CNP

"Jackson and his iconic contemporaries braved HIV/AIDS stigma by hugging people living with HIV and standing alongside those conveniently 'othered' for a health condition. Their notoriety fostered solidarity, care, awareness, and advocacy while pushing against alienation." - Stephen Hicks

Michael Jackson's Legacy in the HIV Movement — The Reckoning Michael Jackson, who was close friends with actress Elizabeth Taylor, most likely took a cue from Taylor's HIV advocacy and began his own. Taylor was a co-founder of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) and its founding international chairman. She corralled many of her connects to join

"Sometimes I just wouldn't even play the song I knew would make them jump up and run to the dance floor, because I just didn't want to see they weren't there. It was heavy. You gotta celebrate that you are here. You cannot feel guilty celebrating that you're still here." - David Depino

Carrying on in Paradise: Reflections on The Paradise Garage Reunion 2025 at Xanadu, NYC — The Reckoning At the 2025 Paradise Garage Reunion at Xanadu in Brooklyn, writer Craig Washington joins fellow “Garageheads” to celebrate the legendary club’s enduring legacy. Through an intimate interview with original resident DJ and reunion co-organizer David Depino, the piece explores how the gathering h...

The Counter Narrative Project () is thrilled to announce our 2026 CNP Media Fund Partners.

Announcing the 2026 CNP Media Fund Partners The Counter Narrative Project (CNP) is thrilled to announce our 2026 CNP Media Fund Partners. With the generous support of the ViiV Healthcare’s AMP Grant initiative, the CNP Media Fund seeks to strengthen reporting in the media ecosystem concerning communities most impacted by HIV.

CNP and VOX Teen Communications Recognize National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day -

CNP and VOX ATL Recognize National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day CNP and VOX ATL join advocates, healthcare providers, educators, and community leaders across the country in raising awareness about the ongoing impact of HIV among young people and reaffirming our commitment to prevention, education, and care.

Visit our Instagram page to enter our National Poetry Month giveaway.

Poetry has always been a tool for truth, survival, and remembrance. In celebration of National Poetry Month, we’re giving away a CNP t-shirt and inviting you to honor the poets whose words have shaped you. 𝗧𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿: Follow @cnptribe Like this post Comment "CNPTribe" Share this post to your Stories for an extra entry We’ll select a winner to receive a CNP tee! Enter by April 17, 2026!

CNP Reckons with the Down-low - https://mailchi.mp/counternarrative/cnp-vs-the-down-low

The is excited participate in the Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference in Baltimore this week. If you're attending on Saturday, March 7th, join Doug Jones, Steven Fullwood, and John Keene for "Forty Years of 'In The Life'," a session honoring the enduring legacy of Joseph Beam and commemorating 40 years of this groundbreaking anthology.

The session will begin at 1:45 PM and will be moderated by Jay Ray .

Criminalizing HIV does not protect public health. It reinforces stigma, discourages testing, and disproportionately harms marginalized communities. Ending HIV criminalization is a matter of justice, science, and human dignity.

Checkout these articles today, and visit our website to sign up for updates to get involved with us: https://tr.ee/hinacday26

Mario Cooper’s life reflects a powerful legacy of Black leadership at the nexus of HIV, civil rights, and national public health advocacy. Across decades of political work and movement organizing, he helped force a long-overdue reckoning with how the AIDS epidemic was devastating Black communities, mobilizing everyone from activists to civil rights leaders and the Washington establishment to act.

Today, we honor his memory, his courage as a Black gay man living with HIV, and his uncompromising insistence that Black lives be neither ignored nor sacrificed in efforts to end the HIV epidemic.

Rest in power, Mario, and thank you for the path you cleared for all of us.