The podcast from Side Effects Public Media.Read more »
The podcast from Side Effects Public Media.Read Less
Ohio’s first transgender and gender non-conforming health and community center is a cross between a funky '80s apartment and a modern doctor’s office. There are a few couches gathered around a TV, a kitchen, a small stage and a few exam rooms. Mikayla Robinson, the center's engagement specialist, wears a "Miss Gay Ohio" sash, which matches the brightly colored walls. “Whatever’s going on within your day, and whatever’s going on within your life, you’ll come in and leave bright, encouraged and inspired,” Robinson says while giving a tour of the space. The center, called Mozaic , received $1.9 million from the CDC as part of a five-year grant to reduce the spread of HIV among young transgender people of color. It’s the only grantee in Ohio, one of only five in the Midwest, and one of 30 nationally. According to the CDC, the percentage of transgender people diagnosed with HIV annually is three times the national average . The majority of people living with HIV in Ohio and in Franklin