Our August 2019 Shero of the Month is LaTrischa Miles from Olathe, Missouri. Naina Khanna, PWN Executive Director, said, “LaTrischa has been a steady and critical part of PWN’s journey since the beginning. As an early steering committee member and now our Board chair, she has helped to steer PWN towards clarity with our strategies and approaches. She brings years of expertise in developing nationally renowned peer-based programming, which helps ensure access to care and stigma reduction for people living with HIV, and has even trained for and run marathons to raise funds for HIV-related causes! LaTrischa is an inspirational and dedicated advocate who deeply cares about her community, and we are lucky to have her as part of our team.”
After receiving a positive diagnosis for HIV, it took LaTrischa three years to “be comfortable in my own skin being a woman with HIV.” She had to have full acceptance of her serostatus before being able to advocate for herself and others. She began advocating for others as a peer educator. In this role, she provided treatment education, resources, and emotional support for people living with HIV. Her career advanced as she was promoted to treatment adherence specialist, then coordinator and peer supervisor in 2018. As recently as a week ago, LaTrischa was promoted to manager of the peer treatment adherence program.
LaTrischa testifies on Missouri bill to decriminalize HIV
In her advocacy, LaTrischa prioritizes HIV decriminalization. When she learned about Missouri’s HIV criminalization statute, she knew she had to do something. She said, “Change starts with individuals that call out injustice when basic rights are being violated. I kept thinking, basic rights are being violated here.” On December 8, 2011, LaTrischa, Positive Justice Project, and the Center for HIV Law & Policy held the first public meeting to discuss HIV decriminalization strategies. Stakeholders from AIDS service organizations, the Kansas City Health Department, the mayor’s office and community were present.
Missouri’s current HIV statute has perpetuated fear and stigma and completely disregards risk and route of transmission. It does not take into account safety measures such as PrEP or what it means to have an undetectable status. The law criminalizes behaviors that pose little to no risk of transmission, such as biting. LaTrischa has testified twice–on May 9, 2018, and February 4, 2019–before Missouri’s House Committee on Health and Mental Health to garner support of HB 166 and HB 167, which would update the current HIV laws to reflect modern science.
Despite the pushback, LaTrischa hopes in 2020 to “have the bill heard by another committee, the House Judiciary Committee.” She said, “Even though we’ve had our starts and stops, and we haven’t gotten what we consider victory, we know that it’s coming.”
On June 8, 2019, LaTrischa received the Elaine Aber Humanitarian Award, which was created by the Empower Missouri State Board in honor of Elaine Aber’s long time work in social justice. It is given to an individual advocate or organization that works in criminal, economic or social justice; health and mental health; homelessness; human rights and/or hunger. LaTrischa said, “[Elaine] was a lifelong champion of human rights and worked for the creation of the Missouri Commission on Human Rights in 1957 and the Public Accommodations Law in 1963.” The plaque reads:
The Elaine Aber Humanitarian Award
Presented to LaTrischa Miles
With appreciation for steadfast service and advocacy for humane treatment, compassion, and evidence-based public policy regarding People Living with HIV
Presented by Empower Missouri June 8, 2019
Congratulations on the Humanitarian Award LaTrischa and for being our August 2019 Shero of the Month! 