On May 21, AIDS Alliance released the executive summary of its upcoming report In a Position to Know: Parents and Youth Living with HIV Speak Out on Sexuality Education. This report gives voice to a group that is often unheard in the debate over sexuality education - youth and parents who are HIV positive. Because their lives are uniquely affected by what policy makers decide about sexuality and HIV prevention education, AIDS Alliance created a forum for them to be heard. The report combines their voices with an analysis of the science underlying both comprehensive and abstinence-only approaches. The final report is due out later this summer. 

AIDS Alliance hosted a briefing on May 21 to discuss the outcomes of the report. Moderated by AIDS Alliance's Director of Policy and Government Affairs Diana Bruce, the briefing featured a panel of AIDS Alliance members, including Chelsea Gulden from Charlotte, North Carolina; Board Member Max Siegel from Mesa, Arizona; Danielle Warren-Dias from Hartford, Connecticut; and the daughter of former Board Member Virginia Ross from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Panelists shared their touching stories and gave their recommendations for sexuality education curriculum and policies to meet the needs of HIV-positive youth and parents, including accurate HIV information, lessons to reduce stigma around HIV and sexual orientation, and comprehensive education around HIV prevention.  A highlight of the briefing included a visit and comments from Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.  Representative Waxman discussed the importance of sexuality education that includes the needs and experiences of HIV-positive youth, and cited Mathematica's policy report, the recent federal study that found that abstinence-only programs do not work.