This year the nation marks 40 years since the first cases of AIDS were reported in the U.S. with more than 700,000 lives lost in the past four decades. 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. University of New Haven Professor Anthony Santella stated, “Ending the HIV epidemic by 2030 is within reach. Using science-based strategies such as testing everyone at least once to slow the spread of HIV infection, providing access to FDA-approved HIV prevention medications & providing school-based, age-appropriate, medically accurate sex education is key. There are almost 11,000 Connecticut residents living with HIV who also need access to high-quality, accessible, culturally competent HIV care & treatment to provide them the tools to reduce the virus in their bodies to a point where they are not able to transmit the virus to others.” This year also marks 30 years since a group of volunteers gathered in Golden Gate Park to create a living memorial which now is the nation’s federally designated memorial to AIDS. In the 30 years since the National AIDS Memorial was created its mission has grown to include the 10-acre Memorial Grove, the 50,000 hand-sewn panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt & engaging programs that include storytelling initiatives, youth scholarships, Quilt displays, volunteer workdays & powerful community events. Listen to our exclusive audio byte with Cleve Jones who conceived the idea of the AIDS Memorial Quilt talk about how AIDS affected our LGBTQ community.
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