Trans in a Time of HIV/AIDS | TSQ: Transgender Studies Quarterly

Social media has become a primary tool for both community building and public health outreach for transgender individuals:

: High-profile media incidents, such as rapper DaBaby's 2021 stage comments , continue to fuel HIV-related stigma and misinformation, which disproportionately impacts queer and transgender people of color.

: Platforms are used for developing social and sexual identity, finding support, and building community among transgender persons and men who have sex with men.

: Organizations like the Transgender Law Center have used digital campaigns, such as #ACApositive, to amplify the voices of transgender people of color living with HIV in policy debates.

: GLAAD’s latest Studio Responsibility Report indicated that zero LGBTQ characters were portrayed as living with HIV in film last year.

: According to GLAAD , there has been a sharp decrease in LGBTQ characters living with HIV on television, dropping from eight characters in 2023 to just one in the most recent season.

: Media analysis often ignores how HIV for transgender people is inextricably linked to issues of race, poverty, and systemic discrimination.