Katie Willingham

Katie Adsila Willingham is a bisexual two-spirit woman of transgender identity from rural north Alabama. Diagnosed with AIDS in mid June, of 2000 but achieved an undetectable viral load status within a year of her diagnosis; however, given an initial diagnosis of a year to live and uneducated about what U equals U means she spent over ten years waiting for her mortality and borrowed time to run out.

In 2015 Katie was introduced to HIV advocacy and joined the Positive Women’s Network USA. She is currently co-chair of the PWN USA Alabama chapter. Katie also blogs for The Well Project and WebMD and has written for other platforms and publications such as Positively Aware Magazine, the TMI Project and others.

Katie created the Facebook group Alabama Poz Life and as a woman of transgender identity also created the Facebook group Alabama Transgender Coalition to educate, support and build community. She is also a member of Positively Trans of the Transgender Law Center and believes there are strong correlations between the HIV and transgender communities.

Katie spends her free time with her many dogs and hobbies, such as, drawing, playing drums and native flutes, and spending time with her grandson.

“I advocate because someone else advocated for me, and that’s why I’m alive today.” - Katie Willingham

Click here to read all of Katie's articles on H-I-V.net.