Thank you so much for visiting my fundraising page!

Please support me by making a donation here to AIDS Walk San Francisco. The walk takes place on July 16, so I have a little over two weeks to raise funds for the National AIDS Memorial where I've been working since last September.

The National AIDS Memorial is an incredible, beautiful organization and I've learned so much from my colleagues and the powerful work they do.

For example, I didn't know that as of 2022, 35 states have laws that criminalize HIV exposure. I was shocked to learn it's a felony in many places to have this disease, as if living with the disease isn't punishment enough.

These laws not only fail to prevent the spread of HIV, but they also stoke stigma against people living with HIV. Race and gender shape the enforcement of these laws. For example, while Black women made up only 4 percent of people living with HIV in California, they made up 21 percent of those arrested in relation to their HIV status.

I also didn't know that 40% of new infections are consolidated in 12 southeastern U.S. states. That's largely because many Black and Brown communities there still alienate LGBTQ+ individuals, so resources and information are scarce to combat the disease or its spread.

Funds that I'll raise will also benefit important and impactful organizations that support other LGBTQ+ causes and the fight against HIV/AIDS. And the attacks against our trans friends (physical and legislative) happening across the U.S. are particularly horrifying to me.

Over 100 bills attacking transgender people have been introduced in state legislatures since 2020. And the ACLU is currently tracking 491 anti-LGBTQ+ bills across the country.

That's why I am walking this year. I am angry and frightened by the rollback of civil rights, and ashamed that our country is vilifying our queer friends, family and community members.

Please give what you can to help me in this fight. I truly appreciate it.

Thank you!!
Rachelle