Tomorrow, February 7, is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Our new summary of research highlights how two overlapping epidemics--HIV and over-policing--converge in the enforcement of HIV criminalization against Black Americans. Black people are more likely to be diagnosed with and live with HIV, while facing barriers to accessing HIV prevention and treatment. At the same time, Black communities are subject to heightened police surveillance and more severe penalties within the criminal legal system. These combined inequities are reflected in the disproportionate enforcement of HIV criminalization against Black people in the U.S.

By state: share of Black residents, PLWH, and HIV-related arrests and convictions

By Ayden I. Scheim, Senior Scholar of Public Policy
The American Journal of Public Health
January 14, 2026

Globally, transgender, nonbinary, and other gender-diverse (“trans”) people are facing coordinated and unrelenting attacks on their dignity, health, safety, and civil rights. Against this backdrop, the lived realities of trans communities are highly heterogeneous, and in many parts of the world, these attacks are far from new. Although anti-transgender rhetoric reached a crescendo under former president Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil has long stood out as the country with the largest number of recorded murders of trans people (https://bit.ly/4rdjEtb). It is important to note that these data also reflect the organizing and record-keeping capacity of trans movements, despite their absence from official statistics. In this context, it is vital to identify and address the wide-ranging health consequences of structural and interpersonal stigma and violence trans people experience worldwide.

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Join us in Los Angeles for our annual Jazz Brunch on February 8 from noon to 2 PM PT. Hosted by James Frost with co-host Peter J. Cooper, the afternoon will be emceed by drag artist Karen Beaches and feature jazz music from the Kenneth Zayas Jazz Trio and the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles. Complimentary valet parking provided.

Join us for a presentation of research and a discussion on strategies for addressing hate crimes and victimization of transgender and non-binary people in California. UCLA School of Law is a State Bar of California-approved MCLE provider. This session is approved for 1 hour of MCLE credit.

The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law is an academic research institute dedicated to conducting rigorous, independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy.