Photo Credit: Denis Darzaeq / Agence Vu / Redux

Each June we celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Month by remembering the incredible accomplishments of our beloved ancestors and honoring our elders for their contributions to our liberation. QLatinx uplifts their legacies and remembers that liberation is found in the streets, and on the dance floors. This playlist honors Queer Latinx and artists of color, from an array of genres, who refuse to hid their identity and uplift our community in beautiful ways.

Happy Pride Month!

History remembers New York's iconic Stonewall Inn as the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. On June 28, 1969 the bar patrons clashed with police who had arrived to arrest and shame LGBTQ+ people who came to Stonewall solely to dance and socialize with each other. The historic Stonewall Riots were an act of defiance, a demand for LGBTQ+ liberation in a time where our identities were demonized and our bodies were seen as targets for violence. Leading the riots and our community's calls for freedom were Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, both dynamic community leaders and transgender women of color - a fact glossed over by the LGBTQ+ community time and time again. Johnson, who was African American, and Rivera, who was Puerto Rican, fought back against the racism, transphobia, misogyny, and violence in the community, and provided food, shelter, and safety to the most vulnerable in our community - Queer and Transgender youth of color. Their courage, acts of resistance, and lifelong advocacy is why we honor their legacies and uplift their inspiring work in supporting Queer and Transgender people of color live and lead.

June 27th is National HIV Testing Day

June 27th is National HIV Testing Day. Knowing your HIV status is an important part of your sexual, and overall, health. About 1.1 million people in the United States are living with HIV, and 1 in 7 of the don't know it. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 get tested for HIV at least once as part of routine health care.

What is HIV?

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It weakens a person's immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection. No effective cure exists for HIV. But with proper medical care, HIV can be controlled. Some groups of people in the United States are more likely to get HIV than others because of many factors, including their sex partners, their risk behaviors, and where they live

What is PrEP?

PrEP is a powerful HIV prevention tool and can be combined with condoms and other prevention methods to provide even greater protection than when used alone. When taken consistently, PrEP has been shown to reduce the risk of HIV infection in people who are at high risk by up to 92%. PrEP is much less effective if it is not taken consistently.

What Can You Do?

Get the Facts. Learn about HIV, and share this information with your family, friends, and community. If you are living with HIV, you should start treatment as soon as possible. HIV medicines can keep you healthy for many years and greatly reduces your chance of transmitting the virus if you take it the right way, every day. If you're HIV-negative, you can take steps to prevent HIV. For example, try talking to your health care provider about pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, a medicine that can greatly reduce one's risk of contracting the virus.

Get Tested. Get tested for HIV and talk to your health care provider about HIV testing. Knowing your status gives you powerful information to help keep you and your partner(s) healthy. To find a free, fast, and confidential testing location near you visit gettested.cdc.gov

Reach Out. If you have any questions about where is the safest place to get tested, what the process is like, or if you just need someone to talk to about maybe getting tested today, tomorrow, next week, or whenever you feel it right for you, don't hesitate and reach out to us.

Learn how you can get involved and help build community. Check out upcoming events and projects by visiting qlatinx.org.

Come join #TeamQLatinx at the upcoming NAMIWalk on Saturday, April 29th from 8:30am-12:00pm at the City of Altamonte Springs Cranes Roost Park.

We will be gathering at 8:30am for the 9:00am walk. We expect the walk to take about 45 minutes.

RSVP HERE: http://bit.ly/2o05ryS

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. The goal of NAMIWalks is to help raise awareness of mental illness and raise funds to further NAMI's mission to educate, support, and advocate for those with mental health conditions.

When the event grows nearer, we'll send details regarding our meet-up location. In the meantime, RSVP HERE: http://bit.ly/2o05ryS

We stand firmly behind the staff of the Mazzoni Center and the Black & Brown Workers Collective in their collective efforts to organize and bring attention to the rampant misconduct by their leadership and the gross mishandling of such serious allegations. Even in the face of such violence, the medical staff that organized a walk-out in protest made a firm commitment to the well-being and care of their patients, for which we applaud them. This speaks truth to the fact vulnerable communities are too often exploited, and Muhammad's courageous protest emphasizes the importance of our bodies as political tools and honors our individual power and ability to bring about change.