Updated June 1, 2026, at 1:40 pm.
Kathi Boyle, a longtime human services leader whose work helped expand HIV/AIDS services in Western Pennsylvania beyond the populations initially served during the epidemic’s earliest years, passed away Sunday, May 31, 2026, after battling ALS for several years.
Boyle is perhaps best remembered for her leadership at the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force (PATF), now known as Allies for Health + Wellbeing, where she helped guide the organization through a period of growth and transformation.
Founded in 1985 during the height of the AIDS crisis, PATF emerged to provide support, housing assistance, prevention services, and advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS at a time when stigma, discrimination, and inadequate government responses left many community members without support.
During her tenure, Boyle worked to expand outreach efforts to communities that had historically received less attention within HIV prevention and care programs, including women, African American communities, and young Black gay men.
In a 2025 oral history recorded as part of the Legends & Legacies project documenting Pittsburgh’s HIV/AIDS history, Boyle reflected on the need to broaden services beyond the populations initially reached by AIDS organizations.
“When I first came to PATF, HIV/AIDS services were primarily focused on male clients,” Boyle recalled. “It was clear that women were also getting infected and needed services.”
- Advertisement -
Among the initiatives she highlighted were community-based prevention programs that brought HIV education, testing opportunities, and safer-sex resources directly into neighborhoods and homes. Boyle also recalled efforts to engage Pittsburgh’s ballroom community, including providing space at PATF for houses to practice and hold events when few other venues welcomed them.
Those efforts reflected a broader shift occurring nationally as HIV organizations increasingly recognized the importance of addressing the epidemic through the lenses of race, gender, and community inclusion.
Boyle also played a significant role in strengthening the organization’s long-term financial stability. In her oral history testimony, she identified securing participation in the federal 340B pharmacy program as one of her greatest accomplishments, helping establish a funding source that continues to support HIV services today.
Beyond HIV/AIDS work, Boyle spent decades in human services, including work supporting women experiencing homelessness, survivors of violence, and people recovering from addiction. Following her retirement from PATF, she continued community advocacy through involvement with LGBTQ+ elder initiatives, including SAGE.
In reflecting on her legacy, Boyle emphasized not personal achievement but the strength of the organization and the communities it served.
“I hope my legacy will be that I left PATF with financial support, developed staff cohesiveness, and opened our doors to a more diverse clientele,” she said.
“Our sympathies go out to Kathi’s loved ones and friends, particularly her spouse Betty Hill,” Allies for Health + Wellbeing said in a statement.
Together with her wife, Betty Hill, a respected LGBTQ advocate in her own right, Boyle was part of a generation of leaders who helped build and sustain Pittsburgh’s queer community through decades of change.
Information regarding memorial services will be announced when available.