It is Women’s and Girls HIV Awareness Day, and here we go again, striving to convince the world that an HIV diagnosis is nothing to be ashamed of and that trans women are real women too. Honestly, I am frustrated and sick of it.

Why? Thank you for asking!

Because all womanhood has been relegated to being devalued, unappreciated and misunderstood while simultaneously being told who you should be, and how you should act, by people who are not us. Cis and Trans are simply ways to describe a person’s journey to womanhood. Don’t get caught up in the hype!

Particularly, Black women have been forced and boxed into this narrative of being the angry Black woman with loads of baggage that comes with it. Enough is enough!

Read the full op-ed in POZ.