Meet Our PrEP Team: Lia’s Story

PrEP is Potential

Lia Stokes is a PrEP navigator at Howard Brown Health 63rd Street in Englewood. Throughout the LGBTQ community however, she’s recognized by her stage name, Amailia Black. She’s been an active part of the community for over 25 years.

Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, Lia has lived all over the country, including New York, California, Ohio, Texas, Georgia, Ohio and Michigan. She was employed in the cosmetics/retail industry for over 15 years. Through the avenue of entertainment, she became involved in community activism, which led to her interests in social work and healthcare.

“On a personal level, my willingness to become involved in HIV advocacy and PrEP in particular, stems from a recent experience of being involved with someone who didn’t reveal their status to me. I had planned to spend the rest of my life with this person, only to find out matter of fact, that they were hiding this from me. I’m a survivor of sexual assault and have deep seated issues with trust, so this was devastating in the least.

Since learning about PrEP, I can’t say if I would have reacted differently about my past situation, but I do know that being an ally for trans women of color and cis black women is purposeful  and relatable for me. In the future, I see my role as a PrEP navigator being an integral and continual part of educating and empowering those marginalized communities who need this medication! It is my passion to lead by example and serve as a vessel to other young trans women that need positive role models in the community that they can identify with.  I’m hoping that my personal story and journey is impactful to women of all creeds, ages, races, and faiths.”

For additional information about PrEP or to make an appointment, call 773.388.8885. You can also send an e-mail to prep@howardbrown.org for more information.