Sean McCormick [he/him]

When advocacy becomes a liability—why I chose to speak anyway

It's a calculate decision to not fund care for Black and brown, working class, and LGBTQ+ PLHIV.
www.positivelyaware.com/articles/whe...

Being Human is Not a Crime: HIV, Immigration, and State Violence | The Center for HIV Law and Policy An HIV is Not a CrimeDay statement by CHLP calling for cross-movement solidarity to resist carceral systems and affirm that no person

In this #HINAC Day statement, CHLP calls to abolish ICE and repeal HIV criminalization laws. Our task is to defend our dignity and bodily autonomy and, regardless of country of origin or health status, to keep seeing the humanity in each other. Read it here: www.hivlawandpolicy.org/news/being-h...

Lawmakers add ID requirement to Indiana’s needle exchanges Advocates worry it will discourage participation in programs meant to curtail HIV, hep C infections.

There is no health need for this shit. It will make it harder for people to access care. And you have to think that is the aim.

Lawmakers add ID requirement to Indiana’s needle exchanges mirrorindy.org/indiana-need... @mirrorindy.org

Landmark settlement could create new protections for harm reduction under disability law A Christian group announced a potentially landmark legal settlement that the ACLU says could establish new federal protections for harm reduction services.

SSPs are health services. And laws that ban them are discriminatory. It’s time to end them and bring community-based, dignifying care to all our people.

Landmark settlement could create new protections for harm reduction under disability law  www.statnews.com/2026/02/10/n... via @statnews.com

Decades after Ryan White, Indiana still criminalizes HIV | OPINION Indiana’s laws punish people living with HIV for actions that do not transmit the virus.

www.southbendtribune.com/story/opinio...

ICE to begin detaining immigrants inside Social Circle warehouse in April Homeland Security plans to build warehouse detention facilities in other cities being met with opposition.

ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.

If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Specialty courts, especially drug courts, are not about making people healthier. They implement virtually the same coercive, involuntary, and baseless tactics found in typical criminal legal system courts and prisons. Carcerality and health are incompatible.

HIV Criminalization and Black Americans

HIV criminalization isn’t about public health—it’s about policing, surveillance, and punishment. Black communities are targeted at every turn. Abolition is not abstract for us. It’s necessary. This report names why. Thanks @williamsinstitute.bsky.social for this research. #Abolition #NBHAAD

Plastic surgeons group calls for delaying gender-affirming surgery until age 19 The American Society of Plastic Surgeons said it found “insufficient evidence” that the benefits of chest, genital and facial surgery on minors experiencing gender dysphoria outweigh the risks.

There is no doubt this decision will embolden transphobic monsters in their quest to erase trans people from existence. And these groups must live with that reality. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

Defy Erasure, Defend Resistance, Disrupt Criminalization: The Positive Justice Project Partners Group National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Statement | The Center for HIV Law and Policy Debra Fraser-Howze, founder of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA) – now known as Black Health – once stated that the inequita

For #NBHAAD, PJP Partners Group affirms a truth named by Black leaders: the inequitable distribution of public health resources is a matter of life & death. We demand HIV medical, social justice & public health sectors name & disrupt the anti-Blackness & inequality at the heart of our HIV response.

Practicing or curious about transformative justice?

There's still time to register for this FREE session Feb 12, 6:30-8PM ET.

Unrecorded, w/ASL & live captioning. Attendees will receive Zoom link the day of the event.

No prior experience required! Click here: form.jotform.com/260155795389...

This #BlackHistoryMonth, we refuse to let Black history be erased. Trump / MAGA attack Black history, truth-telling institutions, and the legacy of the Civil Rights era to protect racial hierarchy and state violence. This is about power—about whose lives and stories are allowed to matter.

Action Alert: Urge House to Pass FY26 Spending to Fund Domestic & Global HIV Programs Overview On Monday, February 2, the House begins its consideration of the FY26 spending package that includes funding for domestic and global HIV programs. The Save HIV Funding (SHF) campaign urges…

Today the House begins its consideration of the FY26 spending package w funding for domestic & global HIV programs. Join #SaveHIVFunding & urge your reps to 1. Fully fund access to health care and supports for PLHIV and 2. Reject DHS funding.
savehivfunding.org/action-alert...

State violence is not new. It’s a part of our history. And it is inflicted by policing forces throughout our country.

Texas and Eight Other States Renew Attack on Section 504 and the Right of Disabled People to Live in their Communities - National Health Law Program On January 23, 2026, Texas and eight other states – Alaska, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, and South Dakota – renewed their attack on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the integration mandate. The integration mandate is a requirement under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It allows people with disabilities […]

We can't let these states allow the isolation and erasure of people with disabilities.

healthlaw.org/news/texas-a...

PWN-USA is outraged by the ongoing militarized occupation of Minnesota and other cities across the United States, and the escalation of state violence and murder by immigration enforcement.

Lurie scales back gender-affirming care, days after federal official calls for investigation Lurie Children’s Hospital is scaling back its gender-affirming care for minors, the hospital said Tuesday, days after a top federal official called for an investigation into the hospital.

“What we should be doing is standing up and fighting back and continuing to provide care and showing we stand with youth and their families.”

Lurie scales back gender-affirming care, days after federal official calls for investigation www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/20/l...

National LGBTQ Task Force: Creating Change | The Center for HIV Law and Policy CHLP's PJP team will be attending and presenting at the National LGBTQ+ Task Force's annual Creating Change conference in Washington, DC on January 24, 2026.HIV and the Americans with Disabilities Act...

Don't miss CHLP's #Team2Dream in Washington, DC next week to attend and present at the National LGBTQ+ Task Force's annual Creating Change conference.

More info on our presentations:
www.hivlawandpolicy.org/events/natio...

#Team2Dream #HIVAdvocates #CreatingChange

NJ May Expand Civil Commitment to Anyone Accused of Recent Overdose - Filter New Jersey legislators are considering a proposal to require involuntary commitment for any overdose survivors revived by law enforcement. It ...

🧵Involuntary commitment is ineffective & immoral at best, & often deadly at worst. Our people & communities deserve better, from one state to another. Coverage from @filtermag.bsky.social below outlines a proposal in NJ that would make involuntary commitment mandatory
bit.ly/NJInvoluntaryCommitment

At This Office Park, Scamming the World Was the Business

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/w...

White House reverses $2 billion cut to mental health, addiction grants Many of the affected grant programs had bipartisan support and President Donald Trump has supported them in the past.

Sowing chaos and anxiety, then backing out as an exercise of power.
rollcall.com/2026/01/14/h...

Court finds police properly entered man’s home despite absence of a warrant The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the conviction of a Montana man who was convicted of assaulting a police officer. In a unanimous decision written by Justice Elena Kagan, the […]

Police “welfare checks” are some of the most dangerous events a person can experience. No one is made safer by getting shot in the gut. www.scotusblog.com/2026/01/cour...

Trump administration sends letter wiping out addiction, mental health grants The Trump administration sent hundreds of letters Tuesday terminating federal grants supporting mental health and drug addiction services. The cuts could total as much as $2 billion.

More devastating and cruel defunding.
www.npr.org/2026/01/14/n...

Florida’s Changes to Its AIDS Drug Assistance Program Will Cause Harm Over 16,000 Floridians could lose HIV care through ADAP and the program no longer covers at least one effective regimen, writes IAPAC.

What happens when thousands can't get lifesaving meds/care? It'll be challenging to find competent services for HIV care. Advocates & HIV service providers are fighting to save lives. #ADAP #HIV #AIDS #services #programs #fundingcuts #florida #DepartmentofHealth www.poz.com/article/flor...

I'm looking forward to this next installment of our Abolition for Our People series, which will examine the ongoing struggle against authoritarianism and its connection to data privacy and public health. Liberatory public health is possible!

Abolition for Our People: Assessing the landscape: Authoritarianism and the fight for public health justice | The Center for HIV Law and Policy People living with HIV have long sounded the alarm about state control, criminalization, and the weak privacy protections surrounding our health and bodies. This insight and leadership are more critic...

New Abolition for Our People webinar on Jan 29. Join CHLP to unpack public health, data privacy & state violence, and how we build a public health system rooted in care, not punishment. With @hiporg.bsky.social, @sarageoghegan.bsky.social, @epic.org + more. www.hivlawandpolicy.org/events/aboli...

Nearly all Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program patients virally suppressed in 2024 | Managed Healthcare Executive In 2024, 91% of patients receiving care through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program were virally suppressed, underscoring the program’s role in improving HIV outcomes.

www.managedhealthcareexecutive.com/view/nearly-...

Children will die with RFK Jr.'s new vaccine recommendations. We're NOT doing the "experts disagree" game. The US vaccine schedule was painstakingly constructed through a deep & thorough process by experts with unquestionable expertise. This is policy by fiat. It is pre-meditated murder. 1/

And to be clear, drug criminalization destroys families, undermines health, and perpetuates white supremacy. www.ajpmonline.org/article/S074...

Digital illustration of a large group of diverse smex workers. There's red umbrellas and one umbrella is open to read, 'decrim smex work.'

Today is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. Everyone should feel safe at work.