Unity Arc Advocacy Group

04/25/2026

https://open.substack.com/pub/unityarc/p/you-cant-separate-trans-hiv-prevention?r=55uj33&utm_medium=ios

HIV prevention is not just about condoms, PrEP, or testing. It is also about whether people trust the health system enough to walk through the door, stay in care, and be treated with dignity.

04/25/2026

New on Substack: if we are serious about HIV prevention, we have to be serious about gender-affirming care.

HIV prevention is not just about condoms, PrEP, or testing. It is also about whether people trust the health system enough to walk through the door, stay in care, and be treated with dignity.

04/24/2026

Health equity is not charity — it is justice.

That truth is at the center of my work, my story, and my keynote: “The State of Health Equity and the Path Forward.”

I’m Malcolm Reid — CEO of Unity Arc Advocacy Group, longtime health equity advocate, speaker, and person living with HIV for over 30 years.

My work is rooted in lived experience, community power, HIV justice, aging with dignity, and the belief that the people most impacted by inequity must be centered in the solutions.

This keynote is not just about naming the problem. It is about moving people toward action.

We must center lived experience.
Expand access.
Confront stigma and structural racism.
Build cross-generational bridges.
Invest in community-led solutions.

Because justice in health is inseparable from justice in society.

If your conference, organization, health system, or community is ready for a keynote that moves people from insight to action, let’s connect.

04/20/2026

I had the pleasure of presenting “Clearing the Way:Record Clearing Resources for People Aging with HIV

I presented the tools and processes. rested by the amazing attorneys CHLP

https://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/

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.