HIV vaccine trial has officially started & Moderna is leading the way, We remember Mayor Kevin Ward & Cheslie Kryst – Monday, January 31, 2022

00:00 – Welcome & Intro

00:30 – The Qube Ad

00:54 – Intro Music

01:34 – Moderna has announced that the first HIV vaccine dose has been administered in a trial patient. This is 41 years after the first documented case

03:55 – This weekend we lost two pubic figures to suicide, Mayor Kevin Ward & Cheslie Kryst. Let’s remember them today.

06:58 – Anna’s Got A Word

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Family, this is your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn here with our queer news from today.

Moderna has announced that the first HIV vaccine dose has been administered in a trial patient. This is 41 years after the first documented case. This weekend we lost two pubic figures to suicide, Mayor Kevin Ward & Cheslie Kryst. Let’s remember them today. 

Our leading story for today is about Moderna, the biotech company who developed one of the COVID-19 vaccines. Well, they have been working on a HIV vaccine as well and announced on Thursday that phase 1 of their trial began as the first dose was given to a trial participant. They started the trial back in August of 2021 with 56 HIV-negative participants aged 18-56. The goal was to administer two forms of the mRNA that causes the body to form defenses against HIV infection. They are taking their findings and moving into phase 1 with actual HIV & AIDS patients. There is new found hope with this experimental vaccine as it is using the new mRNA technology that was used to create the COVID-19 vaccine so quickly. So this what is this mRNA technology? It allows scientists to target multiple variants and tweak where necessary because it only “requires an update to the coding sequences in the mRNA that code for the variant” according to infectious disease doctor and HIV Medicine Association chair Rajesh Gandhi. There have been 16 documented variants of HIV so this is an important piece to note. In the past potential HIV vaccines have used inactivated forms of the virus but those forms didn’t produce any immune response. This time using the mRNA technology the trials have shown that the body cells develop a protein spike and when those cells detect HIV they begin producing antibodies to fight it. This first dose that was administered to a patient living with AIDS is only phase 1 of 4 so we’ve got a ways to go but goodness it’s been 41 years since the first HIV/AIDS diagnosis. Millions of lives have been lost to this devastating disease. I’m sending healing vibes to the brave people & their families who signed up to be part of this trial. It takes a lot of courage because there is a lot of risk. Also, here’s to the scientists who are remaining diligent and making breakthroughs this time around as biotech continues to advance and gives these moments a lot more hope of actually becoming reality. 

Now even in the midst of that hope I have to report on two public figures who lost theirs over the weekend. Two people who took their own lives one day apart and both who seemingly had so much to live for. Today we collectively remember Mayor Kevin Ward of Hyattsville, Maryland and Cheslie Kryst, daytime Emmy nominee and former Miss USA. 

Mayor Ward was a husband, father of two, and the first openly gay mayor of Hyattsville. He was appointed interim mayor at the beginning of 2021 after serving two terms on the city council and was elected mayor in May with 58% of the vote. The City of Hyattsville said, “Mayor Ward was a valued and trusted leader and a fierce advocate for all the people of Hyattsville. We are heartbroken at this loss and extend our deepest sympathy to his family”. He was 44 years young and said this about his life as a public servant, “I believe in doing the work. I believe that if I can help someone, then I can change her or his life. This is why I dedicated my career to providing the best technology to education and human services, to help as many as I can.” After reading about Mayor Ward, an out Black gay man, who was living in his truth and making an incredible impact on his city I know even more that you just never know what anyone is going through. You just don’t. 

Which leads me to also remember Cheslie Kryst. She is the former Miss USA, an Emmy-nominated correspondent, an attorney who worked pro bono with prisoners to get them reduced punishments who recently turned 30. She pinned a beautiful and vulnerable essay for Allure about turning the big 3-0 as a Black woman in the spotlight still trying to figure it all out. She shared her challenges but also her hopes. Before taking her life she shared a photo on her Instagram page and said, “May this day bring you rest and peace”. Her family released a statement that read, “Her great light was one that inspired others around the world with her beauty and strength. She cared, she loved, she laughed and she shined … Cheslie embodied love and served others, whether through her work as an attorney fighting for social justice, as Miss USA and as a host on EXTRA … but most importantly as a daughter, sister, friend, mentor and colleague — we know her impact will live on.” 

Mayor Ward & Cheslie we speak your names today and family if you need someone to talk to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is availble at 1-800-273-8255. The Trevor Project is available 24/7, and can be reached at 1-866-488-7386 via call or text. For my trans fam, there is the Trans Lifeline at 1-877-565-8860. It’s staffed by trans people, for trans people. These are tough times. We are living through one of the most challenging times in our history and we can’t get through it alone. None of us can. 

Let’s close out today’s episode with a word on grief and loss. The stories about Mayor Ward, Cheslie, and loss happening around me sent me looking for a word that would be encouraging and resonate in a tangible way. I found this one by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross & David Kessler which says, “The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you’ll learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should it be the same nor would you want to.” This is one of the realest quotes I’ve seen about grief. The piece that stood out to me most was “you will be whole again”. There is hope in that. Till tomorrow family, peace. 

Sources 

Moderna officially begins Phase 1 trial of experimental HIV vaccine

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/01/moderna-officially-begins-phase-1-trial-experimental-hiv-vaccine/

Is There an HIV Vaccine?

Moderna starts human trials for its revolutionary HIV vaccine this week

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/08/moderna-starts-human-trials-revolutionary-hiv-vaccine-week/

National Black Justice Coalition Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CZP8NsmODXf/

Nation mourns out mayor after he dies from apparent suicide

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/01/nation-mourns-mayor-dies-apparent-suicide/

The Passing of Mayor Ward

https://www.hyattsville.org/834/Mayor-Council#:~:text=It%20is%20with%20great%20sadness,all%20the%20people%20of%20Hyattsville.

Community Remembers Hyattsville Mayor Kevin Ward | NBC4 Washington

Cheslie Kryst Instagram 

https://www.instagram.com/chesliekryst/?hl=en

Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst penned heartbreaking essay in 2021

https://nypost.com/2022/01/31/former-miss-usa-cheslie-kryst-penned-heartbreaking-essay-in-2021/

A Pageant Queen Reflects on Turning 30

https://www.allure.com/story/cheslie-kryst-miss-usa-on-turning-30

Friends, colleagues mourn loss of former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst

https://nypost.com/2022/01/30/miss-usa-cheslie-krysts-friends-mourn-loss/

Former Miss USA Jumps to Her Death From New York City Skyscraper

https://www.thedailybeast.com/cheslie-kryst-miss-usa-winner-and-extra-correspondent-identified-as-woman-who-jumped-from-nyc-high-rise