Damon L Jacobs
Damon L. Jacobs is a New York State licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and HIV prevention specialist whose work combines Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, trauma-informed care, and Buddhist principles to help individuals and couples foster joyful, meaningful relationships and healthier lives.
A sought-after speaker and author of “Rational Relating” and “Absolutely ShouldLess” he’s widely recognized for championing HIV PrEP through national media and has been honored as one of “35 Leading HIV Activists” and among the “Top 10 Influential Voices in HIV/AIDS”
Rodney McCoy
Rodney “Rod” McCoy, Jr. is a Black queer HIV survivor and veteran activist with nearly 40 years of experience in prevention, education, and care—as a health educator, counselor, program director, adjunct professor, and research assistant—who earned a Bachelor’s in Sociology and Black Studies from Oberlin College. He’s the creator of the “Beyond the Red Ribbon” sex positivity training, a prominent voice advocating for pleasure-centered prevention and truth-telling in HIV work, and currently advances community-driven HIV research and support at Us Helping Us in Washington, DC
Travis Love
Travis Love is an Master of Public Health-trained health educator and activist dedicated to empowering underserved communities through culturally competent health programming and civic engagement. As a dynamic speaker and alumni of the New Leaders Council NYC, He has moderated high-profile events on health and wellness—most recently during Pride Month in Harlem—bringing innovative, community-driven perspectives to public health dialogue
Charles Stewart is a political advisor, public servant, and pioneering civil rights activist based in South Los Angeles. Throughout a public service and advocacy career spanninseveral decades, Stewart has operated at the intersection of legislative policy, racial
justice, AIDS advocacy, and Black LGBTQ+ rights.
Public Service & Legislative Leadership
Stewart served for many years as chief deputy and chief of staff to prominent California
lawmaker Diane Watson during her tenure in the California State Senate and the U.S.
House of Representatives. In state government, he helped advise on critical public
health and civil rights initiatives, including early legislative efforts around clean syringe
exchanges and HIV/AIDS care during the height of the epidemic.
Later in his career, Stewart continued his political service as chief of staff to former
California State Senator and Assemblymember Holly J. Mitchell (now a member of the
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors).
Activism & Media Work
Beyond his work in state and federal government, Stewart played a major role in
establishing national and local networks for Black LGBTQ+ advocacy:
Black & White Men Together (BWMT): Stewart served as a founding co-chair of the
International Association of Black and White Men Together (later the National
Association of Black and White Men Together). The organization was founded in
the early 1980s as a gay, interracial movement to combat racism, homophobia,
and social division both inside and outside the LGBTQ+ community.
BLK Magazine: Stewart served as editor-at-large for BLK, a groundbreaking national
newsmagazine dedicated specifically to covering Black LGBTQ+ issues, culture, and
health crises.
Community & Civic Task Forces: He served as secretary for the Los Angeles City LGBT
Police Task Force, advocating for reform and fair treatment of sexual minorities by
local law enforcement.
Marcus Lee is a social scientist and writer, with specific interests in black politics, political history, and gender & sexuality. He earned a B.A. in Sociology at Morehouse College and a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Chicago. His research concerns histories and historical representations of 20th century black politics. He is currently working on a book project that chronicles black gay/lesbian “visibility” in the “post-civil rights” era. A chapter of the book will concern the National Task Force on AIDS Prevention and its pioneering 1989 National AIDS Education Study.
Zaylore Stout serves as a fierce advocate and attorney on LGBT issues. He launched Zaylore Stout & Associates in 2012 representing both aggrieved employees and proactive employers who are looking to make their workplaces more welcoming. He serves on the boards of both Quorum, the Twin Cities LGBTQ+ and Allied Chamber of Commerce, and FairVote Minnesota. He championed the passage of a Gender Inclusion Policy to protect transgender and gender non-conforming youth in St. Louis Park public schools when he ran for city county. His firm was an inaugural recipient of the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal Business of Pride award. In 2020 he published his first book Our Gay History in Fifty States, which has already won a several awards. Finally, for the second summer in a row Zaylore is hosting a panel at the Lavender Law Conference highlighting the importance of LGBT-specific school curricula alongside other advocacy efforts.
Kiande Jakada serves as an HIV Health Educator at The Center Las Vegas. With a career in HIV/AIDS advocacy and education starting back in 1997, Kiande has dedicated much of his professional journey to increasing awareness and understanding about HIV as it affects diverse communities. He plays a key role in outreach initiatives, hosting educational programs and handling health services designed to equip individuals with the knowledge they need to lead healthier lives. Beyond his educational endeavors, Kiande is celebrated for his engaging and supportive presence within the Las Vegas community.
His workshop:
“HIV Awareness & Building Healthier Communities”
HIV & STI’s continue to impact our communities in ways that challenge our connections and overall health. This presentation addresses HIV/STI transmission and treatment, while also allowing space for open dialogue on building healthier communities, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. of a Gender Inclusion Policy to protect transgender and gender non-conforming youth in St. Louis Park public schools when he ran for city county. His firm was an inaugural recipient of the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal Business of Pride award. In 2020 he published his first book Our Gay History in Fifty States, which has already won a several awards. Finally, for the second summer in a row Zaylore is hosting a panel at the Lavender Law Conference highlighting the importance of LGBT-specific school curricula alongside other advocacy efforts.