National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD) is commemorated annually on April 10th to urge policymakers and the public to take action regarding the impact of HIV and AIDS on young people. Explore our trans-affirming guide to NYHAAD to access resources.
By Daniela “Dani” Capistrano for TransLash Media
What is National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day?
According to POZ, nearly half of young people living with HIV don’t know their status.
National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD), held annually on April 10th, is a day to educate the public about the impact of HIV and AIDS on young people. The day also highlights the HIV prevention, treatment, and care campaigns led by young people in the U.S. Advocates for Youth, a national nonprofit, leads NYHAAD and works to empower young people to protect themselves against HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and unintended pregnancy.
Why is NYHAAD important?
Today’s young people are the first generation who have never known a world without HIV and AIDS.
The CDC reports that in 2020, youth aged 13 to 24 made up 21% of the new HIV diagnoses in the United States. Young people living with HIV are the least likely of any age group to be retained in care and have a suppressed viral load. Addressing the impact of HIV on young people requires they have access to affirming, culturally-competent, and medically accurate resources and tools.
What is the NYHAAD Collective?
The National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD) Collective is comprised of youth activists leading HIV prevention, treatment, and care campaigns in their communities.
Their campaigns highlight the challenges faced by young people living with and impacted by HIV, offer insight on how they combat stigma and discrimination on local, state, and federal levels, and enhance the awareness among physicians, policymakers, and youth-serving organization staff, etc. about the existing disparities.
In addition to HIV & AIDS education and resources, Advocates for Youth also shares trans-affirming education about gender. The two-minute animated video below was created in partnership between the Human Rights Campaign Foundations’ Welcoming Schools program and Advocates for Youth.
“What is Gender?” helps early learners understand the complexities of gender, gender identity, gender expression and gender stereotypes in a developmentally appropriate way.
Understanding gender helps children develop healthy identities and supports an environment of respect and belonging for all.
#ProtectTransKids
HIV/AIDS is an important health issue for people of all genders, including cis and trans men. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC) reports that in 2020, gay and bisexual men (and men who have sex with men) accounted for 70 percent of new HIV infections in the U.S. It is estimated that 3% of transgender men in the United States have HIV.
As HRC explained, despite several years of research on HIV/AIDS and the populations it affects, we still know very little about transgender people and HIV.
We know even less about trans youth with HIV. One study found that transgender youth were more likely to miss HIV care appointments if they were treated negatively because of their gender identity.
What are the NYHAAD campaign demands?
➤ Increasing empathy and reducing stigma about HIV and its impact on young people on campus and in communities
➤ Affirming policies around HIV care, treatment, and prevention on campus and in communities
➤ Decriminalizing HIV
➤ Accessing HIV services, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), on-campus and in communities without parental consent
➤ Updating sex education curricula, which includes medically accurate information about HIV
Support The National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD) Collective
Follow @Advocatesforyouth and @MyStoryOutLoud on Instagram.
You can also follow them on X: @NYHAAD @AdvocatesTweets @MyStoryOutLoud
Take Action Today
Raise awareness on April 10th about #NYHAAD and Let’s Stop HIV Together by sharing Let’s Stop HIV Together infographics on social media. Access the social media toolkit here and be sure to include the hashtag #NYHAAD in each post.
Let’s Stop HIV Together Campaign: The Together Campaign is a part of the CDC’s national Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative. Together messaging promotes testing access, treatment, prevention, and ending HIV stigma.
MORE HIV & AIDS RESOURCES
💻 WATCH ON-DEMAND: Healthcare Professionals, Youth, and Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)
In partnership with Clinical Care Options (CCO), Advocates for Youth is sharing a medical education series for healthcare professionals, Paths Forward in PrEP: Overcoming Barriers to PrEP Engagement in Adolescents.
➤ TransLash Guide to National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
➤ Transgender Law Center’s Positively Trans (T+) program: transgenderlawcenter.org
➤ TLDEF’s Know Your Rights Guide: transequality.org
➤ UCSF’s Center of Excellence for Transgender Health: prevention.ucsf.edu/transhealth
➤ Southern AIDS Coalition: southernaidscoalition.org
➤ TransLash Guide to National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
➤ HIV Vaccine Awareness Day Resources
➤ TRANSCRIPT: TransLash Podcast Episode 58, ‘Trans World AIDS Day‘
➤ Learn more about how HIV affects gay and bisexual men by reading HIV and All Gay and Bisexual Men and HIV and African American Gay and Bisexual Men.
➤ Visit the HIV.gov Basics section and CDC’s HIV basics page to learn about HIV prevention, testing, and living with HIV.
➤ Use the HIV Testing Sites & Care Services Locator. The Locator now includes PrEP and STI services and is more user friendly. Read about how the new Locator can help you serve your community.
➤ Visit gettested.cdc.gov.
➤ Read, share and subscribe to the HIV.gov blog.
➤ The CDC’s Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign materials includes posters, graphics, videos and more.
➤ HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program is dedicated to improving health outcomes.
➤ ESCALATEExit Disclaimer (Ending Stigma through Collaboration and Lifting All To Empowerment) is an initiative that supports training designed to address HIV-related stigma, as well as additional efforts that provide resources and toolkits for engaging MSM at high risk in HIV care.
➤ Sign up for the RWHAP listserv for HIV/AIDS news, updates, and education and training opportunities.
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