The CDC and HIV.gov Outlines New Information in the Battle to Fight AIDS/HIV in The United States

World AIDS Day 2019 #WAD2019

“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to end the HIV epidemic in the United States. Now is the time.“

World AIDS Day was first observed in 1988. Each year, on December 1, organizations and individuals across the world work to bring attention to the continuing HIV epidemic, endeavoring to increase HIV awareness and knowledge, speak out against HIV stigma, and call for an increased response to move toward Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America.

HIV in America

Collective efforts over many years at the local, state, and federal levels have successfully increased the proportion of people living with HIV who know their status and who are in care and receiving HIV treatment. In addition, our collective efforts have reduced new HIV infections to the lowest level ever. But, progress is slowing and new threats to our continued progress have emerged.

According to the latest available data, in 2017, 38,739 people received an HIV diagnosis in the United States. [1] That annual number of new diagnoses has remained essentially stable since 2013. Further, approximately 15% (or 1 in 7) of the estimated 1.1 million people with HIV in the U.S. don’t know they have it. These data make clear that not all people who need them are benefitting from the proven HIV prevention and treatment tools currently available. Specifically, certain populations and geographic areas continue to bear a disproportionate burden of HIV disease, requiring us to sharpen the focus of our collective prevention efforts on:

• Gay and bisexual men who are the population most affected by HIV in all regions of the country. In 2017, gay and bisexual men accounted for 66% ( 25,748) of all HIV diagnoses and 82% of diagnoses among males. [2]
• African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos who are disproportionately affected by HIV. African Americans account for only 13% of the population, but 43 % of HIV diagnoses in 2017. [3] Hispanics/Latinos account for only 18% of the population, but 26% of HIV diagnoses in 2017.
• Southern states accounted for 52% of the 38,739 new HIV diagnoses in 2017. Southern states account for just 38% of the U.S. population, so HIV diagnoses are not evenly distributed regionally in the United States. Further, in the South the impact of HIV is greater than in any other region. The latest data tells us that 51% of annual HIV infections, 46% of persons with HIV, and 51% of undiagnosed HIV infections were found in the South.

Knowledge of HIV status is the entry point to linkage to receiving effective care and treatment for those who test positive, helping them to stay healthy and prevent new HIV infections. A person with HIV who takes HIV medicine daily as prescribed and gets and stays virally suppressed [having very low levels of HIV present in the body, known as a low viral load] can stay healthy and has effectively no risk of sexually transmitting HIV to HIV-negative partners.

Despite these outstanding benefits of HIV treatment, the latest data tells us that among all adults and adolescents with HIV in the U.S., only: [4]

• 63% received some HIV medical care,
• 49% were retained in continuous HIV care, and
• 51% had achieved viral suppression (having a very low level of the virus as a result of treatment). [5]

Knowledge of HIV status is also an entry point to prevention services for those who test negative. Today’s highly effective HIV prevention tools include pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, a daily pill which reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 90%. However, fewer than 10% of Americans who could benefit from PrEP have been prescribed it.

Kiehl’s Since 1851 Embarks On Ninth Annual LifeRide For amfAR

Motorcycle Riding Influencers Ride Through Southern California to Raise Awareness and Funds to Help Find a Cure for AIDS

Kiehl’s Since 1851, the venerable New York-based purveyor of fine quality skin and hair care continues its long-standing commitment to supporting HIV/AIDS charities, with its enduring partnership with amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, and the ninth annual charity motorcycle ride, Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR, Aug. 6-Aug. 10, 2018.

Conceived by the company’s history with motorcycles and its philanthropic heritage, the Ninth Annual Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR continues the brand’s commitment to supporting HIV/AIDS organizations and will heighten awareness and raise funds for amfAR’s quest to end HIV/AIDS.

This year, the charity ride blankets Southern California over 5 days and will rally with the public at 8 stores along the route, where the public is invited to meet the riders, learn more about amfAR, and contribute to the non-profit.

Chris Salgardo, Kiehl’s Brand Ambassador and Kevin Robert Frost, CEO, amfAR will ride from Los Angeles to San Diego, with Gilles Marini, actor, Days of Our Lives, tattoo artist Luke Wessman, top men’s style influencer, Blake Scott, and music

Kiehl’s Since 1851 Limited Edition Ultimate Strength Hand Salve: 100% of the purchase price from the sale of Kiehl’s Limited Edition Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, up to $25,000, will benefit amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. Available for $28.50 at all Kiehl’s retail stores, Kiehls.com and specialty store partners nationwide.

photographer Travis Shinn.

And, as these riders make their way through Southern California, this year supporters will be able to ride along with them, courtesy of CycleBar. The premium indoor cycling brand will be offering Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR classes in select CycleBar studios nationwide, and Kiehl’s will donate $30 per bike in one of these classes, as part of its overall donation to amfAR. (To sign up at a CycleBar studio near you, please visit http://www.cyclebar.com/kiehlsrideforaidsresearch.)

Queer Eye’s Jonathan Van Ness Will Join SMIRNOFF™ Vodka at the 2018 NYC Pride March

In Honor of LGBTQ Pride month and Inclusivity for all, SMIRNOFF Vodka Pledges to Donate an Additional One Million Dollars to the Human Rights Campaign in Support of the LGBTQ Community

This Sunday, SMIRNOFF™ vodka continues its decades of support for the LGBTQ community by partnering with Queer Eye television personality, hairdresser, web series star and podcaster, Jonathan Van Ness, to bring love in all its forms to life at the NYC Pride March. From dancing in the streets with SMIRNOFF drag queens to self-love selfies to strutting alongside marchers up Fifth Avenue, Van Ness will join the brand at the 2018 Pride March to encourage people everywhere to show their support for equality and love of all kinds.

Smirnoff logo

“SMIRNOFF is all about inclusivity and democratizing fun times for everyone, which totally speaks to me as a member of the LGBTQ community,” said Van Ness. “I could not be more excited to join SMIRNOFF for this year’s New York City Pride March. It truly is the ultimate celebration of love and equality for all, and once you add SMIRNOFF into the mix it becomes one big, fabulous, inclusive party. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?!“

SMIRNOFF’s Pride March celebration is meant to showcase that Pride comes in all different flavors, shapes, and colors. To celebrate PRIDE loud and proud, SMIRNOFF will have a large presence in this Sunday’s New York City Pride March. The brand has proudly participated in the parade since 2013, but is prepared to make this the biggest year yet with an over-the-top float, that is bold and inspiring, just like the LGBTQ community, in celebration of love in all its forms and “Pride in Every Flavor.” In addition to Jonathan van Hess as its host, the brand will also host 200 marchers, electrifying special guests will be performing along the parade route to get the crowd excited and engaged. In addition to New York City, SMIRNOFF is excited to bring its celebration of “Pride in Every Flavor” to Pride Marches in San Francisco, Atlanta, San Diego and more.

SMIRNOFF ‘Love Wins’ bottles

SMIRNOFF originally launched its “Love Wins” campaign in May 2017 with its limited-edition “Love Wins” bottle packaging for SMIRNOFF No. 21 vodka. Now, in 2018, the “Love Wins” bottles are back and are available nationwide for a limited time. Inside each bottle is the iconic SMIRNOFF No. 21 vodka, triple distilled and ten-times filtered, from the world’s most awarded name in vodka in the last ten years. As a brand that has supported the LGBTQ community for several decades, and was honored alongside DIAGEO with the prestigious 2018 Corporate Equality Award by the HRC this past February, SMIRNOFF is proud to continue to support love in all its forms.

SMIRNOFF’s redesigned 2018 “Love Wins” bottles feature the newly updated, special-edition bottle packaging, which highlights 34 real LGBTQ couples from across the United States. Each couple featured on the 2018 packaging submitted their photos through the brand’s website last year for a chance to be a part of the SMIRNOFF “Love Wins” campaign. Jessica & Whitney from Alabama, whose story began with a simple Facebook message, and Jeremy and Wutichai from Washington, D.C., who met while volunteering for the Peace Corps in Thailand, are just some of the real couples featured on the new bottles currently on shelves across the United States. Every SMIRNOFF “Love Wins” bottle is unique, with a different set of photographs that display real love and real people, along with its iridescent rainbow aesthetic and LGBTQ SMIRNOFF logo.

SMIRNOFF’s Ad Creative

In addition to the brand’s partnership with Van Ness, SMIRNOFF has also announced an increased commitment to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), with a pledge to donate $1 for every SMIRNOFF “Love Wins” bottle made to the HRC for a minimum of one million dollars over three years, starting in 2019. These funds will go towards supporting local HRC events to drive awareness of the fight for LGBTQ equality and help empower those who are leading that fight for equality in HRC’s 32 volunteer-led local steering committees in communities across the country.

David Wojnarowicz Retrospective At The Whitney Explores The Enduring Resonance Of An Artist Who Merged The Personal And The Political

This summer, the most complete presentation to date of the work of artist, writer, and activist David Wojnarowicz will be on view in a full-scale retrospective organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art. David Wojnarowicz: History Keeps Me Awake at Night is the first major re-evaluation since 1999 of one of the most fervent and essential voices of his generation.

David Wojnarowicz with Tom Warren, Self-Portrait of David Wojnarowicz, 1983–84. Acrylic and collaged paper on gelatin silver print, 60 × 40 in. (152.4 × 101.6 cm). Collection of Brooke Garber Neidich and Daniel Neidich, Photograph by Ron Amstutz. (The exhibition is organized by David Breslin, DeMartini Family Curator and Director of the Collection, and David Kiehl, Curator Emeritus, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.)

Opening at the Whitney on July 13 and running through September 30, David Wojnarowicz: History Keeps Me Awake at Night features more than a hundred works by the artist and is organized by two Whitney curators, David Breslin, DeMartini Family Curator and Director of the Collection, and David Kiehl, Curator Emeritus. The exhibition, which will be installed in the Museum’s fifth floor Neil Bluhm Family Galleries through September 30, draws upon the scholarly resources of the Fales Library and Special Collections (NYU), the repository of Wojnarowicz’s archive, and is also built on the foundation of the Whitney’s extensive holdings of Wojnarowicz’s work, including thirty works from the Museum’s collection. It will travel to the Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, in May 2019, and to Mudam Luxembourg – Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxembourg City, in November 2019.

Scott Rothkopf, Deputy Director for Programs and Nancy and Steve Crown Family Chief Curator, remarked, “Since his death more than twenty-five years ago, David Wojnarowicz has become an almost mythic figure, haunting, inspiring, and calling to arms subsequent generations through his inseparable artistic and political examples. This retrospective will enable so many to confront for the first time, or anew, the groundbreaking multidisciplinary body of work on which his legacy actually stands.”

Beginning in the late 1970s, David Wojnarowicz (1954–1992) created a body of work that spanned photography, painting, music, film, sculpture, writing, performance, and activism. Joining a lineage of iconoclasts, Wojnarowicz (pronounced Voyna-ROW-vich) saw the outsider as his true subject. His mature period began with a series of photographs and collages that honored—and placed himself among—consummate countercultural figures like Arthur Rimbaud, William Burroughs, and Jean Genet. Even as he became well-known in the East Village art scene for his mythological paintings, Wojnarowicz remained committed to writing personal essays. Queer and HIV-positive, Wojnarowicz became an impassioned advocate for people with AIDS at a time when an inconceivable number of friends, lovers, and strangers—disproportionately gay men—were dying from the disease and from government inaction.

After hitchhiking across the U.S. and living for several months in San Francisco, and then in Paris, David Wojnarowicz settled in New York in 1978 and soon after began to exhibit his work in East Village galleries. Largely self-taught, Wojnarowicz came to prominence in New York in the 1980s, a period marked by great creative energy and profound cultural changes. Intersecting movements—graffiti, new and no wave music, conceptual photography, performance, neo-expressionist painting—made New York a laboratory for innovation. Unlike many artists, Wojnarowicz refused a signature style, adopting a wide variety of techniques with an attitude of radical possibility. Distrustful of inherited structures, a feeling amplified by the resurgence of conservative politics, Wojnarowicz varied his repertoire to better infiltrate the culture.

His essay for the catalog accompanying the exhibition Witnesses: Against Our Vanishing (curated by Nan Goldin at Artists Space in 1989–90) came under fire for its vitriolic attack on politicians and leaders who were preventing AIDS treatment and awareness. The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) threatened to defund the exhibition, and Wojnarowicz fought against this and for the first amendment rights of artists.

Three Major AIDS Advocacy and Education Organizations Announces New Series of Financial Grants In The United States

 

In An Expanded Partnership, The Elton John AIDS Foundation, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, And The Aileen Getty Foundation Announce New Series Of Collaborative Grants Toward Ending AIDS In The Southern United States.

12 Organizations Across The Region Will Receive $625,000 In Support To Address The Epidemic Through Advocacy And Wide-Ranging Services

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) announced an expanded series of grants aimed at ending the AIDS epidemic in the Southern United States—in particular, its disproportionate impact on young people and communities of color.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation logo

Sir Elton John created EJAF 25 years ago, first in the United States in 1992 and then in the United Kingdom in 1993. Through the generous support of far-sighted individuals, foundations, and corporations, the two foundations together have raised more than $400 million over the past quarter-century to challenge discrimination against people affected by the epidemic, prevent infections, provide treatment and services, and motivate governments to end AIDS. The U.S. foundation focuses its efforts on programs in the United States, the Americas, and the Caribbean, while the U.K. foundation funds HIV-related work in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Join us in speaking out, taking action, and

The Aileen Getty Foundation logo

contributing to our efforts to achieve a world without AIDS.

This new effort—the fourth round of annual grants made jointly with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation —features an additional coalition partner, the Aileen Getty Foundation. Aileen Getty, a pioneering philanthropist whose generosity is motivated by her own experience living with HIV, brings to the partnership a passion for comprehensive, empathetic advocacy to address HIV/AIDS, addiction, mental health challenges, and homelessness.

The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation logo

Getty’s support expands the total financial heft of this partnership by a third to include four new grantees, delivering a total of $625,000 in resources to 12 organizations. The closely-aligned missions of EJAF, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, and the Aileen Getty Foundation make the collaboration a natural one and sharpen the partnership’s philanthropic focus on communities most in need. (Read a complete list of grant recipients and descriptions from the partnership.)

“We’re thrilled to have the Aileen Getty Foundation join our existing partners at The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, making this one of the largest philanthropic partnerships addressing AIDS in the Southern United States,” said EJAF Chairman David Furnish. “By bringing particular focus on the needs and aspirations of young people and communities of color, and by delivering support to community-rooted organizations that have been engaging the epidemic for years, this partnership has incredible potential to reduce transmissions, improve quality of life, and speed the South’s progress toward an AIDS-free generation.“

Elton John AIDS Foundation Announces Bold New Funding Initiatives To Combat HIV Epidemics in the U.S. and in Eastern Europe/Central Asia

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) today announced new funding initiatives to increase advocacy and service delivery for people living with and at-risk for HIV and hepatitis C.

In the U.S., EJAF will be launching a new funding initiative to address HIV in Black gay men and transgender individuals, building on our years of experience and support in fighting AIDS in these communities. In Eastern Europe, EJAF will launch the Key Populations Fund for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA KP Fund), focused on prevention and treatment of HIV and hepatitis C for individuals most vulnerable to the HIV epidemic in the region: people who use drugs, sex workers, and gay and bisexual men in the region.

Elton John AIDS Foundation logo (PRNewsFoto/Elton John AIDS Foundation)

Although Black gay and bisexual men account for one in 500 people living in the U.S., they make up nearly one in four new HIV infections and one in six Americans living with HIV. One in four Black gay and bisexual men are already infected with HIV by the time they reach age 25, and one in two will become HIV-positive in their lifetimes. An estimated overall 21% of transgender individuals are infected with HIV in the U.S. and that number is approximately three times higher among Black transgender people.

Over the past three years, EJAF-US has invested more than $6.6 million in organizations working to change the course of the epidemic in Black communities of gay and bisexual men and transgender individuals. Through this new initiative, EJAF’s goal will be a more intensive focus to support community mobilization to develop programs and advocacy to:

• Reduce new infection rates through support for innovative community-based programs to increase access to and use of HIV prevention and testing services.
• Reduce AIDS-related illness and death through support for advocacy and community-based service delivery to improve engagement in health care and earlier access to HIV treatment and care.
• Confront racism, homophobia, and transphobia as key drivers of HIV infection and disease.

The U.S. program will reach an anticipated 5,000 HIV-positive Black gay men and transgender individuals to learn about their HIV status and get linked to health care, social services, and treatment. Another estimated 10,000 will receive HIV prevention services including access to PrEP. Support for advocacy will seek increased coverage for PrEP through Medicaid and ADAP programs and expansion of state Medicaid programs to provide HIV treatment to thousands of Black gay men and transgender individuals across the U.S. One key aspect of this new initiative will be to engage leadership from Black gay and transgender communities to help set priorities and strategies for this funding and to support community mobilization through the funding process as well as through the grants themselves. This will be the largest private funding initiative specifically supporting Black gay and transgender communities in history.

The EECA KP Fund will address the needs of key populations in the region. Over three years, the Fund will reach an estimated 20,000 people with HIV prevention, testing, and treatment. Mirroring a current Fund that EJAF runs for LGBT populations in countries in Africa where homosexuality is criminalized, the EECA KP Fund will also include a Rapid Response element to address emergencies, including the physical safety of people living with HIV. The EECA Key Populations Fund will also develop “Lighthouse” grants that support HIV and hepatitis C care within the public health system.

Funding for the new initiatives will be supported by EJAF and include financial contributions from Gilead Sciences. Gilead will also provide a donation of hepatitis C products to the EECA Fund to help cure 5,000 patients – a critical contribution in a region where up to 97% of people living with HIV are co-infected with hepatitis C.

“Our new funding initiative in the U.S. has the potential to substantially change the course of the HIV epidemic among Black gay men and transgender individuals by supporting the leadership and organizations within those communities,” said Scott Campbell, Executive Director of EJAF-US.

In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, over 1.5 million people are living with HIV. New HIV infections in the region have increased by over 50% since 2010. People who inject drugs, sex workers, and gay men make up over 96% of those infected. Over 75% of people living with HIV in EECA are not on treatment. Co-infections with hepatitis C are also widespread with an estimated 60 – 97% of people living with HIV who inject drugs co-infected with hepatitis C, depending on the country.

“The HIV epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, particularly in Russia and Ukraine, remains the fastest growing in the world,” said Anne Aslett, Executive Director of EJAF-UK. “As other donors have withdrawn from the region, EJAF remains committed to supporting people who use drugs, men who have sex with men, and sex workers throughout the region to improve their health and protect their human rights. The EECA KP Fund is the first initiative of its kind. It aims not only to save the lives of thousands of very vulnerable people but to introduce new ways of addressing and scaling up response to the region’s expanding epidemic.”

EJAF Founder Sir Elton John said. “These investments will make a measurable difference at a pivotal moment by connecting people most vulnerable to HIV to the care they need and the compassion they deserve.”

Art News: The ACT UP Portraits: Activists & Avatars, 1991-1994

STEPHEN BARKER, “The ACT UP Portraits: Activists & Avatars, 1991-1994”

Exhibition dates: September 14 – October 28, 2017

Daniel Cooney Fine Art (508-526 West 26th Street, Suite 9C, New York, NY 10001, 212 255 8158. dan@danielcooneyfineart.com. Hours: Wednesday – Saturday 11 – 6) is pleased to announce the first solo exhibition of photographs, “The ACT UP Portraits: Activists & Avatars, 1991-1994“, by renowned photographer Stephen Barker. The exhibit will showcase approximately 15 never before seen black and white photographic portraits of AIDS activists – in the studio and at home – taken by Barker during his time working within the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) 1991-1994, and Barker’s unique artist’s book Funeral March, which chronicles the carrying of Mark Fisher’s body in an open coffin from Judson Church, up Sixth Avenue, to the steps of the Republican National Committee on the eve of the presidential election in 1992.

Rod Sorge (1969-1999) ACT UP Needle Exchange, 1991

Barker became involved with ACT UP in the late 80s working primarily with the needle exchange program. The photographs were never intended as an encyclopedic project, but rather the portraits evolved organically out of Barker’s working relationships, friendships, and intimacies. The exhibition is especially timely during this 30th anniversary year of ACT UP when once again all underserved communities, including those living with HIV/AIDS, are threatened by our own government. It is a call to arms for activism and a reminder of the distance we have traveled and battles we have won.

Stephen Barker, ‘Gay Wachman, ACT UP Needle Exchange,’ 1992, Gelatin Silver Print

Health 101: Planned Parenthood and Black AIDS Institute Announces Program to Expand Comprehensive HIV Prevention Services at Health Centers Across the Country

Planned Parenthood recently announced a multi-phase pilot program to build and expand its comprehensive HIV prevention and education efforts. Gilead Sciences, Inc, a research-based biopharmaceutical company, awarded the $900,000 grant to support and expand efforts of HIV prevention and education, including the integration of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) awareness, at Planned Parenthood affiliate health centers across the country over the next 18 months. It is the first significant corporate grant of its kind awarded to Planned Parenthood and will focus critical prevention efforts in communities hardest hit by the epidemic. PrEP is the medical practice of prescribing antiretroviral medication to prevent HIV infection. This is further proof that Planned Parenthood is more than just about legalized abortion services. (But then, most women knew that already.)

Planned Parenthood logo

Planned Parenthood provides high-quality, compassionate care in health centers across the country, including nearly 700,000 HIV tests each year. Planned Parenthood health centers are uniquely positioned to deliver HIV prevention services and education to disproportionately impacted communities, including Black women, Latinas, transgender people, young adults of all backgrounds, and men who have sex with men, especially people of color.

The grant work will be carried out in partnership with The Black AIDS Institute, the only national HIV/AIDS think tank in the United States focused exclusively on Black people.

“Planned Parenthood is thrilled to be launching this incredibly exciting project. Although this country has made progress toward greater health care equity, disparities in HIV rates remain a serious issue for too many people and too many communities,” said Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “Rates of new HIV cases, along with barriers to treatment and health care access, continue to more greatly impact marginalized communities. With this grant, Planned Parenthood can implement life-saving awareness and care not otherwise funded at this scale. It furthers our mission to provide all people, especially those already facing barriers to accessing quality health care, with comprehensive and cutting-edge HIV prevention methods, including PrEP“.

The majority of the grant will directly support the efforts of Planned Parenthood affiliates to develop training and resources aimed at delivering a comprehensive program of HIV prevention, including PrEP and other methods, in health centers across the country. It will also go toward the creation of patient education materials to reach populations most at-risk for HIV, as well as capacity-building sustainable learning modules across affiliates.

Despite the life-saving advances in highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for treatment and prevention, HIV remains an urgent public health crisis, especially for certain marginalized communities who face barriers to affordable, quality health care. According to a 2014 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) surveillance report, women of color, particularly Black women, are disproportionately affected by HIV, accounting for the majority of the HIV infections, women living with HIV, and HIV-related deaths among women in the U.S.

While awareness of antiretroviral medication as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among men who have sex with men (MSM) has risen significantly, women at risk for HIV still face several challenges in getting the services and information they need, including structural and cultural barriers such as poverty, HIV stigma, and a relative lack of access to healthcare professionals trained to offer comprehensive HIV prevention, including PrEP and other methods.

As part of our mission to help people live healthy lives, Planned Parenthood works every day in communities across the country and with partners around the world so that everyone — no matter who they are or where they live — can access accurate, high-quality, compassionate sexual and reproductive health care.

Phill Wilson, President, and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute.

“The Black AIDS Institute is proud to partner with Planned Parenthood to expand comprehensive HIV prevention services to Black Women“, Phill Wilson, President, and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute. “Given the disproportionate impact HIV is having on Black women and the new tools we have at our disposal, this is the right thing to do at the right time.”

“Scientific innovation has greatly improved our ability to address the HIV epidemic,” said Gregg Alton, Executive Vice President, Corporate and Medical Affairs for Gilead Sciences, Inc. “Alongside that innovation, diverse programs and partnerships are helping to ensure we can reach those most in need of treatment and prevention options. Prevention strategies, including PrEP and other methods, can have a meaningful impact on public health, offering an unparalleled opportunity to avert new infections and reduce long term costs to the healthcare system.”

Dr. McDonald-Mosley added, “Training and resourcing more medical providers to provide HIV and PrEP education, with a particular focus on prevention in underserved communities, is a job for which Planned Parenthood is uniquely suited. For over 100 years, we’ve been fighting to ensure that people — no matter where they live — can access accurate, nonjudgmental preventive care and education so they can keep themselves and their families healthy.”

“Over 40% of people living with HIV in the U.S are Black. Nearly 50% of new HIV infections in this country are Black. and 1 in 32 black women, 1 in 16 black men, and 1 and 2 Black Gay men will be diagnosed with HIV infection in their lifetime. Yet 85% of current PrEP users are white men. What’s wrong with this picture“, says Leisha McKinley Beach, technical assistance consultant, Black AIDS Institute.

Kiehl’s Since 1851 Embarks On 8th Annual LifeRide For amfAR

Motorcycle Riding Influencers Ride Through the Midwest to Raise Awareness and Funds to Help Find a Cure for AIDS

Kiehl’s Limited Edition Ultimate Strength Hand Salve benefits amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. 100% of purchase price from the sale of this product, up to $25,000, will benefit amfAR. The Limited Edition Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is $28.50 at all Kiehl’s retail stores, Kiehls.com and specialty stores nationwide.

Maintaining its long-standing tradition of supporting HIV/AIDS charities, Kiehl’s Since 1851, the 166-year-old purveyor of the finest skincare, is pleased to announce its continued partnership with amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, and the eighth annual Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR.

Inspired by a Kiehl’s icon – the motorcycle – a spirit of adventure and philanthropic heritage, the eighth annual LifeRide continues the brand’s mission to heighten awareness and raise funds for amfAR. This year the multi-city charity ride takes place over 8 days, from July 31-Aug. 7, 2017, beginning in Minneapolis and ending in Nashville.

Kiehl’s Since 1851 Limited Edition Ultimate Strength Hand Salve

Rallying with the public at nine store stops along the route, Kiehl’s will donate a total of $100,000 over the course of the ride. At each stop, the public can meet the riders, social media influencers, learn more about amfAR and contribute to the non-profit. At the conclusion of this year’s ride, Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR will have ridden more than 11,500 miles since 2010 and raised more than $1.7 million, funding nine cure-related research projects.

Chris Salgardo, President, Kiehl’s USA and Kevin Robert Frost, CEO, amfAR will lead this year’s riders:

• Ian Bohen, actor, Teen Wolf
• JR Bourne, actor, Somewhere Between
• Anthony Carrino, co-host, Kitchen Cousins
• Gilles Marini, actor, Switched at Birth
• Grant Reynolds, host/producer, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
• Luke Wessman, tattoo artist, Miami/NY Ink
• Tyler Posey, actor, Teen Wolf

Key partners for the ride include Cadillac, Delta Air Lines, and Hedon helmets.

JOIN THE RIDE!

Kiehl’s and amfAR invite all to be a part of the ride: Press and public are welcome at the following stops:

MONDAY, JULY 31—MINNEAPOLIS

• Kiehl’s Since 1851, Mall of America, 8100 24th Ave., Bloomington, MN, 11 AM-12 PM
• Kiehl’s at Macy’s, Ridgedale Center, 12411 Wayzata Blvd., Minnetonka, MN, 12:30-1:30 PM

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 2—CHICAGOLAND

• Kiehl’s at Von Maur, Yorktown Center, 145 Yorktown Shopping Center, Lombard, IL, 1:30-2:30 PM
• Kiehl’s at Bloomingdale’s, 900 North Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, 4:30-5:30 PM

THURSDAY, AUG. 3—CHICAGOLAND

• Kiehl’s Since 1851, The Shops at North Bridge, 520 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, 11 AM-12 PM

FRIDAY, AUG. 4—INDIANAPOLIS

• Kiehl’s Since 1851, The Fashion Mall at Keystone, 8702 Keystone Crossing, Indianapolis, IN, 12-1 PM

SATURDAY, AUG. 5—LEXINGTON

• Kiehl’s at Dillard’s, Fayette Mall, 3625 Nicholasville Rd., Lexington, KY, 11:30 AM-12:30 PM

MONDAY, AUG. 7—NASHVILLE

• Kiehl’s at Dillard’s, CoolSprings Galleria, 1796 Galleria Blvd., Franklin, TN, 11AM-12PM

LIFERIDE FINALE!

• Kiehl’s Since 1851, The Mall at Green Hills, 2126 Abbott Martin Road, Nashville, TN, 12:30-1:30 PM

In celebration, every customer attending one of the events at the Kiehl’s retail stores will receive a 15% discount on all purchases, with the exception of charitable products and value sets.

National AIDS Memorial Honors Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi for Three Decades of Courageous Leadership in the Fight Against HIV and AIDS

San Francisco’s Congresswoman, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, joined hundreds of volunteers at the National AIDS Memorial for a community volunteer workday to commemorate her 30 years in Congress. Since her first days in Washington D.C., she has been a leader, champion, and hero on the issue of HIV/AIDS and her avid support of the LGBT community.

(L-R) John Cunningham, Executive Director, National AIDS Memorial, joins Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi as she presents a special certificate of recognition to the National AIDS Memorial gardener Ali McCarthy at the National AIDS Memorial, San Francisco, Calif.(Photo Credit: Melvin Morris)

During the morning activities, Congresswoman Pelosi joined volunteers as they planted flowers, new shrubs, and a tree, in addition to helping maintain the grounds of the Nation’s AIDS Memorial. The event also marked a significant milestone for the National AIDS Memorial as it has surpassed 200,000 hours given by community volunteers to create and maintain the 10-acre living memorial.

For the past thirty years, Congresswoman Pelosi has worked courageously to advance the issue of HIV/AIDS, supporting major funding, research, and programs that have been critically important to the advancements and improvement of the quality of life for those living with the disease. In 1996 she successfully spearheaded the passage of legislation that was signed by President Bill Clinton designating San Francisco’s AIDS Memorial Grove, as a National Memorial.

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and long-time volunteer Tom Jensen plant a new magnolia tree near the main entrance of the National AIDS Memorial on Bowling Green Drive, San Francisco, Calif., to commemorate her 30 years in Congress. (Photo Credit: Melvin Morris)

“Thirty years ago our community was ravaged by AIDS and with the leadership of Congresswoman Pelosi we came together here in this grove to heal and remember our lost friends and loved ones,” said John Cunningham, Executive Director, National AIDS Memorial. “Her courage to stand-up and fight for our community paved the way for this memorial. Without her leadership, is memorial would not be possible. We are forever grateful for her tireless spirit, love and willingness to fight for our cause.“

Congresswoman Pelosi has faithfully commemorated her milestone years in Congress by volunteering at the Grove. She has volunteered on many other occasions over the years, often bringing her family and grandchildren to be a regular part of the Grove’s Community Volunteer Workdays.

Since the first Workday in 1991, nearly 40,000 volunteers have participated in more than 300 Community Volunteer Workdays, donating more than 200,000 volunteer hours and planting more than 10,000 trees, plants and shrubs.

San Francisco Board of Supervisor Jeff Sheehy, California State Assembly Member David Chiu, California State Senator Scott Wiener join Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi at the NationalAIDS Memorial, San Francisco Calif., for a community workday to commemorate her 30 years in Congress. Also included –Mike Shriver, Chair, National AIDS Memorial, John Cunningham, Executive Director, National AIDS Memorial. (Photo Credit: Melvin Morris)

“The National AIDS Memorial is not just a place for where we come and remember those we’ve lost, it is a place where people from around the country, around the world, can come together to remember their lives, to hope and continue working tirelessly until we find a cure,” said Congresswoman Pelosi. “This sacred ground honors all who have been touched by HIV/AIDS but more importantly, it forever keeps their spirit, their love and their stories with us and so future generations never forget. This grove inspires us to keep fighting in their memory and for what’s right.”

For more information visit www.aidsmemorial.org, follow on Facebook @NationalAIDSMemorial or @AIDS_Memorial on Twitter.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center Receives $10,000 Grant From The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in Partnership with Macy’s

The Los Angeles LGBT Center has been awarded a grant for $10,000 from The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in partnership with Macy’s to fund an HIV prevention program tailored for LGBT youth. The grant will be used by the Center’s Sexual Health and Education Program, which provides cutting-edge HIV prevention care that includes rapid HIV antibody testing, ultra-sensitive PCR/DNA HIV testing, comprehensive Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing and STI treatment, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and more.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center

The Center is honored to be recognized by ETAF for its unique work in the community. Since 1969 the Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed and celebrated LGBT individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond. Today the Center’s nearly 600 employees provide services for more LGBT people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, Leadership and Advocacy. The organization is an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a better world; a world in which LGBT people can be healthy, equal and complete members of society.

The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) logo

The late Dame Elizabeth Taylor established The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991 to support organizations delivering direct care and services to people living with HIV and AIDS, especially the most marginalized communities. Today, ETAF also provides grants for innovative HIV prevention education and advocacy programs to existing organizations around the world. With key domestic advocacy funding focuses on comprehensive sexual health education and HIV criminalization reform, ETAF continues to bring the marginalized to the center of attention and advocate for their rights. The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation has granted to more than 675 organizations in 44 countries and nearly all 50 states in the U.S.

“The work that the Los Angeles LGBT Center does to help people affected by HIV/AIDS is impressive and very much aligned with Elizabeth Taylor’s passionate commitment to the cause,” said Joel Goldman, Managing Director of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. “ETAF and our partners at Macy’s are thrilled to present the Los Angeles LGBT Center with these funds to help further our shared mission.”

Through their Cause Marketing Program, Macy’s recognizes their responsibility to the community and their concern for the needs of their neighbors. They are proud to partner with ETAF and have contributed to this grant.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention Announces National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2017, February 7

African Americans are the racial/ethnic group most affected by HIV in the United States. Gay and bisexual men account for more than half of estimated new HIV diagnoses among African Americans. The number of HIV diagnoses among African American women has declined, though it is still high compared to women of other races/ethnicities.

February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). The theme for NBHAAD, I Am My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper: Fight HIV/AIDS, emphasizes the role that everyone can play in HIV prevention.

Coordinated by the Strategic Leadership Council, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is observed each year on February 7 to increase HIV education, testing, community involvement, and treatment among black communities.

Compared to other racial/ethnic groups in the United States, blacks/African Americans* have a disproportionate burden of HIV and AIDS. While blacks represent approximately 12% of the US population, they account for more new HIV diagnoses (44%) and people living with HIV (41%) than any other racial/ethnic group. Among all blacks, black gay and bisexual men account for the majority of new infections. Young black gay and bisexual men are especially affected.

HIV and AIDS Diagnoses b

• In 2014, 44% (19,540) of estimated new HIV diagnoses in the United States were among African Americans, who comprise 12% of the US population.
• Among all African Americans diagnosed with HIV in 2014, an estimated 73% (14,305) were men and 26% (5,128) were women.
• Among all African Americans diagnosed with HIV in 2014, an estimated 57% (11,201) were gay or bisexual men.c Of those gay and bisexual men, 39% (4,321) were young men aged 13 to 24.
• From 2005 to 2014, the number of new HIV diagnoses among African American women fell 42%, though it is still high compared to women of other races/ethnicities. In 2014, an estimated 1,350 Hispanic/Latino women and 1,483 white women were diagnosed with HIV, compared to 5,128 African American women.
• From 2005 to 2014, the number of new HIV diagnoses among African American gay and bisexual men increased 22%. But that number stabilized in recent years, increasing less than 1% since 2010.
• From 2005 to 2014, the number of new HIV diagnoses among young African American gay and bisexual men (aged 13 to 24) increased 87%. But that trend has leveled off recently, with the number declining 2% since 2010.
• In 2014, an estimated 48% (10,045) of those diagnosed with AIDS in the United States were African Americans. By the end of 2014, 42% (504,354) of those ever diagnosed with AIDS were African Americans.

Living With HIV and Deaths

HIV & AIDS in the United States Update: World AIDS Day Letter

The following letter was released by Dr. Jonathan H. Mermin and Dr. Eugene McCray of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention in celebration of World AIDS Day 2016.

December 1 is World AIDS Day, a day to unite in the fight against HIV, support people living with HIV, and honor those who have lost their life. This year’s theme, Leadership. Commitment. Impact., asks each of us to strengthen our commitment to stop HIV using the most up-to-date, evidence-based HIV interventions, prevention tools, and testing options available. In 2015, 39,513 people received a diagnosis of HIV, and over 1.2 million people are living with HIV in the United States.

Recent trends in HIV diagnoses show some promising signs of progress. From 2010 to 2014, the annual number of HIV diagnoses in the United States declined by 9%, driven by declines among heterosexuals and people who inject drugs (PWID). Diagnoses stabilized among gay and bisexual men overall, though trends varied by age, race and ethnicity. African Americans and Latinos continue to be disproportionally affected by HIV, compared with other races and ethnicities.

Despite gains in HIV prevention among PWID, the prescription opioid epidemic and increases in heroin use may threaten this success. PWID are at high risk for HIV and viral hepatitis if they share injection equipment. Today, we have options to help ensure that all PWID have access to prevention services. According to a new edition of CDC’s Vital Signs, released this week,

• PWID account for 9% of HIV diagnoses in the United States, though they make up only 0.3% of the population.
• Last year, only 1 in 4 PWID (in 22 US cities) got all their syringes from sterile sources such as syringe services programs (SSPs) and pharmacies.
• SSPs that are comprehensive not only provide PWID with better access to sterile injection equipment, but also medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder, HIV and hepatitis testing, and other HIV prevention options like condoms, behavioral interventions, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP, a daily pill that can prevent HIV).

States and local communities now have the opportunity to use federal funds under some circumstances to support SSPs. CDC guidance is available for partners interested in implementing SSPs, where permitted by local law.

On World AIDS Day and every day, [the] CDC is dedicated to reducing new HIV infections among all populations and improving health outcomes for those who are living with HIV. Current activities include

• Awards of at least $330 million each year since 2012 ($343.7 million in 2015) to health departments to direct resources to the populations and geographic areas of greatest need and prioritize the HIV prevention strategies that will have the greatest impact.

• The Capacity Building Assistance for High-Impact HIV Prevention national program that provides training and technical assistance for health departments, community-based organizations, and health care organizations to help them better address gaps in the HIV continuum of care and provide high-impact prevention to HIV-negative persons.

• The Act Against AIDS initiative that raises awareness about HIV testing and prevention through campaigns and partnerships. For example,

• Let’s Stop HIV Together is a campaign that raises awareness and fights stigma among all Americans and provides stories about people living with HIV.

• Doing It is a national testing and prevention campaign that encourages all adults to know their HIV status and make HIV testing a part of their regular health routine.

• Partnering and Communicating Together (PACT) to Act Against AIDS is a partnership with organizations such as AIDS United and I Choose Life to raise HIV awareness among populations disproportionately affected by HIV.

Thank you for your hard work and commitment to prevent HIV. Through our commitment, collaboration, and coordination, we can continue to reduce HIV incidence for all Americans and help all people with HIV live long, healthy lives.

Sincerely,

Jonathan H. Mermin, MD, MPH

RADM and Assistant Surgeon General, USPHS/Director, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/nchhstp

Eugene McCray, MD

Director, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/hiv

Gap, in Partnership with (RED), Launches Limited-Edition Collection of Utility Jackets Designed by International Street Artists

The Unisex Collection Available For Adults And Kids Launches In Conjunction With World Aids Day With Proceeds Benefitting The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Gap is continuing to commemorate (RED)’s 10th anniversary and its role as the founding apparel partner of the AIDS organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver. In anticipation of World AIDS Day, on December 1, Gap will launch a collection of their iconic Utility Jackets featuring custom designs by six of the most renowned female street artists from around the world. The talented group of women is notable for their exciting, thought-provoking work and for creating awareness of contributions by women in street art.

The unisex styles for men and women was launched on November 29th, coinciding with Giving Tuesday, a day to give back and do good. A portion of proceeds of this collection will be donated to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, adding to the $10 million dollars that Gap has already contributed to the organization over the last 10 years.

The collection includes designs by Shiro, KASHINK, Kelsey Montague, FAITH XLVII and AIKO retailing for $198, as well as a special crochet jacket by Olek retailing for $298. Designs by Shiro and Kelsey Montague will also be offered in versions for boys and girls for $128.

Olek: Olek is a Polish-born street artist and activist whose preferred medium — crochet — captivates audiences all over the world. Inspired by everything from personal text messages to train travel, she believes that life and art are inseparable.

Shiro: Shiro is an internationally recognized graffiti artist from Japan. She loves music, people, and culture. Shiro travels by herself and paints walls all over the world.

KASHINK: KASHINK is an internationally recognized street artist and social activist from Paris. Her large-scale murals celebrate the beauty of human diversity.

Kelsey Montague: Kelsey Montague is an international street artist and coloring book author known for intricate pen-and-ink drawings and a thriving social media campaign that transforms her interactive public murals into living works of art.

FAITH XLVII: A prolific, internationally acclaimed South African visual artist, FAITH XLVII is known for her street paintings, which explore the human condition. Her work spans many mediums, from painting and printmaking to video.

AIKO: Since moving from her native Tokyo to NYC in the late 90’s, AIKO has become a well-respected contemporary artist in the international street art scene, where her feminine, Pop Art-inspired graffiti has a global following.

(RED) was founded in 2006 to engage businesses and people in the fight against AIDS. (RED) partners with the world’s most iconic brands that contribute up to 50% of profits from (RED)-branded goods and services to the Global Fund. (RED) Proud Partners include: Apple, Bank of America, Beats by Dr. Dre, Belvedere, Claro, The Coca-Cola Company, GAP, Lokai, MCM, NetJets, Salesforce, SAP, Starbucks, Telcel. (RED) Special Edition partners include: aden+anais, Alessi, ALEX AND ANI, Fatboy USA, Fresh, Girl Skateboards, Gretsch, HEAD, Le Creuset, Live Nation Entertainment, Moleskine, Mophie, Piaggio and Wolfnoir.

To date, (RED) has generated $360 million for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to support HIV/AIDS grants in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia. 100 percent of that money goes to work on the ground – no overhead is taken. Global Fund grants that (RED) supports have impacted more than 70 million people with prevention, treatment, counseling, HIV testing and care services. (RED) is a division of The ONE Campaign. Learn more at www.red.org

“Gap is thrilled to partner with these talented and visionary women who are each bringing their own creative aesthetic to our iconic utility jacket,” said Wendi Goldman, Gap executive vice president and chief product officer. “We worked closely with (RED) to select artists with diverse points of view who are creating meaningful work that inspires and empowers. Each jacket offers a unique expression that customers can wear with pride to show their commitment to (RED)‘s important mission.”

“We are so grateful to these extraordinary artists for applying their limitless talent to further (RED)’s fight against AIDS,” said Deborah Dugan, (RED) chief executive officer. “This collaboration with Gap is truly unique and can’t fail to capture the imaginations of fashion fans this winter.”

World AIDS Day 2016: A Public Dedication of the New York City AIDS Memorial

Community Leaders, Activists, Donors, And Elected Officials To Gather At Seventh Avenue & Greenwich Avenue On December 1, 2016

On World AIDS Day 2016 (December 1), advocates and members of the HIV/AIDS communities will come together to remember those lost to AIDS, to honor the lives of those living with HIV, and to hold the vision for an end to the AIDS epidemic in New York.

(PRNewsFoto/New York City AIDS Memorial)

The New York City AIDS Memorial Board of Directors and representatives, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the New York State Department of Health, and the END AIDS NY 2020 Coalition have joined forces to host a public dedication of the newly completed New York City AIDS Memorial. The event opens to press at 10:15 a.m. and the program will begin at 11:00 a.m.

Artist rendition of the New York City AIDS Memorial Park at St. Vincent’s Triangle.

The Memorial is the primary feature of a new public park, the New York City AIDS Memorial Park at St. Vincent’s Triangle. The park sits between Seventh Avenue, Greenwich Avenue and West 12th Street in Manhattan’s West Village neighborhood and is the culmination of five years of planning and development. The Memorial project was launched in 2011 by Christopher Tepper and Paul Kelterborn to recognize and preserve the history of the AIDS crisis through the creation of a memorial to honor New York City’s 100,000+ men, women and children who have died from AIDS, and to commemorate and celebrate the efforts of the caregivers and activists who responded heroically to the crisis and continue to work towards the end of AIDS today. More than $6 million has been raised for the design, construction and maintenance of the Memorial, which has benefited from the generosity of many notable contributors, including world-renowned visual artist Jenny Holzer.

This World AIDS Day program will be emceed by Tony Award-winning performer Billy Porter. The program will feature a formal dedication by the New York City AIDS Memorial Board of Directors, words from elected officials, a memorial reading of names, a poetry reading by Kamilah Aisha Moon, and a performance by the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus. Representatives from the State and City Health Departments will also speak.

END AIDS NY 2020 is a statewide coalition of over 70 organizations and individuals committed to seeing an end to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York through initiatives that expand access to testing, treatment, prevention, as well as housing and other vital services. We have the power to reduce annual new HIV infections from roughly 3,000 to under 750 and eliminate HIV/ AIDS-related deaths by the year 2020. The coalition has been working together on policy and also has joined forces for a New York-wide World AIDS Day event for the past two years at the Apollo Theater.

For more information or to contribute to the New York City AIDS Memorial, visit www.nycaidsmemorial.org.

National Aids Memorial in San Francisco Commemorates 25 Years Of Remembrance, Healing And Hope With Ceremony Honoring Long-time Supporters

Volunteers gather for Community Volunteer Workday; Pay tribute to friends and loved ones lost to HIV/AIDS

Twenty-five years ago a small group of San Francisco residents representing a community devastated by the AIDS epidemic gathered in a dilapidated grove in Golden Gate Park to restore it and create a serene place where people seeking healing could gather to express their collective grief through a living memorial, an AIDS Memorial.

This past week, hundreds of supporters, volunteers and community leaders came together in “The Grove” to commemorate the 25th anniversary of what is now the National AIDS Memorial. A special ceremony paid tribute the original founders and honored supporters, including the City of San Francisco, who have helped in its mission to provide, in perpetuity, a place of remembrance so that the lives of people who died from AIDS are not forgotten and their stories are known by future generations.

“Twenty-five years ago our community was ravaged by AIDS and we came together here in this Grove to heal and remember our lost friends and loved ones,” said Jack Porter, a 25-year volunteer who lost his partner Stephen Marcus to AIDS and was honored with the “Heart of the Grove” award for his years of dedication and service. “Today, this memorial has evolved into a national treasure for our entire country to remember, seek comfort and ensure that we always keep their memory alive in our hearts.”

Circle of Friends: Volunteers and supporters gather in the “Circle of Friends” at the National AIDS Memorial following a special 25th anniversary commemoration event and Community Volunteer Workday to pay tribute to lost friends and loved ones to HIV/AIDS.

The 25th anniversary tribute began with hundreds of volunteers helping landscape and plant trees and shrubbery on the grounds of the memorial, followed by a ceremony in the Circle of Friends in honor of those lost to HIV/AIDS and an emotional performance by members of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. Community leaders in attendance included State Senator Mark Leno, San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener, Phil Ginsburg, General Manager, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and Christine Pelosi, former National AIDS Memorial Board member & long-time supporter.

Unveiling of Boulder: Senator Mark Leno joins Christine Pelosi; Phil Ginsburg general manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department; John Cunningham executive director of the National AIDS Memorial; Mike Shriver, chair of the board of the National AIDS Memorial; and San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener unveil a commemorative boulder at the National AIDS Memorial honoring the City of San Francisco as part of the 25th anniversary of the National AIDS Memorial.

Since 1991, nearly 25,000 volunteers have donated more than 150,000 hours participating in monthly Community Volunteer Workdays and other events to support the National AIDS Memorial. Every third Saturday from March to October, volunteers ranging from the very young to the elderly come together to help maintain the Grove, clearing overgrowth, reintroducing native species and planting new trees, plants and shrubs.

NAM 25th Anniversary Ceremony: (L to R) Christine Pelosi, State Senator Mark Leno, San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener, and John Cunningham, executive director, National AIDS Memorial.

That dedication, commitment and support set in motion passage of legislation spearheaded by U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996 making the Grove this nation’s sole federally-designated National AIDS Memorial.

HIV: The Long View Initiative Launches With Advocates Urging Actions To Address Barriers To Long-Term Health Among People Living With HIV

A Coalition of U.S. Advocates Explores Future Health Trends and Announces Calls to Action for HIV Education, Prevention and Care in New Evidence-based Report

Last week, a Coalition of leading HIV/AIDS advocacy groups and stakeholder organizations announced the launch of HIV: The Long View with the release of an evidence-based report that examines the potential implications of future healthcare trends on HIV care and management in the United States. Members of the Coalition include the American Academy of HIV Medicine, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, HealthyWomen, National Council on Aging and National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS. In the report, the Coalition recommends several key actions necessary to help improve the outlook for the long-term health of people living with HIV. Gilead Sciences is a partner and sponsor of the initiative.

“HIV is perhaps the most ruthless public health crisis the world has ever faced, and while the most immediate, life-threatening challenges have evolved in developed nations, we cannot lose sight of the fact that the epidemic continues to grow, even in well-resourced areas,” said Kelsey Louie, Chief Executive Officer, Gay Men’s Health Crisis. “If we are going to meaningfully advance HIV education, prevention, treatment and care, it will be due to multidisciplinary collaborations like HIV: The Long View that identify and strive to help work through the complex socioeconomic and healthcare factors that currently deny a long-term healthy future to many people living with and at risk for HIV.”

The report is a result of an in-depth research process collaboratively reviewed, scrutinized and translated by the HIV: The Long View Coalition to determine a potential future state of HIV healthcare in the United States over the next two decades. The method allowed the Coalition to develop corresponding calls to action to help HIV stakeholders support the long-term health and well-being of people living with and at risk for HIV, including:

September 27 is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

September 27 is National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day of action—initiated by United States’ governing health body, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention— to focus on what each of us can do to reduce the toll of HIV among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM). More directly, National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NGMHAAD) is observed each year to direct attention to the continuing and disproportionate impact of HIV and AIDS on gay and bisexual men in the United States.

HIV Among Gay and Bisexual Men – Fast Facts from the CDC:

• Gay and bisexual men are more severely affected by HIV than any other group in the United States.
• From 2005 to 2014, HIV diagnoses decreased in the United States by 19% overall, but increased 6% among all gay and bisexual men, driven by increases among African American and Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men.
• Over the past 5 years (2010-2014), the increase in HIV diagnoses among all gay and bisexual men was less than 1%, although progress has been uneven among races/ethnicities.

Although only 2% of the US population, gay and bisexual men account for more than half of the 1.2 million people living with HIV in the United States and two-thirds of all new diagnoses each year. If trends continue, 1 in 6 gay and bisexual men will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetime, including 1 in 2 black gay and bisexual men, 1 in 4 Latino gay and bisexual men, and 1 in 11 white gay and bixesual men. But these rates are not inevitable. There are many actions gay and bisexual men can take to protect themselves and those they care about from HIV. And each of us can take action to help ensure gay and bisexual men know what options are available. We have more prevention tools today than ever before.

Estimated New HIV Diagnoses Among the Most-Affected Subpopulations, 2014—United States. Image and information courtesy of The (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The Numbers – HIV and AIDS Diagnosesd

In 2014:

• Gay and bisexual men accounted for 83% (29,418) of the estimated new HIV diagnoses among all males aged 13 and older and 67% of the total estimated new diagnoses in the United States.
• Gay and bisexual men aged 13 to 24 accounted for an estimated 92% of new HIV diagnoses among all men in their age group and 27% of new diagnoses among all gay and bisexual men. 
• Gay and bisexual men accounted for an estimated 54% (11,277) of people diagnosed with AIDS. Of those men, 39% were African American, 32% were white, and 24% were Hispanic/Latino.

Although HIV diagnoses increased among gay and bisexual men overall from 2005 to 2014—and increased sharply among African American and Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men—diagnoses overall have stabilized in more recent years:

• From 2010 to 2014, diagnoses increased less than 1% among all gay and bisexual men overall and among African American gay and bisexual men. Diagnoses:
  • Declined 6% among white gay and bisexual men.
  • Increased 13% among Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men.
• From 2010 to 2014, among young (aged 13 to 24) gay and bisexual men, diagnoses: 
  • Declined 2% among young African American gay and bisexual men.
  • Declined less than 1% among young white gay and bisexual men.
  • Increased 16% among young Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men.

Living With HIV

• At the end of 2013, 687,800 gay and bisexual men were living with HIV. Of those, 15% were unaware of their infection.
• Among gay and bisexual men diagnosed with HIV infection in 2014, 84% were linked to medical care within three months of diagnosis.e
• During 2013, 57% of gay and bisexual men who had been living with diagnosed HIV for at least a year were retained in care (receiving continuous HIV medical care) and 58% had a suppressed viral load (a very low level of the virus). e

Prevention Challenges

• Gay and bisexual men continue to experience the greatest burden of HIV compared to any other group in the United States. Therefore gay and bisexual men have an increased chance of being exposed to HIV. A 2016 analysis estimated that there are nearly 4.5 million gay and bisexual men in the United States and that 15% are living with HIV infection (11% diagnosed).
• Nearly 1 in 7 gay and bisexual men living with HIV are unaware they have it. People who don’t know they have HIV cannot get the medicines they need to stay healthy and reduce the likelihood of transmitting HIV to their partners. Therefore, they may transmit the infection to others without knowing it.
• Most gay and bisexual men acquire HIV through having anal sex with an HIV-positive person without using a condom or without taking daily medicine to prevent HIV called pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) or without their partner taking medicine to treat HIV called Antiretroviral Therapy (ART). Anal sex is the riskiest type of sex for getting or transmitting HIV. Receptive anal sex is 13 times as risky for acquiring HIV as insertive anal sex. Using condoms the right way every time and taking medicines to prevent or treat HIV each can reduce the risk of getting or transmitting HIV. Combining 2 or more options provides more protection from HIV and condoms also protect from some sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
• Gay and bisexual men are also at increased risk for other Sexually Transmitted Diseases, like syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia.
• Homophobia, stigma, and discrimination may place gay and bisexual men at risk for multiple physical and mental health problems and affect whether they seek and are able to obtain high-quality health services.

What The CDC Is Doing

The Centers For Disease Control And Prevention (CDC) funds health departments and other Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to support HIV prevention services for gay and bisexual men. For example,

Kiehl’s Since 1851 Embarks on 7TH Annual LifeRide for amfAR

Support the LifeRide and Help amfAR Make AIDS History

Maintaining its long-standing tradition of supporting HIV/AIDS charities, Kiehl’s Since 1851, the venerable New York-based purveyor of fine quality skin and hair care, is pleased to announce its continued partnership with amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, and the seventh annual Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR.

Inspired by a Kiehl’s icon – the motorcycle – a spirit of adventure and philanthropic heritage, the seventh annual LifeRide continues the brand’s mission to heighten awareness and raise funds for amfAR. Beginning in Kiehl’s hometown of New York City and ending in Philadelphia, this 11-day, multi-stop charity motorcycle ride takes place August 3-13, 2016.

In celebration of the 7th Annual Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR, Kiehl’s Since 1851 offers a Limited Edition Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, a jumbo size of the company’s classic formula and customer favorite. 100% of Kiehl’s net profits from the sale of this product, up to $25,000, will benefit amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. The Limited Edition Ultimate Strength Hand Salve will be available in a specially designed 7.8.oz size, and is adorned with a red cap. It is $28.50 at Kiehl’s retail stores and specialty store partners nationwide, and at Kiehls.com/LifeRide2016. (PRNewsFoto/Kiehl’s Since 1851)

In conjunction with this year’s ride, Kiehl’s is pleased to announce a new public service announcement campaign “The Cure Is In Your Hands,” featuring Whoopi Goldberg and Dita Von Teese, the biggest name in burlesque in the world. This PSA partnership with amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, will raise awareness for HIV/AIDS statistics in the U.S.

Both women have generously supported amfAR initiatives throughout the years and will appear in print visuals and a special video. Also appearing in the video are four real people openly living with HIV including Regan Hofmann, UNAIDS Officer and amfAR Trustee. The full video can be found here: https://youtu.be/gp-WXMj2i3g

Kiehl’s will donate a total of $150,000 to amfAR over the course of the ride, which rallies with the public at 10 store stops along the route. At each stop, the public will be invited to meet the riders, learn more about amfAR and contribute to the non-profit.

Chris Salgardo, President, Kiehl’s USA and Kevin Robert Frost, CEO, amfAR will lead this year’s group of influential riders, which include Anthony Carrino, TV host,  Kurt Yaeger, actor; Ben Cohen, rugby champion; Luke Wessman, tattoo artist; Gilles Marini, actor; Marcel Floruss, blogger; Grant Reynolds, actor; Milissa Sears, actor; Ian Bohen, actor; Nina Senicar, model; Jay Ellis, actor; Scott Patterson, actor; Josh Mario John, model;  Teddy Sears, actor and JR Bourne, actor. 

Key partners for the ride include Cadillac and global airline Delta. Additional support is provided by Greats Shoe Brand, Ray-Ban, Woolrich, Dockers and FIJI Water.

HARNESSING THE POWER OF ART TO BRIGHTEN LIVES: As a part of the New York kickoff of the ride, Kiehl’s is thrilled to join forces with artist José Parlá and RxArt to help brighten the lives of young people living with HIV/AIDS. On August 3rd, a new, original installation by Parlá will be unveiled at Incarnation Children’s Center (ICC). ICC is New York City’s only pediatric skilled nursing facility exclusively offering specialized care for children and adolescents living with HIV/AIDS. Currently, there are 21 residents, ages 9 to 21 years old, many of whom have grown up living at ICC.

Parlá, known for his vibrant and engaging work and public installations, has created a large-scale painting on an exterior wall of ICC’s roof terrace and new work that will be fabricated as wall coverings for some of ICC’s most-used living spaces: the dining room, the main hallway and multipurpose room. This unique installation aims to transform a sterile environment into one that provides light and hope to the residents.

To continue this spirit of local giving, for the first time ever, the ride will make donations to local organizations throughout the route with the goal of giving back to and uniting all the communities LifeRide touches.

Hartford: AIDS Connecticut, www.aids-ct.org

Provincetown: AIDS Support Group Cape Cod, www.asgcc.org

Boston: AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts, www.aac.org

Philadelphia: Philadelphia Fight Community Health Centers, www.fight.org

JOIN THE RIDE!: In celebration of LifeRide, every customer who visits one of these stores on its event day will receive a 15% discount on all purchases, with the exception of charitable products and value sets. Kiehl’s will donate that 15% to amfAR, up to $125,000.

Kiehl’s will also offer a nationwide fundraising discount of 15% off all purchases with the exception of charitable products and value sets at remaining Kiehl’s retail stores nationwide and www.Kiehls.com, Aug. 6 through Aug. 8. Kiehl’s will donate that 15% difference to amfAR, up to the $125,000 total donation.

Kiehl’s and amfAR invite all to be a part of this year’s ride. The public is welcome at the following store stops:

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 3—MANHATTAN

Kiehl’s at Saks Fifth Avenue, 611 5th Ave. New York, NY, 12:30-1:30PM

Kiehl’s Since 1851 Flagship, 109 3rd Ave. New York, NY, 6-7PM

THURSDAY, AUG. 4—LONG ISLAND

Kiehl’s Since 1851, Roosevelt Field, 630 Old Country Rd, Garden City, NY, 12-1PM

FRIDAY, AUG. 5—HARTFORD

Kiehl’s Since 1851, Westfarms, 1500 New Britain Ave, West Hartford, CT, 12-1PM

TUESDAY, AUG. 9—PROVINCETOWN

Kiehl’s Since 1851, 200 Commercial St, Unit A, Provincetown, MA, 11AM-12PM

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 10—BOSTON

Kiehl’s Since 1851, 112 Newbury St, Boston, MA 11AM-12PM

Kiehl’s Since 1851, Burlington Mall, 75 Middlesex Turnpike, Burlington, MA 1-2PM

SATURDAY, AUG. 13—PHILADELPHIA

Kiehl’s at Neiman Marcus, King of Prussia, 170 N Gulph Rd, King of Prussia, PA, 11AM-12PM

Kiehl’s Since 1851, King of Prussia, 160 N Gulph Rd, King of Prussia, PA, 1-2PM

LIFERIDE FINALE! Kiehl’s Since 1851, The Shops at Liberty Place, 1625 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA, 3-4PM

Kiehl’s customers nationwide can join the fight against HIV/AIDS through the purchase of Kiehl’s Limited Edition Ultimate Strength Hand Salve, a jumbo-size of the brand’s classic formula. 100% of net profits from the sale of this product, up to $25,000, will benefit amfAR. The Limited Edition Ultimate Strength Hand Salve is adorned with a red cap and will be available for $28.50 at all Kiehl’s retail stores, www.Kiehls.com and specialty store partners nationwide.

EIGHTH CURE-RELATED GRANT: For the first time, Kiehl’s LifeRide for amfAR will fund a specific grant as a result of the ride: Satish Pillai, Ph.D., Associate Investigator at the Blood Systems Research Institute and Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine at UCSF. Dr. Pillai led research that demonstrated precisely how interferon, which is still used in combination with other drugs to treat hepatitis C, attacks HIV at the molecular level within the living. The discovery advanced efforts to enhance the body’s defense mechanisms, especially its production of restriction factors that potently suppress HIV replication. This work led to his team’s recent discovery that interferon-mediated immune factors play an important role in determining the size of the latent HIV reservoir in HIV-infected individuals on antiretroviral therapy.

For more information on the research Dr. Pillai conducts, please view this video in which he explains his work in layman’s terms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFlebhZAHkU.

Together, from all of these elements, and with the help of friends, customers and riders, by the end of the seventh annual LifeRide for amfAR, Kiehl’s will have raised $1,600,000 for amfAR via motorcycle rides and event donations since 2010. Support the LifeRide…help amfAR make AIDS history.

To find out more about LifeRide, obtain a schedule of events, or get involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS, please visit www.kiehls.com/liferide2016

Gap Marks (RED)’s 10th Anniversary in the Fight Against AIDS

Gap Has Raised $10M For The Global Fund Since 2006; Launches Special Product Collection To Mark (RED)’s 10th Anniversary

Gap is proud to commemorate (RED)‘s 10th anniversary and its role as the founding apparel partner of the AIDS organization founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver (to engage businesses and people in the fight against AIDS. (RED) partners with the world’s most iconic brands that contribute up to 50% of profits from (RED)-branded goods and services to the Global Fund), Gap has contributed $10 million dollars to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and has encouraged customers to support the fight through its (RED) partnership product collections that have heightened awareness of the AIDS pandemic and the opportunity to end it by 2030.

(PRNewsFoto/Gap)

To mark the anniversary, Gap is releasing a special collection of favorites for the entire family. The iconic (Gap)RED logo design, featuring inspiring text such as SUPER POWE(RED), INC(RED)IBLE and FI(RED) UP, will be offered in tees, sweatshirts and tanks for men, women and kids and in onesies for baby ($24.95-$54.95). Outerwear and denim will also be offered for men and women, including a classic bomber and straight selvedge jeans for men and a denim jacket, jeans and sleeveless puffer vest for women ($79.95-$108). The collection will be available at select Gap stores around the world and on www.gap.com beginning July 26.

“It is an honor for Gap to celebrate (RED)’s 10th anniversary. We’re proud of Gap’s role in helping (RED) launch 10 years ago,” said Jeff Kirwan, Global President, Gap. “(GAP)RED takes what we do best – creating great products that people love – and provides customers an opportunity to take part in positive change. We’re pleased that our (GAP)RED collections spark meaningful conversations that inspire people to join the movement to end AIDS.“

Selected styles from Gap’s new (RED) collection available for the entire family. (PRNewsFoto/Gap)

Deborah Dugan, CEO, (RED) said: “This year is an important anniversary year for (RED) which has generated a total of $350 million so far and impacted the lives of 70 million people. With our wonderful (RED) partners like Gap, we’re doubling down on our efforts to fight this preventable, treatable disease. We’re honored to see Gap once again bringing great (RED) apparel items to their stores around the world, making it easy for everyone, everywhere, to join the fight.”

Mark Dybul, Executive Director, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, said: “The $10 million generated by Gap through their (RED) partnership underlines the importance of the private sector to ending the AIDS epidemic. Their contribution has enabled the Global Fund to improve the lives of many affected by HIV.”

To amplify the collection’s important message, Gap will release a series of videos that demonstrate the partnership’s impact on the fight against AIDS. This storytelling will engage audiences across Gap’s digital channels and social platforms and customers are encouraged to join the conversation by tagging social content with the hashtag #endAIDS.

(RED) Proud Partners include: Apple, Bank of America, Beats by Dr. Dre, Belvedere, Claro, The Coca-Cola Company, GAP, MCM, NetJets, Salesforce, SAP, Starbucks, Telcel.

(RED) Special Edition partners include: aden+anais, Alessi, ALEX AND ANI, Billecart-Salmon, Ergo Depot, Fresh, Fatboy USA, Fresh, Girl Skateboards, HEAD, Le Creuset, Live Nation Entertainment, Moleskine, Mophie, NetJets, Piaggio, Uber, and Wolfnoir.

To date, (RED) has generated $350 million for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to support HIV/AIDS grants in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia. 100 percent of that money goes to work on the ground – no overhead is taken. Global Fund grants that (RED) supports have impacted more than 70 million people with prevention, treatment, counseling, HIV testing and care services. (RED) is a division of The ONE Campaign. Learn more at www.red.org

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) Announces New Awards for Grant-Making Partnership with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF)

$330,000 In Grant Awards Focus On The Aids Epidemic In The Southern United States

“Join us in speaking out, taking action, and contributing to our efforts to achieve a world without AIDS.” – The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF)

The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) announced a second year of grant awards made in partnership with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF). With the support of $100,000 in funding from The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, EJAF has awarded $330,000 in grants to five organizations addressing the AIDS epidemic in the Southern part of the United States. EJAF is excited about the continued impact this partnership will have in advancing the fight against HIV/AIDS in the Southern United States where it is needed most.

Elton John AIDS Foundation logo (PRNewsFoto/Elton John AIDS Foundation)

At the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) they believe that AIDS can be beaten. They act on that belief by raising funds for evidence-based programs and policies, and also by speaking out with honesty and compassion about the realities of people’s lives. Elton John created EJAF over twenty years ago, first in the United States in 1992 and then in the United Kingdom in 1993. Through hard work and with the help of a wide range of kind and generous friends and supporters—and the annual Elton John Oscar Night Viewing party held in Los Angeles, the two foundations together have raised more than $349 million over the past two decades to combat stigma, prevent infections, provide treatment and services, and motivate governments to end AIDS. The U.S. foundation focuses its efforts on programs in the United States, the Americas, and the Caribbean, while the U.K. foundation funds HIV-related work in Europe,Asia, and Africa.

The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) logo

“Poor access to HIV testing and good healthcare, as well as pervasive inequality for people most vulnerable to the disease, continue to make the U.S. South an epicenter of today’s AIDS crisis,” said EJAF Chairman David Furnish. “This is particularly true for LGBTQ individuals and Black Americans living in the Southern states. A recent CDC report has projected that, if HIV infection rates remain unchanged, half of all Black gay men will test positive for HIV at some point in their lifetime, as well as one in four Latino gay men, and one in eleven white gay men.  By making these grants, both Foundations commit to relentless advocacy and investment until we see meaningful and lasting change in the course of this epidemic.”

The projects being supported include:

– A Birmingham, Alabama center providing a safe, supportive, and affirming space for LGBTQ youth;

– A Georgia-based advocacy center focused on the impact of HIV/AIDS on young black gay men;

– A Jacksonville, Florida organization providing young LGBT people with access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP);

– A Memphis, Tennessee program supporting the needs of Black gay families; and

– An Atlanta-based community organization engaging transgender people of color, the larger LGBTQ community, and supportive allies to advocate for the end of policies that criminalize HIV/AIDS.

Elizabeth Taylor established The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991 to support organizations delivering direct care and services to people living with HIV and AIDS, often to the most marginalized populations. Today, ETAF also provides funding for HIV prevention education and advocacy programs throughout the world, including existing organizations creating new and innovative techniques that help spread awareness of HIV prevention and treatment to targeted communities. To date ETAF has granted $17 million to more than 675 organizations in 44 countries and 42 states in the U.S. 

The path that Elizabeth Taylor paved continues through the work of ETAF. She arranged for ETAF to go on in perpetuity with the operating costs paid for by her Trust. Therefore, 100% of every dollar donated goes directly to helping people affected by HIV/AIDS. To advance the founders’ vision of helping the most marginalized people within the AIDS community, Ms. Taylor’s friends and family are working together as ETAF Ambassadors to help keep the issue of HIV/AIDS top-of-mind for the public. (To learn more or to make a donation, please visit www.elizabethtayloraidsfoundation.org.)

“Far too many people are denied equal rights and equal access to health care in this country, especially in the Southern U.S.  This partnership helps to address the serious inequities that exist in the provision of education, diagnosis, and treatment for the people most vulnerable to HIV/AIDS,” said ETAF Managing Director Joel Goldman. “At The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, we are thrilled to join the Elton John AIDS Foundation to help right this imbalance and address the needs of the hardest-hit areas and populations in the U.S. South.”

“In the 1980s when the AIDS epidemic began, Elizabeth Taylor was the brightest star in Hollywood, one of the greatest celebrities in the world,” said EJAF Founder Sir Elton John. “But she was also willing to get her hands dirty.  She stood up for gay people when few others would, and she got right into the nitty-gritty of AIDS policy and fought for the cause, without a moment’s hesitation or thought for her own reputation.  Elizabeth was my dear friend, and she remains one of my heroes. I am extremely proud of EJAF’s partnership with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation to help carry her great legacy forward.“

For more information, please visit www.ejaf.org. American Airlines is the official airline of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.