PWN’s December 2021 Shero of the Month is Julie Dillon of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Julie Dillon is an activist, and co-chair of the Pennsylvania Chapter for Positive Women’s Network since October 2021. 

Julie was introduced to Positive Women’s Network – USA by a colleague that felt PWN was doing a lot of great work. She says, “There are organizations that care, have resources, and are trying to get you connected; PWN is just another organization that replicates those values so it was an easy transition for me.” Julie was an integral part of PWN’s integrated voter engagement efforts earlier this year for Philadelphia’s 2021 elections. This was Julie’s first time participating in voter engagement, phone-banking, and door knocking, as part of PWN’s get-out-the-vote work. 

PWN’s Civic Engagement Coordinator Kelly Flannery says, “Julie is a brilliant leader who brings joy and laughter wherever she goes. While we were organizing together around the 2021 General Election in Pennsylvania, a problem came up that I had no idea how to solve. I went to the chapter pretty concerned, and WOW! Julie let her leadership skills shine. She went into problem-solving mode and within a half hour, we had a solution. To me, this show’s Julie’s personality. She is indomitable: Julie sees a problem, keeps her cool, and works with the people around her to find creative ways to succeed.”

Julie is a 29 year old woman of trans experience who has been living with HIV since 2014, and advocating for people living with HIV for the past 3-4 years. Julie learned about her HIV-positive status before moving from her home in Louisiana to Philadelphia. Julie shares, “I was responsible enough to think about who I had been with in the last three months since I had been tested and contacted those I could. I knew that there was a plan. I was informed enough because I was getting myself tested to know there were resources.” Julie experienced a period of homelessness and used community resources to acquire stable housing. “Seeing how many disparities were present in the city was a culture shock, and seeing the level of resources for people that were suffering from these disparities was inspirational. On the path of advocating for myself and getting my resources, I found trainings offered through Philadelphia FIGHT.” It was on this journey that Julie became more comfortable with sharing her HIV-positive status and story as a woman of trans experience. 

Philadelphia FIGHT is a comprehensive health services organization providing primary care, consumer education, research, and advocacy for people living with and at high risk of HIV/AIDS. Talking more about her decision to register for a peer training offered by them, Julie says, “I just went for it, I was looking for something to fill my time with advocacy.” Julie believes, “when it comes to healing our communities, it starts with education.” You can read Julie’s story with FIGHT here as part of the organization’s work to uplift their clients’ personal stories of struggle, triumph, and hope with the community. Since then, Julie has provided peer assistance and navigation for others living with HIV as a Peer Specialist graduate with Philadelphia FIGHT.

In addition to advocacy, activism, and co-chairing PWN’s Pennsylvania chapter, Julie is a member of the CPU Community Advisory Board for UPENN HIV clinical trials. Working with UPENN has further helped to develop Julie professionally providing the space to acquire knowledge, build skills and experience. Julie is not sure what she will be doing next, or where she will end up, but all of the different projects and life changes through recent years have prepared Julie for anywhere she wants to go and anything she wants to do. Julie ends, “It has been transition after transition. Through all the spaces I have occupied, I’ve found that we are all just trying to do our best. And it’s hard doing things alone. It may be naïve to have these notions, but I believe your life isn’t about you, it’s about the people you impact! I don’t think there is a single goal that you can accomplish by yourself.”