Unity Arc Advocacy Group

04/17/2026

https://open.substack.com/pub/unityarc/p/when-delay-becomes-the-diagnosis?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

What my sister’s death reveals about Black women, Medicaid, and a health care system that moves too slowly

03/19/2026

https://www.poz.com/article/symbolic-funeral-protest-dc-warns-disintegrating-hiv-programs

Reading a living obituary of himself, Malcolm Reid, Co-Chair, U.S. People Living with HIV Caucus; Founder & CEO, Unity Arc Advocacy Group in Georgia said:

“Malcolm’s death was not inevitable. It was planned. It was engineered. Treatment worked when it was uninterrupted. Viral suppression was not a miracle. It was access + consistency + trust. When the system broke that trust, when it replaced clarity with confusion, it did not merely create inconvenience. It created funerals.”

Living obituaries and AIDS pallbearers at the Save HIV Funding Campaign’s protest ask, “Do we invest in life, or do we invest in death?”

02/27/2026

End the HIV Epidemic? End HIV Criminalization
laws! These laws undermine public health efforts
by deterring people from seeking HIV
testing/treatment, stigmatizing those with HIV,
& the communities most impacted by HIV—
including POC, women, LGBTQ people, s*x
workers, and the formerly incarcerated.

02/24/2026

**🚨 Florida’s ADAP Cuts Threaten Lives – Speak Up Now! 🚨**

Florida’s Department of Health is proposing drastic changes to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). The rules would slash eligibility from 400 % of the federal poverty level to 130 %, eliminate premium assistance, and even remove key medications like Biktarvy. Experts warn this will cut more than 16,000 Floridians off from lifesaving HIV treatment.

The UU.S. PLHIV Caucusemphasizes isn’t just a Florida issue. Lives are on the line, and anyone—inside or outside the state—can demand better. A 21‑day public comment period is open, and we need every voice. Let’s flood the inbox with demands to protect ADAP, preserve access to meds, and fully fund the program.

👉 **Take action before March 4:** Submit your comment here: https://flrules.org/Gateway/View_notice.asp?id=30517381

Share widely and stand with us. Together, we can and ensure no one is left without the care they need.

02/06/2026

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

At Unity Arc Advocacy Group, we honor those we’ve lost, uplift those living and aging with HIV, and recommit ourselves to the work ahead. Black communities continue to experience disproportionate impacts of HIV—not because of who we are, but because of barriers we face.

As a Black gay–led organization, we believe our communities deserve dignity, access, and care rooted in justice and lived experience.

We see you. We honor you. We will continue to fight for you.

02/04/2026

💥 This is what advocacy looks like in real life. 💥

Because people showed up, spoke out, wrote letters, called offices, and refused to stay quiet, nearly $2 BILLION in HIV funding was protected at the federal level. Programs like Ryan White, HIV prevention, housing support, and family planning were saved from deep cuts. That didn’t happen by accident — it happened because advocacy worked.

And closer to home? Advocacy mattered in Florida too. After weeks of fear and uncertainty for people living with HIV, the state has now paused a decision that would have cut access to lifesaving HIV meds for 16,000 Floridians. Public pressure, media attention, and elected officials stepping up made the difference.

Let’s be clear: people shouldn’t have to fight this hard just to survive. The harm and anxiety caused won’t disappear overnight. But today is proof of something important:

✊🏽 When we organize,
✊🏽 when we tell the truth,
✊🏽 when we demand better —
we can win.

More fights are coming. But this moment matters. Take it in. Then let’s keep going. 💙
PrEP4All U.S. PLHIV Caucus Malcolm Reid

01/31/2026

Unity Arc Advocacy and Malcolm Reid mourns the passing of Butch McKay, who died on January 30, 2026. Butch devoted more than three decades to Okaloosa AIDS Support and Informational Services (OASIS), serving as its longtime executive director and being, in the words of current director Kurt Goodman, “the reason there is an OASIS.” He also founded and captained the Positive Living conference, one of the nation’s only HIV conferences created by and for people living with HIV.

During my tenure with THRIVE SS, Butch welcomed the THRIVE SS team and the Silver Lining Project Positive Living. His warmth and generosity gave our advocates a platform to share their experiences and to feel seen. He understood that healthy communities are built when every voice—including older Black gay men living with HIV—is heard.

Butch’s tireless advocacy, gentle spirit, and unwavering commitment to people living with HIV/AIDS leave a profound legacy. Unity Arc extends heartfelt condolences to his husband, family, friends, and the entire OASIS family. We honor his memory by continuing to fight for health equity and dignity for all people living with HIV/AIDS.

Rest in Peace Butch. Thank you for your advocacy and support.

01/10/2026

PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV IN FLORIDA who rely on ADAP
PLEASE READ
From Kamaria Laffrey

According to the latest reporting I’ve seen, effective March 1, 2026:
ADAP will reduce the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) eligibility threshold for uninsured clients from 400% FPL to 130% FPL.
For insured clients, ADAP will continue to assist with medication copays for individuals with incomes between 0–400% FPL.
All ADAP premium assistance will be eliminated. Clients whose insurance premiums are currently paid by ADAP will be required to assume full responsibility for premium payments or discontinue their insurance coverage.
Single-tablet regimens will be eliminated under ADAP and replaced with generic medications only. Clients currently prescribed single-tablet regimens may be transitioned to multi-tablet generic alternatives.
The ADAP rebate model will be eliminated. This change will directly impact positions and operational costs currently supported through ADR OCA funding codes.
Please note that these changes do not impact Ryan White eligibility – only ADAP programmatic eligibility and benefits.

Advocates are working on strategies to fight back. Please join us!! We need every voice, because, even if you dont live in Florida, believe me, they will try to replicate it in your state
US PLHIV Caucus

12/01/2025

World AIDS Day 2025 is a day of reflection, remembrance, and recommitment.
It’s a day shaped by the strength and love of people living with HIV.

This year, I’m grateful to share that Unity Arc Advocacy Group is evolving our mission and vision to better serve our communities — especially older adults, long-term survivors, and people who continue to face stigma and barriers every day.

As a person living and aging with HIV, and in my roles with the USPLHIV Caucus, the Georgia HIV Justice Coalition, and the CHLP Aging Advisory Council, I’ve learned that our stories and lived experiences must guide everything we build.

Unity Arc’s updated mission is simple and grounded:

Use storytelling, policy writing, and equitable technology to close health gaps, link people to care, and help shrink the digital divide.

Our partnership with Versante Connect and their OSMe Buddy tool is one example of this work.
OSMe Buddy helps people understand what they’re feeling, recognize symptoms, make sense of syndemics, and find supportive care — without shame or stigma.

Today, I honor:
❤️ Long-term survivors
❤️ Those we’ve lost
❤️ Elders aging with HIV
❤️ Young people newly navigating their diagnosis
❤️ Our caregivers and allies
❤️ Every organization committed to justice and dignity

Unity Arc may be small, but we are committed.
This World AIDS Day, we keep walking forward — with community, with gratitude, and with purpose.

In community and solidarity,
Malcolm Reid

11/20/2025

Unity Arc Advocacy Group Statement for Transgender Day of Remembrance

November 20, 2025

Today , on Transgender Day of Remembrance, Unity Arc Advocacy Group pauses to honor the lives of transgender and gender-expansive people whose voices were silenced by violence, stigma, and hate. We say their names, we hold their memories close, and we commit ourselves to a world where their safety, dignity, and joy are non-negotiable.

TDOR is not only a moment of reflection—it is a call to action. Trans communities, especially Black and Brown transgender women, continue to face disproportionate levels of violence, barriers to health care, criminalization, and discrimination. These injustices are preventable. They are rooted not in individual acts of harm, but in systems that decide whose lives are valued and whose are not.

Unity Arc Advocacy Group stands firmly with our transgender siblings. Our advocacy is grounded in the belief that equity cannot exist unless it exists for the most marginalized among us. As we work to close health gaps, challenge discriminatory policies, and expand access to care and technology, we do so with transgender liberation at the center—not the margins.

We remember those we lost.
We uplift those still here.
We fight for a future where every transgender person—of every age, race, and identity—can thrive openly, safely, and fully in their truth.

In memory. In solidarity. In action.

Unity Arc Advocacy Group
“Technology and policy that serve the margins first.”

Malcolm Reid CEO

11/15/2025