, D.C. http://www.thebody.com/content/68765/sore-arms-no-voice-but-a-full-heart--the-we-can-en.html I came to D.C. totally prepared for the "We Can End AIDS" mobilization, I had my blue fabric to wave, my sensible shoes and even a water bottle. What I missed in the planning was a sense of how incredible and overwhelming it would truly be. My friend Teresa said "It took her breath away." and I still feel breathless, slightly disoriented but ready for what ever comes next.

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/68765/sore-arms-no-voice-but-a-full-heart--the-we-can-en.html Thu, 26 Jul 2012 15:45:00 GMT A March on Washington, D.C.: Women Making Waves http://www.thebody.com/content/68767/a-march-on-washington-dc-women-making-waves.html I want to start with a quote from young man named Philip from the Philippine Islands: "As we moved forward to a free generation of AIDS, more young people are living with HIV. We look to the older generation of activist for mentorship to guard us and give us the skills and tools. We need to continue the fight. What we need from them is not for them to tell us what to do rather to ask us what we are willing to do to have an AIDS free generation."

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/68767/a-march-on-washington-dc-women-making-waves.html Wed, 25 Jul 2012 15:45:00 GMT Closing the Gaps for Women through Prevention: A Tremendous Victory to Uphold the Rights of Women and Girls Nationwide! http://www.thebody.com/content/69509/closing-the-gaps-for-women-through-prevention-a-tr.html A ray of hope in the war on women came on August 1, 2011, when the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) officially adopted the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) guidelines recommending that HIV testing and contraception options be included on the list of health and wellness services for women under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as the health care reform bill. Most importantly, these services will not cost patients a cent! The recommendations are now law!

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]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/69509/closing-the-gaps-for-women-through-prevention-a-tr.html Tue, 2 Aug 2011 15:45:00 GMT