Too Hot for July Video

Participants of Too Hot for July in a previous year enjoy festivities and music.

Want to relive the events from AIDS Free Pittsburgh's (AFP) and True T Pgh's Too Hot for July: Black AF? You can catch some snapshots in a new video from the annual HIV awareness event, held this year in August. The video is available here.

AFP and True T Pgh, who organized and hosted the event, divided Too Hot for July into three events over three days, which included a combination of physical and remote components to ensure the safety, health, and wellness of the community while still providing quality, meaningful opportunities for connection. The agenda began with a HIV mini-conference, during which healthcare providers shared information about HIV testing, prevention, and treatment, and community leaders voiced some of their concerns and experiences with racial disparities in health care and housing in the region. For the second event, True T Pgh hosted a Queer State of the Union to address the community on components of advocacy, education, empowerment, and entertainment for the consumption of queer people of color and our allies. The last event was a quarantine vogue ball, scenes from which can be viewed in the video. Four local DJs prerecorded their sets, and the night commenced with a contest consisting of three categories: Best Dressed, Painted Face, and a vogue dance battle judged by local ballroom legends. Participants were limited to ensure safety, but joy and celebration were felt.

Over 6,000 people viewed the events on Facebook and Twitch, a livestreaming platform. Sponsors for the events included True T Pgh, Allies for Health + Wellbeing, Central Outreach Wellness Center, Macedonia FACE, University of Pittsburgh's HIV Treatment and Prevention Research Clinic, and Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania.