I’ve performed at weddings, house parties, and all manner of nightlife, but opening the Scott M. Hammer Workshop for New Researchers and Trainees at CROI 2026 was a highlight of my drag oeuvre. I can’t say for certain that this was a first—having a drag queen, who’s nonbinary in and out of drag, participate as the first speaker in the opening workshop at CROI. But I can say with confidence that 8:30 a.m. Mountain Time broke the record for earliest drag performance in herstory (made possible only by pre-recording). The 7 a.m. start time for the “CROI Community Breakfast” is probably the only reason it’s not programmed as the “CROI Drag Brunch”…but can you imagine?! Something for the organizers to ponder for next year.

As people stopped me to chat in the hallways of the Colorado Convention Center over the days that followed, it dawned on me that my inclusion in the program meant more to people than I had anticipated. First, it was the smiles and hugs when people recognized my signature purple fuzzy coat. They say laughter is the best medicine, but our work—and conferences like CROI (“retroviruses and opportunistic infections”)—can be a little serious. A goal of my drag art is to bring some much-needed levity into the world, and the last year has been a testament to the importance of avoiding burnout. I could tell that people really appreciated the unceremonious tone that only a drag queen can set.

Second, I observed that people were surprised to hear words like “capsid inhibitors” and “persistence of HIV incidence” coming out of my be-lipsticked mouth. “How does Miss Molly know the word ‘capsid’?!” remarked one beguiled fan. People in the community are experts too. As Peter Staley said in the CROI Opening Session, activists became more like scientists out of a necessity at the height of the AIDS crisis, and we have carried on that tradition. By design, drag challenges norms and assumptions. I’m proud to have advanced the notion of what a drag queen can be, but also an understanding of the capacity of all human beings to transcend classification and preconceived limitations.

Third, people thanked me for the vulnerability I shared with my story and why this work means so much to me personally. CROI is a conference that is not open to everyone; attendance is contingent upon a certain set of eligibility criteria, including scientific output measured by peer-reviewed publications. In this kind of environment, it can be easy to forget that the ‘H’ in ‘HIV’ doesn’t stand for ‘h-index’ (a measure of a scientist’s publication impact); it stands for ‘human.’ People are at the center of our work—not publications, presentations, or prestige. Those are nice, but they should always be secondary to supporting people and reducing human suffering. Sharing my story at the outset of CROI was a reminder that the community comes first. 

With all the love I got at CROI, something was still missing. Walking to and from the plenary hall, past that area by the escalators with the amazing natural light, I couldn’t help but miss my friend, Dr. Carl Dieffenbach. It was just two years ago, at CROI 2024, in that same corner of the Convention Center, that Carl and I spilled the tea about the latest science. Reporting on the vaginal ring for HIV prevention, I served Carl the line, “if you like it…” and he dunked it: “you should put a ring on it.” Our livestreamed antics on HIV science at CROI 2024 got nearly 10,000 views. If you search for those interviews today, some of the written articles remain, but the videos have been taken down. Normally, Carl would have been at CROI 2026, but he was reassigned to another office after many years of service as the Director of the Division of AIDS at NIAID. But as I soon discovered, Carl was not completely absent from CROI 2026. At the opening session, a new Lifetime Achievement Award was announced, and Carl was named the inaugural recipient. The ceremony described him as “kind, tireless, supportive, and as an often unrecognized champion of research efforts and the communities we serve.” I couldn’t agree more. To this prestigious award, I would like to add the highest honor that a drag queen can bestow: a place in her drag family moniker. Dr. Dieffenbach, I welcome you to the House of Moon, whence you will be known as Leopard Lily Moon.