Until her death in July 2016, Sharmus Outlaw was a policy advocate at the Best Practices Policy Project, with her work focusing on the rights of transgender communities and health care access. Ms Outlaw was until her death the US representative for the Programme Advisory Committee of the Red Umbrella Fund, a global fund specifically for sex worker-led organizations. Ms Outlaw was an advocate for health and rights for more than 25 years with experience working in the District of Columbia, Maryland and North Carolina. She was a founder of Different Avenues in the the District of Columbia in 2001 and served as co-coordinator of the Desiree Alliance from 2011 until 2015.