Snapshots from the United States Conference on AIDS

At the annual U.S. Conference on AIDS in Washington, D.C., activists, experts, researchers, clinicians, and program managers came together for panels, workshops, and plenaries addressing some of the biggest issues facing people living with and those trying to prevent HIV. One plenary featured a rousing and impromptu protest from trans people demanding the government fund research about the impact of HIV on trans people, instead of lumping them in with gay men. Another plenary focused on the deep South, the innovations in Alabama, and the problems facing those in rural Misssissippi. 

Plus decided to have some fun there too, so we took photos of people to make them Plus magazine cover stars for the day, which people shared on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram with the hashtag #plusfor_________ (they had to fill in the blank). Here are just a few of our faves.

 Bamby Salcedo, who led the Trans Lives Matter protest (far left), and supporters 

 
Activist Barb Cardell (left) and her friend Venita

 Blogger and media personality Benjamin Di'Costa

 The folks from the popular HIV resource website, TheBody.com, including managing editor Julie Davids (far right)

 Cassandra Whitty

Cardell and her friend in even bigger heels

Sally Cherry, founder of Community HIV/AIDS Resource Exchange (CHARE) Project, which does capacity building and networking through social media and 3D virtual worlds.

Jaun Piercesr

Kelsey Louie, director of GMHC in NYC, and Plus magazine's editor in chief Diane Anderson-Minshall

 Michael Kaplan

 Nickie Bazell, Capacity Building Director @ Capacity for Health, APIAHF, in San Francisco, won one of our new "You're More Than Your Status" T-shirts this weekend. 

 Three gals who went #plusforhope

  She went #Plusforhumanity

Activist Ed Barron (right) and friend go #plusforfun

One of our T-shirt winners, Reverend David Strong, a progressive ecumenical Catholic pastor in Washington state, had us with this bow tie!

 TheBody.com crew camp it up

 Timothy Ray Brown (far right), the only man ever cured of HIV (they used to call him "the Berlin patient") with his partner (who is also named Tim) and our ed chief Diane Anderson-Minshall

 Tony Ray