NLAAD 2026 officially kicked off this past weekend in Orlando, Florida, and what an amazing start it was! On Sunday, September 27, QLatinx teamed up with Pineapple Healthcare, University of Central Florida, and ViiV Healthcare at Southern Nights Orlando for an afternoon full of community, culture, and care.

The event started by celebrating community and culture with a live body-painting session by artist and QLatinx HIV Justice Lead Carlitos Diaz, featuring motifs inspired by his Afro-Latinidad. The energy stayed high as partner organizations set up resource tables, distributed condoms throughout the venue, and welcomed community members into the mobile testing unit.

Event Highlights:

• Pineapple Healthcare conducted 15 HIV tests and provided 4 PrEP referrals.
• University of Central Florida provided health screenings as part of their student research program.
• QLatinx distributed 420 condoms in less than five minutes and provided Narcan and harm reduction information to 2 individuals.

Here is what the people behind the event had to say about bringing NLAAD to Orlando:

“Orlando siendo una de las ciudades con mayor incidencia de nuevas infecciones de VIH y siendo nuestra comunidad Latinx la más afectada, es sumamente importante crear concientización en nuestras comunidades y hacernos sentir, especialmente en el lenguaje español.” — Carlitos Díaz, QLatinx

“Los números están muy altos en la Florida Central, entonces por eso es importante que nosotros vengamos a la comunidad, les ofrezcamos la prueba para que sepan su estado.” — Yissel Hernandez, Pineapple Healthcare

“Es muy importante porque mucha gente todavía no sabe y no se ha educado de tratamientos y nuevas innovaciones que existen en el lado de medicina… y aquí estamos para poder educar a la comunidad.” — José Martín García, ViiV Healthcare

“Es importante que llegue el mensaje de que todos deben conocer su estatus y que para todos tenemos algo que ofrecer. Tanto para las personas que resultan positivas en el test, como para aquellos que resultan negativos en la prueba también.” — Humberto López Castillo, University of Central Florida

Orlando was just the beginning—we already have 15 other events lined up across the country this October! If your organization is planning an event, big or small, make sure to register it at nlaad.org so we can feature your work nationwide and help community members find you. Let’s keep this momentum going!