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Adolescents and young adults in the United States comprise 1 in 5 new HIV diagnoses, largely affecting Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ communities. 

Improved access to comprehensive, LGBTQ+ inclusive sex education can play an important role in addressing the HIV epidemic in this age group. However, there are many obstacles to accessing such education in the U.S., and adolescents commonly seek out sexual health information online and through social media, making it critical for information delivered in these spaces to be accurate and inclusive.

In this presentation, Dr. Kathryn Macapagal, Associate Professor of Psychology Northwestern University, will give an overview of a multimedia social marketing and community mobilization campaign that began as a research project and ultimately turned into a community-based intervention in Chicago, and how this campaign was guided by LGBTQ+ and BIPOC young people at each stage.