Tori Cooper is First Black Trans Woman on President’s HIV Council

A longtime LGBTQ rights advocate, Tori Cooper made history earlier this month when she was added to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. She is the first Black, trans woman to be seated to the government committee, which is meant to advise the president on short- and long-term strategies toward ending the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States.

The council was disbanded after Donal Trump first took office in January 2017, before being restaffed 15 months later.

Cooper currently serves as the director of community engagement for the Human Rights Campaign’s Transgender Justice Initiative, and she said it is “wonderful” to shatter a glass ceiling for LGBTQ political representation, though she views this as an opportunity to “not just open doors for people, but, more specifically, people for your community.”

She tells them. over the phone, “There’s a great responsibility that comes along with greater visibility.”

She expands in a conversation with NPR, “Being the first of anything is always daunting, but it also is a great opportunity to break down barriers and open doors for other people as well.”

According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 40 percent of Americans diagnosed with HIV in 2019 were Black, and Black trans women have infection rates that are nearly four times higher than those for white trans women, a separate study notes.

In addition to her work at HRC, Cooper has more than 30 years of experience as a health and equity consultant, working to raise awareness for HIV in various volunteer roles and as executive director and founder of Advocates for Better Care Atlanta, which looks to educate and empower marginalized people across the country.

Cooper says she aims to prioritize the rights and health outcomes for the trans community in her new role, specifically for the Black trans community.

“This work has never been more critical, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on [the presidential council] to help bring an end to the HIV epidemic,” Cooper says.

Photo courtesy of Tori Cooper via Twitter