For Arianna Lint, pride is inseparable from freedom, joy and service.
Lint, 53, is a transgender Latina immigrant living with HIV. Those experiences, she said, gave her a deep understanding of the barriers people encounter while seeking healthcare, education, employment and dignity. Rather than let those barriers define her limitations, she transformed them into a career spanning more than two decades in HIV prevention, public health and transgender advocacy.
As founder and CEO of Arianna’s Place and Arianna’s Center, Lint works to expand opportunities for transgender people, immigrants and other underserved communities in Florida and Puerto Rico. The organizations provide case management, HIV prevention education, leadership training, English classes, assistance with legal name and gender marker changes, and referrals to culturally affirming healthcare.
Her work also reaches national and international arenas. Lint serves on community and patient advisory boards connected to Gilead’s PURPOSE 2 study, the Transgender Law Center’s Positively Trans initiative and ViiV Healthcare. In those roles, she works to ensure transgender people and communities affected by HIV are represented in research, policy and healthcare innovation.
Most recently, Lint accepted a leadership role with Miss Trans Star International, which she describes as a global platform for transgender women focused on leadership, education, economic empowerment, human rights and HIV awareness.
“Every role I accept shares the same purpose: to build stronger communities, empower future leaders, and ensure that every transgender person has the opportunity to live with dignity, health, and hope.”
Lint said living with HIV strengthened her resilience and compassion while deepening her commitment to culturally affirming care. Today, she considers her identity one of her greatest strengths and uses her lived experience to connect communities with healthcare systems, researchers and policymakers.
Her personal motto captures that transformation: “Turn your adversity into your greatest purpose, and your purpose into hope for others.”
To LGBTQ youth, Lint emphasizes that identity does not limit possibility. She encourages them to protect their physical and mental health, seek mentors, invest in their education and ask for help when needed.
“You belong. You are worthy. And your future is brighter than anyone else’s expectations of you.”
Lint’s proudest accomplishment is simple but expansive: living freely and without restrictions. Her work aims to make that freedom more attainable for others, ensuring that recognition is never the endpoint. As she puts it, her guiding principle is “service before recognition.”
