A new thrift store operated by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the largest HIV/AIDS medical care provider in the world, celebrated its grand opening on Guadalupe Street on Aug. 3.
The Out of the Closet thrift store chain, established in 1990, offers primary care services from HIV specialists, including free finger-prick HIV tests with same-day results. Originally designed to raise funds and awareness for HIV/AIDS treatment, the store’s onsite pharmacy provides HIV medications, and customers are encouraged to shop while waiting for test results or prescriptions.
The store’s opening comes months after students lost access to free STD testing through the Gender and Sexuality Center, which closed in compliance with Senate Bill 17, a bill effectively banning DEI efforts at all state universities. Since the chain’s inception, 96 cents of every dollar earned goes towards HIV prevention and treatment services, according to the website.
“As we create and implement new programs in communities across the U.S. and abroad, we expand delivery of healthcare and influence over policy with the aim of saving more lives,” the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s website states.
In January, the GSC transitioned to the Women’s Community Center to comply with Senate Bill 17. The GSC previously provided sexual health and wellness resources to students, however, these services are now unavailable as LGBTQ+ organizations are not allowed to use the center’s resources due to SB 17 requirements, Jordan Alvis, a second-year intern at the center, said.
“We used to have every Tuesday, free HIV and STI testing with the Kind Clinic,” public health senior Alvis said. “I was hoping to be able to do that this summer, but unfortunately, the space was closed down, so we weren’t able to do that.”
Audra Gosch, president of UT’s Gamma Rho Lambda chapter, a gender-inclusive Greek organization, said the transition not only disrupted access to healthcare resources but also for the queer community.
“There were a lot of queer (organizations) that used the GSC as their main room that they held events and meetings in,” Gosch said. “It’s a big hit for decentralizing the queer community at UT Austin … because now there’s nowhere concrete for students to go.”
Alvis said Out of the Closet is a good resource for students, noting it addresses students’ need for resources that haven’t existed on-campus since the transition of the Gender and Sexuality Center. With its focus on accessible healthcare and creating a “safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community,” Out of the Closet looks to support the health of its patrons.
“It makes me more optimistic,” Alvis said. “It’s very fortunate that we have a community resource close to campus that is willing to set up such a center.”
