Louise Binder is a Canadian HIV+ woman lawyer who was diagnosed in 1993. Due to her disease she was forced to retire from work in 1994. She did some limited volunteer work thereafter on the board of the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation, as Board member and then co-chair until 1998, and as Chair of the provincial women`s AIDS organization, Voices of Positive Women, where she still serves as Vice-Chair.

Fortunately after the advent of highly active antiviral therapy in 1996, Louise`s health improved and she took on further volunteer activities. In 1997, she helped to found and, since its inception, has co-chaired and chaired the Canadian Treatment Action Council, which does systemic advocacy for access to treatments. She is also co-chair of the federal Ministerial Council on HIV/AIDS; member of the Community Advisory Committee of the Canadian HIV Trials Network; one of the founding members of the Blueprint for Action on Women and Girls and HIV/AIDS; Chair of the Canadian Advisory Committee for the HIV+ Children`s Hospital Project led by the Canadian Society for International Health; and member of the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS Leadership Council.

Louise has been involved in many of the important advocacy struggles of this community over the last thirteen years including the battle to save, and the to increase, federal funding for HIV/AIDS; the battle to get timely access to safe and effective drugs at the federal and provincial government levels; and the battle to ensure earlier access to drugs in development by the pharmaceutical industry. Louise has also been a strong voice for HIV+ women`s issues and was one of the founders and member of the management team of the First National Women`s Conference in Canada. She was the plenary speaker on women and girls at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto.

Louise has received recognition for her efforts from numerous sources including the City of Toronto (Constance E. Hamilton Award), the Province of Ontario (the Order of Ontario), her alma mater (Queen`s University Law School (an Honourary Doctorate of Laws), the Queen (the Queen`s Jubilee medal), and most importantly, from the communities she serves, including the Ontario AIDS Network Award and the Canadian AIDS Society Leadership Award.