POZ December 2025
POZ December 2025
In every issue of POZ, you’ll find the latest health news, personal stories and much more.
Also Available On:
Editor’s Letter
Ring of Fire
This special issue of POZ spotlights advocacy.
Features
The 2025 POZ Icons
Honoring those who use their voice to advocate for the HIV community
Looking to the Future
Carl Baloney Jr. enters the spotlight as CEO and president of AIDS United.
The Fight Continues
Jesse Milan Jr. reflects on his time at AIDS United and what lies ahead.
POZ Q&A
Cashed Out
A new documentary indicts a system that forced people to sell their life insurance.
POZ Planet
Cookie Johnson and Tina Knowles Honored for HIV Advocacy
They were recognized at “The Elizabeth Taylor Night of Compassion.”
The Cost of Medicaid Cuts
Major job losses and reduced economic output are expected.
Settlement in HIV Prison Lawsuit
Honesty Bishop spent six years in solitary confinement.
Pain Into Purpose
Ravyn Whinehouse uses her voice to show others living with HIV that they’re not alone.
Everyday – December 2025
These dates represent milestones in the HIV epidemic. Visit poz.com/aidsiseveryday to learn more about the history of HIV and AIDS.
Voices
The Power of Choice
In an opinion piece, advocates Venton Jones and Kelley Robinson argue that choice sustains freedom and saves lives.
Demanding Action
José Zuniga, PhD, MPH, president and CEO of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, spotlighted trans people with HIV.
Spotlight
USCHA 2025
This year’s theme honored people growing old with HIV by examining their challenges and acknowledging their lived experiences.
Basics
HIV and Your Liver
Lifestyle changes and precautions can help keep your liver in good working order.
Research Notes
Prevention: PrEP Implant
A biodegradable implant for pre-exposure prophylaxis could “potentially revolutionize” HIV prevention
Treatment: Maturation Inhibitor
A novel HIV maturation inhibitor showed good activity in a small Phase II study.
Cure: Sex Differences
The HIV viral reservoir in males and females differs in ways that may enable women to control the virus better than men.
Concern: Frailty and Falls
Older people with HIV who take multiple medications are more likely to develop frailty and are at higher risk for falls.
Care & Treatment
CDC Recommends Twice-Yearly PrEP
Health officials, clinicians and advocates are hopeful that lenacapavir could finally help turn the tide of the HIV epidemic.
HIV Guidelines Add Chapter on Heart and Metabolic Health
In September, the Department of Health and Human Services released the latest update.
HIV Funding Cuts Could Spur More Cases
Researchers have been assessing the consequences of the cuts in terms of new HIV cases, medical costs and lives lost.
STI Numbers Down, With One Exception
The report comes at a time when STI, sexual health and women’s health services are facing steep funding cuts.
Heroes
My Unexpected Life
Since her HIV diagnosis in 1992, Martina Clark has been changing the face of HIV in America and beyond.
Survey
Headspace: Mental Health Survey
Let POZ know about your mental health.
Digital Edition
POZ December 2025
Read the digital edition.
