Celebrating PRIDE month and community-led public health

June is Pride month—a time to celebrate and reaffirm our support of LGBTQ+ communities as we work together to build a?vibrant, healthier future where everyone can thrive. ?

Community-based organizations, including many that are LGBTQ+ led and focused, are critical to our work in making this vision a reality. They are trusted partners in delivering essential public health messages to overcome fear and stigma and ensure that more people have the information they need to protect their health.?

Two years ago, we announced support to 53 LGBTQ+ and Black and Hispanic or Latino organizations across the country to establish and expand HIV self-testing programs within their communities. Together, these organizations have distributed over 62,000 test kits and over 410,000 HIV risk-reduction products, such as condoms. They have also created communications, educational materials and messages about the importance of that have been shared with over 15 million people.?

While these statistics are impressive, they don’t tell the full story of the countless personal connections these organizations made and the trust they built between their communities and public health systems. We asked our community-based partners to share their own successes and memorable moments, and they ran with it. Through vibrant photos, humor and community-level perspectives, they documented their work creating opportunities for people to safely and anonymously access HIV self-testing materials. In recognition, we are sharing this incredible library of stories this Pride month highlighting the impact these organizations have had in helping to provide more people with lifesaving information and care, including a video about VIDA , a San Diego-based organization that has been at the forefront of the fight against HIV in the Hispanic/Latinx LGBTQ+ communities throughout its 10-year span.?

Community-focused stories and messages like these can play an important role in helping to increase confidence and acceptance of public health services. In 2022, when the United States experienced an unprecedented and rapid outbreak of mpox, a rare disease caused by a virus in the same family of viruses as smallpox, the CDC Foundation joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to support community-based organizations bolstering vaccine confidence and access among those most affected by mpox, including LGBTQ+ and Black and Hispanic or Latino persons. ?

To help these organizations increase awareness about mpox and the mpox vaccine, the CDC Foundation decided to create videos that deliver accurate, science-based information in new and creative ways. That’s where Dashaun Wesley came in. An icon in the ballroom scene, Wesley was selected as the video spokesperson for his public recognition across many LGBTQ+ communities, as well as his public health advocacy work on issues that impact the LGBTQ+ population. ?

In the videos, Wesley answers questions and provides relatable and accurate information about the safety and importance of mpox vaccines while sharing a few of his signature dance moves along the way. ?

Our two PSAs, “the Realization, ” and “Mpox is NOW ,”?launched in April 2024, and the response was enormous. Earning more than 100,000 views in the first 36 hours, the videos have since reached more than 3.4 million people and were reshared over 500 times.?Watch them below.

Public health is community health. The CDC Foundation will continue to partner with local organizations across the country as they uplift the voices and stories of their communities to reach more people with the information and health care they need.?

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The project Enhancing Community Capacity to Support HIV Self-Testing?is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $9M with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.?

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The project Preventing Mpox Resurgence?is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $5M with 100 percent funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. Government.?

Lily Samuel is a senior communications officer for the CDC Foundation.

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