The Damien Center, Indy’s oldest AIDS service organization, is hosting a health, gender and sexuality summit for young people on Saturday, March 30, at IUPUI.
The event, which is co-hosted by Planned Parenthood’s Teen Council, will include discussions about gender-affirming care, HIV prevention, abortion access, intimate partner violence, human trafficking and LGBTQ+ mental health. It will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the fourth floor of the IUPUI Campus Center, located at 420 University Blvd. Free meals, a gift bag and confidential testing for sexually transmitted infections will be provided.
[The Damien Center’s upcoming headquarters will assist LGBTQ+ homelessness.]
Organizer Nick Atkinson-Tavai said the goal is to provide a safe space for young people to talk about issues that often don’t come up in the classroom or at home. The event is for people ages 14 to 21.
“Our youth know what they face,” said Atkinson-Tavai, who referenced Indiana’s recent ban on gender-affirming care for minors. “But they may not know they have an amazing community of queer folks and adults that are here to support them.”
Atkinson-Tavai has been living with HIV since he was 23. Now, three years later, he wants to give the next generation access to information and resources he never got.
“When we leave our youth with knowledge gaps, we leave them vulnerable to issues with sexual health,” Atkinson-Tavai said. “It sucks to be educated after something happens.”
[Experiencing a crisis? Here are some resources for you to use right now.]
People can register for the event online or in person on Saturday.
Several community organizations will have booths, including the Marion County Commission on Youth, Healthnet’s HIV services department, MAD Voters and the nonprofit Y’all.
Mirror Indy reporter Mary Claire Molloy covers health. Reach her at maryclaire.molloy@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @mcmolloy7.