Today is HIV is Not a Crime Day. This day was founded by Kamaria Laffrey, Co-Executive Director at Sero Project, in collaboration with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. This awareness day is dedicated to uplifting the voices of people living with HIV who are impacted by the harmful criminalization of HIV.

In recognition of HIV is Not a Crime Day and Maryland's recent groundbreaking progress toward HIV law reform, Mike, Public Health Policy Director at Equality Federation, sat down for a conversation with Ronnie, the Advocacy, Policy, & Partnerships Director at FreeState Justice, one of our state partners. Together, they discuss Maryland’s historic progress, its significance in the current landscape of HIV criminalization across the United States, and the importance of Black LGBTQ+ leadership in shaping HIV justice.

‍Check out the full interview below.

[This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.]

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Mike: Can you please introduce yourself and share more about your new role at FreeState Justice? 

Ronnie: Certainly! My name is Ronnie L. Taylor (she/her), and I serve as the Advocacy, Policy, & Partnerships Director here at FreeState Justice. Before this, I was the Community Advocacy Manager here at FreeState, so that role transitioned into my current leadership position.

Mike: Thank you for that. Is there anything about your professional background that you feel comfortable sharing that may or may not be part of your written bio?

Ronnie: Sure, I love spotlights like this because folks can get caught up in the titles. I unintentionally made history as being the first Black, openly transgender chief of staff in the Maryland General Assembly. But that wasn't anything that I set out to do. And once I realized that I was doing it, I stood before a podium with our first Black governor, and I said, “I am the first, but I damn sure should not be the last.” And I meant that! I think of my transcestors who paved the way for folxs like me. I'm sure Marsha P. Johnson or Miss Major didn't set out to be the first of anything, but they did it! 

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Mike: What inspired you to start or really prioritize advocating for HIV Justice? 

Ronnie: I grew up in a very conservative Christian household, and God rest her soul, I watched my aunt Vivian die of complications related to HIV and how my family ignorantly ostracized her. This was the mid-90s in Prince George's County, where there was lots of negative conversation around it, but it wasn't a conversation regarding linkage to proper care. Many people were still looking at this as a gay man's disease. So I remember my aunt being handed plastic utensils at family gatherings. I don't know why this is sticking out, but there was one situation where I remember her sister bleaching down the house of everything that she touched. I could see the pain in her face, and she never vocalized it. And when she died, my family, instead of acknowledging that she died of complications related to HIV, spun the narrative and unfortunately made it seem as if she had cancer. I vowed from that moment forward to never be ignorant of the subject matter, and two, to never make anyone feel so ostracized because, although I am HIV negative, I am HIV possible. And because of my experience in survival sex work and my lived experience, it was one of those things in which I'm like, “I have to do the job.” We can't talk about trans rights and advocacy without talking about HIV.

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‍Mike: In honor of HIV is Not a Crime Day, we’re celebrating some significant strides in HIV Justice. Could you tell us about Maryland's recent historic win, what this bill would mean for the community, and its significance in the broader fight for HIV decriminalization across the U.S.?

Ronnie: Maryland House Bill 39 and Senate Bill 356, known as the Carlton R. Smith HIV Modernization Act, recently passed a committee vote with a favorable majority vote for the first time in history. Not only did it make it to the Senate floor, but it passed with a vote of 33 to 11, with bipartisan support. When I say bipartisan support for many people, they're like, “Well, why is that even important?” This legislation isn’t about party lines. It shows that the proper amount of research and education can help committees make well-informed decisions. And so, what is this bill ultimately going to do? Right now, via the Criminal Code, you can face up to three years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. And what we’ve seen in certain counties, in Prince George's County, and other southern counties, is that there were folks that were unfortunately having to commit to the sexual registry as well, and it's not okay. It's such a stigma. U = U is not a slogan; it is indeed science. So, when I saw this piece of legislation, it made me say yes to working in the legislature. I was like, this is definitely a public health epidemic, and so when we're talking about decriminalizing HIV, I envision Maryland being the state where we can have conversations. Since we've already decriminalized cannabis, we're now decriminalizing HIV. I envision Maryland being a state where we can have conversations about decriminalizing sex work. However, to begin the conversation about decriminalizing sex work, we have to have conversations about decriminalizing HIV. And I believe that that is a statewide model which we should follow.

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Mike: Absolutely. You all have shown us that this type of policy advocacy is inherent in what it means to be bipartisan. Will you talk more about what that process was like?

Ronnie: Again, I was born and raised in Prince George's County, a very conservative area often called the bible belt. We are the home of some of the world's largest mega-churches. And so with that, a lot of the legislators count on their constituencies to be congregations. So, what may be suitable for a campaign’s role is not necessarily good for the legislator. But I said to these folks, we cannot base our feelings on what folks may think on a Sunday morning behind a pulpit, but what folks are dealing with in their day-to-day lives and the people in which they're serving and how they are affected. So, once I could have many real-life, everyday conversations, that kind of swayed folks to vote, once we humanized the experiences. This isn't the 80s when this was still referred to as grid, which is “Gay Related Immune Deficiency.” This is not just a gay man's disease anymore, either. We are in 2025, and all parties are affected by this legislation.

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Mike: Recently, FreeState Justice was invited to speak on Howard University's radio station about your HIV modernization efforts. Why was this so significant?

Ronnie: We were asked to be on because of our intentional outreach with some excellent partners (shout out to Equality Fed, first and foremost, and NMAC). When I first came on as Community Advocacy Manager, Phillip, our Executive Director [at FreeState], sat down with me and asked about our legislative priorities. And I'm like, as someone on the other side of the legislature, I've seen what you all do, and you’ve done it well. But let this [HIV decriminalization] be our one piece of legislation that we focus on and do very well, and we support all of the other pieces. I believe last night* we were following 62 pieces of legislation, but the Carlton R. Smith HIV Modernization Act is our number one priority this legislative session. And I think because of the targeted outreach, such as the commercial, the event we had, “HIV Pathway to Progress,” our podcast, some paid media calls, and some targeted outreach. It gave us an opportunity, so when The Daily Drum reached out to us, I was super honored because I grew up on the campus of Howard University. I don't think I've ever tuned in to W.H.U.R. and ever heard conversations throughout my undergraduate experience relating to HIV or AIDS. So it was super impressive, and the moment still gives me chills. It happened on a day I was supposed to be on the interview, but I was also in the Senate, giving the oral testimony and on the sponsor panel. And so the level of teamwork — my Executive Director hopped in, and he did not miss a beat. But again, it was that kind of full circle moment for me, like, wow, this is in the mecca, sponsoring this and putting forth this information. I've gotten phone calls since that interview from classmates I graduated from in 2013 asking about that, the subject matter, and how this applies to states they're now living in. And so…super awesome.

_{* This interview was recorded prior to the day it was published on February 28th, so these numbers are subject to change.}

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Mike: The role of Black LGBTQ+ leadership in HIV justice is crucial. How do you see movements for LGBTQ+ Liberation, Racial Justice, and HIV Justice as interconnected in your work?

Ronnie: It's connected to my work because of my experience. I serve as part of a Black queer leadership team who focuses on HIV and AIDS advocacy, and that is so real. We're not just doing it for grant purposes. We are folks that are impacted by it. We have community members who are affected by it. We understand, we see it. It's in our day-to-day lives via our Client Services. And it's one of those things that is the call to action that I tell folks about; allyship is an action verb. You may not necessarily have all the answers initially, but [it’s about] your intentionality to be willing to listen, to learn, and not to respond. When you're in that direct service role, we often have clients who come to us with real-life situations, and we're in a space where we want to fix it instantly. But oftentimes, especially when it comes to HIV-related things, people just want to be able to know that they can vent and dump. They will express how they feel, and it's just being a safe space. There's no reasonable action taken. There's no resolve. People just want a soft place to land. And so I believe that when it comes to the social justice work overall, especially what we're dealing with in 2025 under this administration who was tearing down democracy, it's one of those things that we must find the human experience in it all, be gentle to each other, and understand that this work is not for the faint at heart. Still, we're doing it and continuing to be good to ourselves.

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‍Mike: I want to acknowledge something before we finish our last few questions. We haven't had this much Black queer leadership push such a progressive HIV decriminalization bill, a full repeal, since it was done in  Illinois, and that was also under Black queer leadership. What is unique about Black queer leadership that has facilitated your ability to hopefully pass what is going to be one of the most progressive decriminalization bills we've seen in the country?

Ronnie: I think for me, Black queer leadership when it comes to the fight towards HIV equality and the understanding and the modernization act truly has been our ability to command and take up space. It’s been understanding that we may not be the experts at all times, but with our lived experience and the experiences with our clients and how they show up for us in this work, that will continue to fuel and push us. Black queer leadership is under attack, as we are seeing through various attacks just overall. 

In Maryland, I'm excited. We have our first Black governor. We just elected our first Black senator, a woman senator. There's no way in the world that we can do this without this leadership. And a side note regarding leadership and something people don't understand — Wes Moore, our governor, is originally from Prince George's County, born and raised in Takoma Park, and spent much time in Brooklyn and Baltimore City. When he ran his campaign, I believed in him because people didn't realize Wes Moore ran on this [HIV decriminalization] legislation. He ran on this legislation regarding the public health epidemic and talked about people impacted by it. And so, yeah, our Black leadership is fantastic. But our Black queer leadership — I just shout out to my organization, how we're kind of mobilizing efforts at FreeState and our ability to work with folks. There has been a dream for some time, which made me say yes to this work. Taking that dream and now putting it on a more national level, I'm super excited to be a part of this.

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Mike: What do you wish more people understood about HIV criminalization laws or the broader HIV justice movement? For readers who are passionate about making an impact in their communities or supporting the fight for HIV justice, what advice would you give them?

Ronnie: Regarding HIV decriminalization, people have to start [locally]. Local elections are super important. Our local pieces of legislation surrounding HIV and AIDS legislation are about decriminalization and access to PrEP and PEP; all of that is what matters. And so making sure you're engaged with your local elections, holding your state legislatures accountable, making your voice heard, remembering that you sent them there, and with you sending them there, they have to be sent there to vote and vote on issues that impact you. In terms of the subject matter, I think it's something that everyone should be looking at whether or not this will affect your community and the communities in which you live. People weren't even supposed to know what was happening in Maryland. It was snuck into the criminal code, and it was meant to impact Black and brown gay men because that's just how legislatures at that time had operated, and eradicating all of that and paying attention is what's important.

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‍Mike: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Ronnie: I can't shout out enough to my partners over at Equality Fed. It's so amazing to see what other organizations are doing and how they're lining themselves up for this fight of decriminalizing HIV in their states. I'm super excited that Maryland will be a part of the recipe. We understood what worked for us, and we can share that recipe with others. That’s what I'm super excited about.

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‍Mike: I appreciate the shout-out to Equality Fed! What about our partnership* was instrumental when it comes to contributing to this historical moment in Maryland?

Ronnie: Oftentimes, when it comes to our state partners, or just overall, most of the time when we're looking at our policy areas, it's one person. At FreeState Justice, I am the Advocacy, Policy, & Partnerships  Director with a policy intern and another fellow working on HIV services. However, the things we've been able to accomplish, we would not have been able to amplify if it were not for our partners. Our partners make this work much more impactful by plugging us into their network. They give us the keys. This isn't just one person to win; this is everybody's win. This is not just Maryland's win. This is a national win. I'm so grateful for our partners, how they show up for us, and the level at which they trust us. It has all been helpful. From the communications to what legislators we need to contact to “I'm writing support testimony on this” to “let me know what tone I should set this in” is all so important. And so having national partners is so great.

 _{* In partnership with FreeState Justice, Equality Federation supported initial coalition building in Maryland 3+ years ago and also doubled our funding investment in Maryland around HIV advocacy.}

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More about Ronnie:

Ronnie L. Taylor, a woman of color and trans activist, began her advocacy at 16 as the leader of her high school's Gay-Straight Alliance. With the support of the trans community, she has committed her career to advocacy and leadership.

With experience in politics, education, nonprofits, and organizational management, Ronnie made history as the first openly transgender Chief of Staff in the Maryland General Assembly. At FreeState, she leads community advocacy, policy priorities, development, grants management, community engagement, communications, and research.

In March 2023, she served as the emcee for the first Transgender Day of Visibility at the Maryland State House alongside Governor Wes Moore, a milestone for trans representation.

Her work has been featured on WBAL TV, NBC 4 Washington, WUSA 9, and The Washington Blade, with a brief appearance on Love and Hip-Hop Atlanta. She has been active in movements for racial justice, including those for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, ensuring queer and trans voices remain at the forefront.

Originally from Prince George's County, MD, Ronnie values her chosen family and rescue dog, Tinker. She is an Epsilon Tau Delta Sorority, Incorporated member, dedicated to sisterhood and service. She enjoys the arts, travel, reading, writing, and consulting in her spare time. As an adjunct professor of African American Studies, she is committed to educating others on Black history and contributions.