I‘m confounded on a daily basis, it seems, by the shenanigans and outright cruelty of people. It’s easy to assume those people belong to a certain political party or espouse a specific philosophy, but too often that assumption doesn’t hold up, which confounds me even more.

 

In particular, I find it really concerning that so many folks are obsessed with transgender people. As a fellow member of the LGBTQ community, I say without hesitation that an attack on one segment of the LGBTQ spectrum is an attack on us all. Those of us who identify as LGBTQ or as allies should be wary of the direction these attacks are taking.

 

So with all that as background, I’m more than pleased to congratulate Arianna Lint, our cover subject, for her determination not to let current circumstances stand in the way of advocating for herself and other transgender people living with HIV. Her positive attitude and forward-looking perspective deserve all our attention. Go here to learn more about her work and future plans.

 

As an immigrant from Peru, Arianna also brings a Latino perspective to her advocacy. She is a great representative for this special issue focusing on Latinos. Poet and writer Andrés N. Ordorica offers another angle on Latino representation. He has an understanding of the importance of including AIDS in modern stories. Go here for more.

 

Another Latino advocate is Julio Roman. Currently, he is the executive director of the Pacific Pride Foundation in Santa Barbara, California—he previously was vice president of the Latino Commission on AIDS. Protecting his fellow Latinos from HIV has been a lifelong mission. Go here to read more.

 

Food is not only necessary—it often gives us a sense of community and identity. Also, as people living with HIV, proper nutrition is crucial to our health. That’s why we’ve been running our Nutrition & Fitness page for the past few years. I don’t often call attention to it, but I highly recommend the recipe for white fish stew. Not only is it delicious, but it also very much connects me to my Latino roots. Go here for details—plus exercise advice.

 

Global health expert and HIV advocate (and former POZ cover subject!) Jirair Ratevosian wrote an opinion piece for POZ.com titled “The HIV Movement Is Marching Forward—Again.” In the piece, he describes his experience at the 13th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science. Despite U.S. funding cuts and the resulting uncertainty, Jirair was inspired by the gathering. Go here to read an excerpt.

 

After nearly four decades of service to the HIV community, Paul Kawata, executive director of NMAC (formerly the National Minority AIDS Council), is retiring, effective October 7. Go here to read his candid exit interview. He addresses personal trauma, the dismantling of our national HIV response and his need to step down from leadership to care for himself.

 

Go here for a Spanish-language version of the POZ drug chart and here of the latest issue for POZ en Español.