Tamar Braxton Is Open About Taking PrEP, Her Decision Is Redefining Sexual Health For Black Women

Over the past week, my inbox and DMs have been flooded with messages tagging me in posts about Tamar Braxton revealing that she takes PrEP. From Instagram to Facebook, folks who know me and my advocacy quickly said, “This made me think of you.”

Honestly, I wasn’t surprised. I’ve been on (and off) PrEP since 2018, and for many in my community, I’m the only Black woman they know who takes it. Add the fact that I talk about it openly, and I become a rare kind of unicorn. So let’s talk about it: What is PrEP, and why does Tamar’s disclosure matter?

PrEP is a medication taken either as a daily pill or a bi-monthly injection. When used consistently, it’s up to 99% effective at preventing HIV. Yet myths still swirl around who can and should take PrEP. Some versions aren’t yet approved for use by individuals with certain types of anatomy, like those who receive vaginal sex, which has led to the incorrect assumption that PrEP isn’t for women at all. That’s simply not true.

PrEP is available to a range of women—regardless of identity or anatomy—and it can be a vital tool in our sexual health toolkit. Organizations like the Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) have long recognized the urgent need to inform and empower our communities. Through initiatives like “I Am HIV Possible,” BWHI is making sure Black women know their options and have access to care that affirms their autonomy.

Tamar’s revelation disrupts outdated assumptions that PrEP is only for men who have sex with men or people who are “out here like that.” It challenges the stigma that says if a woman takes PrEP, she must be having a high volume of sex or living recklessly.

But here’s the truth: Women who saved themselves for marriage have acquired HIV. Women with one partner. Married women. Women living in small towns, not just Atlanta. HIV doesn’t discriminate by zip code, relationship status, or sexual history.

As a previously married woman reentering the dating scene, Tamar is taking control of her sexual health in a world that still shames Black women for doing just that. That’s bold. And it’s necessary.

And not for nothing, let’s say this out loud: Black women deserve sex that is joyful, pleasure-centered, and protected. PrEP helps make that possible. It lets us experience intimacy with fewer fears, reclaiming our role as active participants instead of passive vessels navigating someone else’s choices.

The numbers don’t lie. Of the 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S., 40% are Black. Black women make up more than half of all new HIV diagnoses among women. And while overall HIV rates aren’t increasing, the burden on Black communities remains heavy.

This is why Tamar’s disclosure matters. It opens the door for more of us to have real, nuanced conversations about sexual health. But it can’t stop here.

At the same time, we’re facing threats that put all of this progress at risk. The Trump administration has proposed eliminating the CDC’s HIV prevention division under the guise of cutting costs. But let’s be clear—there’s nothing frugal about ignoring prevention. It’s much more expensive to treat HIV over a lifetime than to prevent it in the first place.

So yes, I’m still taking PrEP. And yes, Tamar reminded me this week that we won’t find the lives or partners we want by hiding out in fear. We have to protect ourselves, advocate for ourselves, and keep naming what we deserve.

Black women deserve access. We deserve care. We deserve truth. And we deserve joy. PrEP is one tool that can help us claim all of that. Brittany “Brit” M. Williams is a professor, writer, speaker, and personal PrEP user and advocate. Find her at IG @DrBritWilliams and Black Women’s Health Imperative at IG @blkwomenshealth