TRANSform Your Closet Brings Awareness To National Transgender HIV Testing Day With An Event With Free Testing And A Clothing Swap.

Members of the trans community are invited Saturday, April 23 to TRANSform Your Closet, an event with free HIV testing, refreshments and a clothing swap in celebration of National Transgender HIV Testing Day, just a few days after the official national observance on April 18.

The day is put on by Prism Health North Texas and is dedicated to recognizing the significance of HIV testing regularly, status awareness and promotion of prevention and treatment efforts within our local community. PHNTX is a local organization that is committed to advocating for these ideas and providing healthcare for North Texans in an environment that makes them feel safe while removing barriers that could stop them from receiving treatment otherwise.

TRANSform Your Closet will be held at the Prism Health North Texas Worth Street Health Center, and attendees are encouraged to bring new or gently used clothing to exchange with other attendees during the clothing swap.

“For individuals of trans experience, having nice, gender affirming clothing is a part of you stepping into a new season of you,” says Sattie Nyachwaya, the PHNTX policy, advocacy and community engagement coordinator, in a press release. “[…] As a community accomplice, PHNTX needs to always be there waiting with resources like for this community as they have been stepped on and overlooked so many times.”

Approximately 1.4 million people across the country identify as transgender, and transgender women of color are particularly at risk for high exposure to HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In response, PHNTX members will be at the event to share information about access to healthcare such as pre-exposure prophylaxis, a medication for at risk people to prevent obtaining HIV from sex or injected drug use.

‘“Preventative HIV care is important for the trans community not only because trans women are at a higher risk of acquiring HIV, but because there is so much stigma around both HIV and the trans community,” says Feliz Ruiz, the PHNTX behavioral intervention services team lead, in a press release.

The event will be located at 4004 Worth St. in Dallas from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Those interested in attending can RSVP online.

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