Over the past few years, Delaware has faced significant public health challenges regarding HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), diverging from some national downward trends. While the U.S. overall saw a slight decrease in certain STIs in 2023 and 2024, Delaware has recorded a steady rise in new diagnoses. Funding for HIV and STI prevention efforts in the state has been cut significantly, forcing local organizations to cut back on HIV and STI prevention services. We have the more HIV prevention tools now than ever before, but they don’t appear to be making a dent in our numbers.
Join us for a vital community discussion during Rehoboth Beach Pride. This panel discussion will address the rising rates of HIV and STIs across our state in recent years and explore actionable solutions for improving the health and wellness of the Gay, Bi, and Trans communities.
Our panel will feature health experts and community advocates to discuss the latest in prevention, treatment, and the social factors driving the current surge. The panel will be moderated by Kevin Naff, editor of the Washington Blade.
Join us! Knowledge is our most powerful tool in ending the epidemic. Whether you are looking for the latest information on PrEP and Doxy-PEP, or you want to join the conversation on how Delaware can better serve its LGBTQ+ citizens, your voice is needed.
About our Moderator, Kevin Naff
Kevin Naff is the editor and co-owner of the Washington Blade, the nation’s oldest and most acclaimed LGBTQ news publication. Since joining the Blade in 2002, Naff has become the publication’s longest-tenured editor, leading it through a transition to independent ownership under Brown Naff Pitts Omnimedia, which also publishes the Los Angeles Blade. An award-winning journalist and 2026 inductee into the D.C. Society of Professional Journalists Hall of Fame, he has been instrumental in securing LGBTQ media representation in the White House briefing room and has received numerous accolades for his editorial writing. Beyond his work at the Blade, Naff is the author of the 2023 book How We Won the War for LGBTQ Equality: And How Our Enemies Could Take It All Away and has a background that includes roles at The Baltimore Sun and Reuters. He holds a degree in journalism from Pennsylvania State University and resides in Baltimore and Rehoboth Beach with his husband.
This event is part of Rehoboth Beach Pride Weekend. Learn more at sussexpride.org/rehobothbeach.
If you’re coming from out of town, we recommend you use the Rehoboth Beach Park & Ride, as parking is extremely limited in the summertime.