Latest news with #MazzoniCenter
CBS News
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
2025 Philly Pride March and Festival takes over city streets: "I see nothing but love"
Thousands of people came together to fill city streets to show off their pride at the 2025 Philadelphia Pride March and Festival. "I see nothing but love, it's crazy out here, but we're all having a great time," Daron Summiel said. "It feels like equality, it feels like it's what life should be," Dennis Cannady said. The day started with the Pride March up Walnut Street as participants carried a 600-foot rainbow flag. "It's really emotional to see everyone come together because sometimes we feel so divided," Angelique Kopacz said. The streets around 11th and Locust then swelled for the Pride Festival featuring food, music, merchandise and more. David Weisburg is the chief development officer for the Mazzoni Center, a nonprofit serving the LGBTQ+ community. He said showing up now is more important than ever before. "After so much progress that's been made over so long, it's scary to think that there are rights that are being threatened," Weisberg said. Gabrielle Caplan-Mayer came to support her son. "I think, like many parents of trans kids, we want them just to have the acceptance and dignity of any young person, of any human being," she said. This year's Pride fest is even bigger than ever, expanding all the way down to Walnut Street, and with picture-perfect skies, organizers are expecting this to be a record turnout. "I think we have over 200 vendors, over 45 food trucks, 6 or 7, 8 stages, I don't even know anymore, there's so many things going on," Philly Pride 365 producer Jeremy Williams said. For Williams, these crowds prove pride is here to stay in a very big way. "Everybody just wants us to be proud. We're all here together to be proud, and the community is growing, it's not shrinking," Williams said.
Skift
05-05-2025
- Health
- Skift
One of Nation's Largest Trans Conferences Ends Annual Event, Latest LGBTQ Cancelation
As anti-LGBTQ+ legislation escalates in the U.S, events serving these communities are shifting away from in-person conferences. Some feel more cancellations are to come. After more than 20 years, the Philadelphia Trans Wellness Conference — one of the largest transgender-focused events in the United States — is ending its in-person gathering. Instead, organizers say they will shift to year-round LBGTQ+ programming under a new name: the Charlene Arcila Trans Wellness Collective. 'Because of the political climate, we made the difficult, but we believe, correct choice that providing a continuum of programs throughout the year is the prudent and appropriate decision to best serve our community. This isn't stepping back. It's stepping forward in a moment of need,' said David Weisberg, chief development officer for the Mazzoni Center, the event's organizer. The Human Rights Campaign recently declared a state of emergency for LGBTQ+ Americans, citing a surge in state-level bills targeting queer and transgender rights. Other LGBTQ+ conferences have also been canceled. The LGBTQ+ Health Care Conference, hosted by the IU School of Medicine, set to be held in April, was canceled at the end of January. It has been an annual gathering since 2017. Mary Dankoski, executive associate dean, said the conference was canceled due to 'challenging' state legislation. Grant Cancellations May Impact Events The Trump administration's cancellation of hundreds of transgender research grants could impact future related events, said Cameron Curtis, CEO of the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association. Curtis warns that this is a troubling trend. "It's unfortunate that an in-person Trans Wellness conference has been canceled in a time when it's so critical for the Transgender community to have strong and unconditional support. I think more cancelations are to come," Curtis said. Ashley Brundage, CEO of leadership training company Empowering Differences and past attendee of the Philadelphia conference, sees the cancellation as a significant loss. "An in-person conference is an opportunity for people to come together. This is especially important in the transgender space as many don't always get the opportunity to be their authentic selves," Brundage said. "There is a stark difference between the first Trump administration, when anti-DEI sentiment was more covert, and today, where it's front and center," Brundage said, noting the shift has drastically impacted her company's business. Global Travel Concerns Mount Trump's anti-DEI policies are creating international concern. InterPride, representing over 375 Pride groups in 70 countries, issued a travel advisory. It cites a Trump executive order requiring passports, visas, and Global Entry cards to recognize only two sexes, male and female. "If your passport has 'X' as a gender marker or differs from your birth-assigned gender, we strongly recommend contacting the U.S. diplomatic mission before traveling to confirm entry requirements," the InterPride advisory states. At least six European countries — Germany, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom — have updated their travel advisories to warn transgender and nonbinary travelers about potential risks in the United States.
CBS News
29-03-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Philadelphia nonprofit has concerns about Trump administration's plan to dismantle CDC's HIV prevention division
Philadelphia's Mazzoni Center is one of more than a dozen LGBTQ+ health organizations against President Trump's plans to potentially defund critical HIV prevention initiatives . The Trump administration is reportedly considering dismantling the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's division dedicated to HIV prevention, a move that could shift its responsibilities to another department within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This potential restructuring has drawn strong condemnation from health organizations across the country, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ and HIV communities, who fear it could jeopardize years of progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS. David Fair is a long-time HIV/AIDS advocate in Philadelphia and played a key role in the city's early response to the epidemic. Fair, who co-founded organizations such as the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force and Lavender Health (now known as the Mazzoni Center), warns that dismantling the CDC's HIV programs would undo decades of work and could result in a resurgence of new infections and unnecessary deaths. "If the president gets what he's looking to do, we're going to have more people dying from AIDS," said Fair. "I believe at a rate that we haven't seen for years and years and years because there simply won't be the infrastructure." Fair's involvement with the HIV/AIDS crisis dates back to the 1980s, when the disease was still largely misunderstood and stigmatised, and its effects were devastating the gay community. "We called it the gay cancer," Fair recalls, remembering how those diagnosed with HIV often faced death within a few months. At the time, there were few treatment options, and the response from public health officials was slow and reluctant. Despite the overwhelming challenge, Fair and others in Philadelphia worked to create a robust system of care for people living with HIV, including specialized programs for those dealing with mental illness, drug addiction, and other vulnerabilities. "We didn't just take a public health approach; we took a comprehensive approach," Fair said. This approach, which focused on addressing the complex needs of people with HIV, has continued to shape the city's HIV care system to this day. Fair's personal connection to the epidemic has only grown stronger over the years. He recently lost his husband, Rudy, to kidney disease complicated by HIV, a painful reminder of the ongoing struggles of people living with the virus. One organization that could be significantly impacted by changes to federal HIV funding is the Mazzoni Center, serving the LGBTQ+ community and others for 45 years. With an estimated 18,000 people living with HIV in Philadelphia, the Mazzoni Center plays a pivotal role in providing HIV care, treatment, prevention and education. Dr. Stacey Trooskin, the Chief Medical Officer at Mazzoni, expressed deep concern about the potential loss of federal funding. "HIV prevention dollars make all of the programmatic work possible," Trooskin said. "Without those dollars, we'll be at a true disadvantage." She added that many of their patients are already worried about losing access to crucial HIV medications, such as PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), as well as treatment options for those already living with HIV. "There are many patients coming in right now who are scared," Trooskin explained. "They're scared they won't have access to their HIV medications, and they won't have access to the support they need to stay healthy."
