Gay Activist Cleve Jones, has been an AIDS Activist for over 30 years. After working with Harvey Milk, Cleve conceived the idea of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. In this exclusive audio byte he talks about how AIDS effected our LGBT community.
A day dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people, with an estimated 38.6 million people living with HIV, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. I have lost many friends & family to AIDS. It is important to take a moment & remember them & think about what a better world this would be if they were still around…..Get Tested & Always Practice Safe-Sex…For more info…
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World AIDS Day serves as a somber reminder of the global pandemic that is as threatening as any we have ever known. The statistics are staggering. Since 1981, worldwide, more than 32 million people have died of AIDS. 33.4 million are currently living with HIV/AIDS, roughly half of them women. In Africa, families struggle daily against poverty and without access to drugs. More than 14 million children there are AIDS orphans. In the US, we struggle daily against complacency and misinformation. More than a million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and it is the leading cause of death for Black men and women between the ages of 25 to 44. Every nine and a half minutes in our country, another person becomes infected.
HIV/AIDS education, research, and treatment continue to be stifled in many parts of the world by misinformation, fear, and stigma. In Uganda, proposed legislation would severely criminalize the ‘promotion of homosexuality,’ thereby limiting the distribution of information on HIV prevention. Worse yet, the legislation would establish the crime of ‘aggravated homosexuality’ punishable by death for anyone in Uganda who is HIV positive and has consensual same-sex relations. I have asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to use the full force of her office to condemn this “Anti-Homosexual Bill” introduced in Uganda’s parliament
The U.S. has made great strides in confronting the reality of HIV/AIDS here at home and around the world. We can be proud of the work of our scientists, health care providers, and relief workers. But looking to tomorrow, we can, and we must, do more globally, nationally, locally, and as individuals. Government can lead the way in funding research and developing vaccines, treatments, and potential cures. Individuals must take the initiative to be tested and act responsibly. HIV/AIDS is not ‘their’ problem, it is ‘ours,’ and together we must defeat it.
On World AIDS Day, we remember all those we’ve lost to this terrible disease. We honor all those working to prevent more deaths. We support all those living with HIV/AIDS and those who care for them; and we pledge to work to end this scourge of our time.
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