Pridelines Was One of Miami-Dade’s First HIV Testing Sites and Our Role Is More Vital Than Ever

In the early 1980s, long before HIV became part of the national healthcare conversation, Pridelines was already there, testing, educating, and protecting the LGBTQ+ community when no one else would. At a time when stigma, fear, and silence surrounded the epidemic, Pridelines became one of the first HIV testing sites in Miami-Dade County, offering not just answers, but dignity and hope.

Today, more than four decades later, that legacy of care has become a legacy of resistance, and it’s needed now more than ever.

As extremist politicians and their allies escalate attacks on LGBTQ+ people and threaten to dismantle protections for those living with HIV, organizations like Pridelines are once again on the frontlines. With Trump’s inner circle openly suggesting a rollback of HIV-related healthcare, medication access, and civil rights, the need for trusted, community-rooted HIV services has never been more urgent.

“HIV is no longer the devastating diagnosis it once was,” says Michael Riordan, Interim Executive Director of Pridelines. “Modern treatments have allowed people to live long, healthy lives, but none of it would be possible without people knowing their status. Pridelines has proudly provided HIV Testing to our community for over four decades, and we are grateful to the countless individuals who have trusted us with their futures.”

From anonymous testing in the ’80s to modern PrEP, PEP, and DoxyPEP services, Pridelines has always understood that HIV prevention is about more than medicine, it's about equity, access, and fighting stigma head-on.

"HIV testing and prevention are at the heart of Pridelines’s commitment to the LGBTQ+ community,” says Mayda Bonilla-Oats, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, lead clinical services provider. “By providing accessible, judgment-free services, we empower individuals to know their status, take control of their health, and reduce stigma. Every test, every conversation, and every act of prevention brings us closer to a future where our community thrives with dignity, equity, and pride.”

As laws are challenged, protections threatened, and misinformation spreads again, Pridelines remains a pillar of truth and care, just as it was in the darkest days of the HIV epidemic.

This is more than history. This is now.

Pridelines is not just part of Miami’s past, it’s a critical part of our present and future. As the fight continues, one thing is clear: our legacy stands firm, our doors stay open, and we won’t back down.