Dr. Robin Lin Miller Co-Authors New Book on Sexual and Gender Minority-Led Advocacy to End AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean

December 10, 2024 - Shelly DeJong

Congratulations to Dr. Robin Lin Miller, a professor of ecological-community psychology at Michigan State University, on co-authoring a new book, Breaking Barriers: Sexual and Gender Minority-Led Advocacy to End AIDS in Africa and the Caribbean.  

Breaking Barriers offers readers a unique behind-the-scenes perspective on LGBT activism in Africa and the Caribbean by closely following the journeys of activists as they address the HIV epidemic amid challenges. By centering these stories, authors Miller and community activist George Ayala aim to reshape readers’ understanding of what effective advocacy entails in the pursuit of social progress. Breaking Barriers calls on policymakers and funders to rethink their roles in supporting community-led initiatives essential for ending the HIV epidemic. It also encourages communities to learn from those with extensive experience in advocacy work. 

“Examinations of LGBT-led activist organizations often have little to say about their accomplishments in the face of immense and varied challenges. Even rarer are thorough accounts of how to evaluate this kind of work systematically,” said Miller. “This book changes that dynamic by following these activists' journey to success under difficult circumstances and, at the same time, showing the reader how these successes were documented. We show activists how to bring useful evaluation into their advocacy to help them learn as they go.” 

Dr. Miller is a member of the MSU Sexual and Gender Minority Health Consortium, the Center for Gender in Global Context, and the Alliance for African Partnerships. Her research focuses on effective community-based HIV prevention services and access to HIV care. She has 32 years of experience evaluating HIV prevention and care programs in community-based and clinical environments.    

 

To pick up a copy of Breaking Barriers, visit: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/breaking-barriers-9780197647684