Alfredo Trejo III (he/him/él) is a queer scholar and artist, born and raised in LA, with roots in El Salvador and Mexico. He holds a BA from UCLA, an MS from Carnegie Mellon University, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at UCLA. Alfredo has been thriving with HIV for over a decade, sharing his story and advocating for the rights of people living with HIV. He is a Lambda Literary Emerging LGBTQ Voice Fellow and is an alumna of Tin House and Write It Out! Alfredo lives in Boyle Heights, where he makes his own kombucha.

Travion “Trae” Smith (he/him) is a queer artist who grew up in Lafayette, Alabama. Struggling to navigate the complexities of the conservative south, Trae found solace in art, recognizing its power to foster acceptance and representation. Trae is a recent graduate from California College of ASU with a BA in Film, specializing in Cinematography. Now focused on producing, he aims to craft narratives igniting positive change and promoting empathy. As a proud member of the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications, Trae seeks to amplify marginalized voices, challenge societal norms, and make lasting impact in the world of storytelling. 

Joseph Cipriano (he/him) is a queer Filipino American college professor. Born and raised outside of LA, Joe earned his B.S. from Cal Poly Pomona and an M.S. in biochemistry from Cal State Fullerton, with research focused on proteins involved in viral production. Using his passion for mixed media arts, Joe has contributed his talents in film, photography, and editing to create social media content that advances the mission to end HIV/AIDS. He lives in Pomona, where he plays countless hours of video games and hikes nearby trails in the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests.

Andrés Cantero Jr. (he/him/él) is a real estate attorney at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and an Adjunct Professor at USC Gould School of Law. He was recently named “Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year” by the LA County Bar Association Real Property Section and was given the USC Mentoring Award for his work with undergraduate students. Andrés earned his JD from USC and his BA in History from Stanford University. Outside of the law, Andrés is the father of a four-year-old dachshund named Buddy and a retired Division I cheerleader turned amateur bodybuilder. Andrés is thriving with HIV.

Cornelius (he/him) is an award-winning queer multi-disciplinary artist & educator, born and raised in Virginia, who holds an MA from NYU and a BFA from The University of The Arts.  Cornelius has been living with HIV for over two decades and uses his art as a medium to advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness.  In 2012, Cornelius was granted a scholarship to perform his autobiographical one-man show, Shadows & Lights, at the XIX International AIDS Conference.  Additionally, Cornelius has a list of Broadway and TV show credits and currently works as a Creative Arts Therapist for an LA based LGBTQ+ addiction and recovery center.