Lighthouse Learning Series: Queer History of Harm Reduction **RESCHEDULED TO APRIL**
Starting in January 2023 and running until April 2023, we will be covering a series of queer harm reduction topics with the goal of creating a more inclusive movement.
Priority is given to those living and working in New York due to program scope. However, the series will be held virtually and is open to all those who would like to build on their harm reduction knowledge to provide better services to LGB/TGNC+ folks!
Session description: Queer History in Harm Reduction focuses on the radical stories of queer folks implementing harm reduction as a tool for survival, empowerment, and community. United by their mistreatment by the government during the AIDS epidemic, queers, sex workers, and people who use drugs had to take their health and safety into their own hands and continue to do so today. Currently, we fight another epidemic that continues to kill our friends and loved ones, and we are not giving up. This session is a space to pay homage to the queer folks who paved the way for harm reduction as we know it today and a call to action to continue radicalizing queer spaces and create a better world with the people we love.
Facilitator bio: Arlo is a fierce and outspoken advocate for people who use drugs, getting his start by receiving and providing mutual aid. Arlo now works for the only syringe access program providing supplies to folks living in Northern Colorado, but keeps to his roots by participating in community organizing and distribution of food and survival gear. Their goal is to continuously uplift the voices of those who have/are using highly stigmatized substances and redefine what “care” looks like for those who are queer, use drugs, participate in sex work, or are unhoused. Arlo has spoken on local and national panels regarding gender-affirming care, best practices for TGNC+ folks accessing syringes service programs, and the importance of implementing and expanding harm reduction-based services in underserved communities.
