The Trump administration enacted policies that restricted the rights and public recognition of LGBTQIA+ people, including bans on transgender military service and a rollback of protections.
According to The 19th, the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration, prohibiting transgender people from choosing the gender markers on their passports.
For over 30 years, transgender people could change their gender marker. But in January 2025, the Trump administration became determined to take this right away. This puts transgender people at an even higher risk for discrimination, harm, harassment, and heightened anxiety.
LGBTQ+ discrimination, transmisogynoir, racism, and other factors tend to place Black and Brown Queer communities in harm’s way. These stressors can lead to mental health challenges, substance use and abuse, “high-risk” sexual behavior, and more.
Harm reduction evidence-based strategies meet individuals where they are on their sobriety journey with a digestible, nonjudgmental delivery, approach, and tone.
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s current national event series addresses and uplifts harm reduction strategies and conversations that align with Black Queer communities.
The Black Wall Street Times interviewed Tori Cooper, the Director of Strategic Outreach and Training at HRC, about harm reduction, community engagement, and how to show up for each other.
“Harm reduction absolutely activates health prevention and awareness. It’s a strategy that supports people in making behavioral changes that can last a lifetime. Think about it: most people need anywhere from two weeks to two months to build new routines and habits. Harm reduction helps guide healthier choices during that process,” Cooper said.
The Human Rights Campaign and Harm Reduction History
Founded in 1980 by Steve Endean, the Human Rights Campaign has led as a mainstream advocacy and civil rights organization fighting for LGBTQ+ rights and freedom.
With over 3.6 million members and supporters, their work spans campaigns and initiatives like The Equality Impact Hub, United Together Resources, Show Up for Workplace Inclusion, the Voting Center, Harm Reduction Wellness Events, and more.
In addition, they also provide an extensive digital resource center covering Capacity Building, Sexual Health, LGBTQ+ Youth, HIV and Health Equity, and so much more.
The AMA Journal of Ethics reported that more than 110,000 overdoses were largely due to the “rise of illicitly manufactured fentanyl in the unregulated drug supply.”
In the 1980s, a diverse group of brave multiracial individuals pioneered the harm reduction movement to fight HIV transmission through drug use. This included Imani Woods, Dr. Rashidah Abdul-Khabee, Keith Cylar, Jose Demarco, Bobbi Campbell, and many others. They focused on syringe exchange, sexual health, and community education outreach.
With progression, more treatments became accessible, like Naxalone, also known as Narcan, which is a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses.
Cooper’s work in harm reduction blossomed from the need that she saw in the LGBTQ+ community.
“A very good girlfriend of mine. Her name is Shay Shay Chanel. She’s the house mother for the house of Chanel in Atlanta. Well, Shay Shay and I have known each other before she was Shay Shay, and we were talking a few years ago, and one of her assistants overdosed,” Cooper said. “She and I were talking about it, and I asked her if she’d ever heard of fentanyl test strips, and if she had ever heard of Narcan? She says, ‘Well, you know, sis, nobody ever talks to people in Ballroom about that.’ And voila, that was the catalyst for this. So, we had a little bit of money, and we started doing harm reduction years ago in Atlanta.”
She is following in the footsteps of harm reduction pioneers by focusing on a myriad of aspects like sexual health, STD and STI testing, PrEP, cigarette usage, alcohol, intravenous drug use, supporting healthy relationships that do not involve sex, and much more.
Harm Reduction Wellness Tour and Showing up for Community
As a Black Trans Woman, community activist, and leader, Cooper understands that the Queer community deserves to feel safe, wanted, and fairly cared for during prevention and intervention.
Despite gender discrimination, the removal of LGBTQ+ rainbow paintings on crosswalks across Florida and Texas, and oppressive policies, Black LGBTQ+ folx– specifically Black trans women — fearlessly rise to the occasion.
Funded by ViiV Healthcare, HRC’s Harm Reduction Wellness Tour, aka Party with a Purpose, provides a fun and safe space for people to gather and discuss life challenges, harm-prone behaviors, and how to manage the journey.
So far, the tour has visited Philadelphia, Baltimore, Dallas, and Houston.
The Houston harm reduction event took place at Pause Nightclub, with local partners including The Normal Anomaly (Black LGBTQ+ advocacy), Avenue 360 (health services), Grace Place (youth homelessness services), TAC: SAGES (trans allyship), and Impulse Group (Black gay men’s wellness).
“In-person and virtual activations serve different purposes because people engage and respond in different ways. Our goal is to reach as many folks as possible with messages about harm reduction, and that means meeting people where they are. Some of the people we connect with are actively using substances. Many wouldn’t stay in a Zoom meeting long enough to receive information that could truly impact their lives,” Cooper shared.
“Others deal with food insecurity, which affects not just what people eat, but whether they eat at all. That’s why we always make sure food is available… These are just some of the reasons we prioritize in-person events. They allow people to experience harm reduction in real time, surrounded by others who may be navigating similar challenges. There’s real healing in community spaces with folks who truly ‘get us,’” Cooper added.
The Human Rights Campaign understands the importance of presenting digestible information that is culturally aligned and tailored to the cities they visit.
“We’ve done Dallas, and we did Houston, and there were some similarities, but they were also very different, depending on who our community partners on the ground are and who the intended audience is in those respective cities. In Philadelphia, we held it in a community space, and in many other cities, we found them in restaurants and clubs. In Baltimore, we coordinated with the Kiki ball. So, every city is intended to feel fresh, new, and at the same time safe, affirming, and familiar to folks in that particular city,” she said.
Regardless of the oppressive political and social climate against LGBTQ+ people, Cooper believes that these tactics will not withstand the test of time.
“These policies don’t make sense. They don’t make sense from a health standpoint. And so, when we’re talking about cutting funding to prevent HIV education and PrEP access, that doesn’t make common sense. It doesn’t make common sense because keeping people from getting HIV should be a priority and not seen as simply as a line item that can be cut from the budget,” she said.
Celebrating Trans Awareness Week
In honor of Trans Awareness Week, take the opportunity to become familiar with and support these LGBTQ+ collectives and organizations.
- Black Trans Mutual Aid Group
- Black Trans Travel Fund
- Lambda Legal
- New Orleans Black Pride
- The Healing Hands Initiative by Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center (AHEC)
- OnPoint NYC
- Louisiana Trans Advocates
- Advocates for Trans Equality
- Trans Journalists Association