More than 3,000 community leaders, activists, government officials, and others involved in the fight against AIDS turned out Sept. 10-13 for the 19th Annual United States Conference on AIDS, which was held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in downtown Washington, D.C.
Paul Kawata, executive director of the National Minority AIDS Council, the D.C.-based group that organizes the annual event, said the turnout this year was the highest the conference has seen in the last five years and one of the highest ever.
Kawata was praised for his response to a decision by a group of transgender activists associated with Trans Lives Matter, to storm the stage at one of the conference’s main plenary sessions on Friday, Sept. 11, startling more than 1,000 people in attendance.
The trans activists, led by Los Angles transgender rights advocate Bamby Salcedo, said their aim was to protest what they said was the continuing inadequate response by several federal agencies to address HIV/AIDS in the transgender community, especially the impact of the epidemic on trans women of color.
In a development that prompted cheers from the audience, Kawata welcomed the trans activists to the conference and stage, handing Salcedo a microphone and inviting her to speak.
“I thought it was absolutely great,” Kawata told the Blade during the conference’s closing session on Sept. 13.