HUNTSVILLE, Ala — Editor's note: The original story was published by alreporter.com. WZDX News added additional content to this story.
Several groups have teamed up to "Stomp Out HIV" by hosting their first-ever health fair!
A mobile COVID-19 vaccination site will be part of the Stomp Out HIV event on June 26 at Big Spring Park in Huntsville.
"Whether that means going into the community to offer some sort of testing for COVID, or going to the community offering testing for HIV, or making sure when people come for STI, it's easy to access and full of the knowledge that people need to feel comfortable and safe," says Thrive Alabama Director of Development & Marketing, Mark Moore.
It is one of five organized so far by several national LGBTQ advocacy organizations as part of a vaccination campaign to mark Pride Month and to contribute to the White House’s effort to have 70 percent of American adults receive at least one shot by July 4.
“The LGBTQ community still has concerns about vaccines and limited access to receiving one, especially LGBTQ people of color,” said a statement from Alphonso David, president of The Human Rights Campaign. The group’s educational arm helped launch the initiative in partnership with local faith leaders. “LGBTQ affirming faith communities have always led in the fight for our civil rights, and now are fighting to make sure our communities are vaccinated and safe. May this effort lead us toward that long awaited moment of joining back together, safely and joyfully.”
A March study found that 42 percent of LGBTQ adults said they were “very likely” to get the vaccine, slightly higher than the 39 percent of the general U.S. adult population.
Disparities existed, however, among LGBTQ adults, with only 29 percent of Black people, 32 percent of bisexual women and 39 percent of Latinx LGBTQ adults describing themselves as “very likely.”
The other sites are in New York City and St. Louis, Missouri, with more being planned, HRC said.
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