Fair Lawn Transgender Activist Appears In HIV Prevention PSA

FAIR LAWN, NJ — A local transgender activist is participating in a campaign about HIV prevention and sexual health.

Carmen Carrera, a Latina trans model, actress, and advocate, shares her perspective on having healthier sex and the importance of preventing the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitting diseases.

The PSA series is part of the nationwide Healthysexual campaign. The campaign hopes to generate meaningful conversations among individuals at risk for HIV about healthy sexual behaviors, including the importance of getting tested and practicing safer sex.

Carrera said that, for her, being "healthy sexual" means "feeling great about myself while having the comfort to be intimate with others."

Carrera's father died of AIDS when she was 2.

"My whole life I've been aware of risk of HIV and its associated stigma," Carrera said. "My family felt such stigma and fear about the virus that we never talked about it growing up. We're all at risk, but some groups, like trans women, are affected more so it is especially important for us to feel confident in speaking with our partners and health care providers about [sexually transmitted infection] prevention."

Carrera was born in Elmwood Park. She appeared on the third season of the reality television competition show "RuPaul's Drag Race."

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

Photo: Carmen Carrera (YouTube screenshot)