PRess

The West Side-based organization helps hundreds of youths each year by addressing the HIV/STI-related needs of adolescents and young adults living in disenfranchised communities with limited resources, and providing HIV/STI prevention education, testing, treatment and care services as well.

On the evening of November 21, Taskforce Prevention and Community Services held a Thanksgiving dinner for clients and supporters at its office at 9 N. Cicero. The event also featured a raffle and impromptu vogue session.

An Austin community center for LGBTQ youth of color will host the event, which will be open to anyone. Organizers hope it will foster goodwill among the broader Austin community.

On Oct. 19, the Oak Park Area Lesbian and Gay Association (OPALGA+) held its annual gala at Oak Park’s historic Nineteenth Century Charitable Association, 178 Forest Ave.

On June 30, West Side Pride closed Pride Month with a rally and call to action followed by a celebratory ball. The event—co-sponsored by Life is Work, Pride Without Prejudice, Brave Space Alliance and Taskforce Prevention—sought to spotlight the chronic neglect of Chicago’s West Side as well as Black and Brown communities.

Howard Brown Health and TaskForce Prevention & Community Services (TaskForce) announced a collaboration to provide expanded medical services in Chicago’s Austin community, offering free, confidential risk assessments for COVID-19.

Trans Latinx activist and advocate Reyna Ortiz’s upcoming book, “T: Stands for Truth,” will be released Nov. 7.

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) has announced its plan to provide Taskforce Prevention and Community Services (Taskforce) and Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus (CBGMC) with development grants and support in long-term strategic planning.

Responding to the murders of two transgender women in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood this year, officials and LGBTQ youth came together Dec. 11 for a panel discussion about safety in the neighborhood.