West Hollywood on Tuesday will remember those who have died from AIDS and honor those who work to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS as part of World AIDS Day.
World AIDS Day has been observed on Dec. 1 since 1988 and is one of eight global public health campaigns recognized by the World Health Organization. HIV/AIDS has had a particularly large impact on West Hollywood, 40% of whose population identifies as gay men.
In West Hollywood, the event will begin at 6 p.m. with a candlelight march. The march will begin at the northwest corner of Crescent Heights and Santa Monica boulevards and end at 7 p.m. at West Hollywood Park. Those participating will walk past a series of memorial plaques from Fairfax Avenue to Doheny Drive. The candlelight march is supported by the Alliance for Health and Healing, AIDS/LifeCycle, AIDS Project Los Angleles, Being Alive, West Hollywood Cheerleaders and the Life Group.
From 5 to 7 p.m. at the City Council Chambers at 625 N. San Vicente Blvd. south of Santa Monica there will be a presentation of AIDSWatch. AIDSWatch is an electronic art piece that presents the names of people who have died of AIDS. Begun on World AIDS Day in 1996, AIDSWatch continues to collect the names of people who have died of AIDS. Viewers can submit them by going to its website. People also can see the AIDSWatch presentation on its website and on WeHoTV.
At 7 p.m. the Paul Starke Warrior Awards will be presented to individuals who provide HIV or substance abuse services. As part of that event there will be presentations from the UCLA Center for World Health and the Foundation for a National AIDS Monument. The Foundation is working to memorialize the more that 650,000 people who have died from the disease with an installation in West Hollywood Park designed by Daniel Tobin, an Australian artist and designer.
Also at the Council Chambers film clips from “Young City at War: Stories from West Hollywood During the AIDS Epidemic” will be screened and there will be a reading by WeHo city poet Steven Reigns. One can RSVP for this event to Corey Roskin at croskin@weho.org or by calling (323) 848-6403.
Beginning Monday there will be a display of a panel of the AIDS Quilt at West Hollywood City Hall at 8300 Santa Monica Blvd. at Sweetzer. The display will be up through Friday and can be viewed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
It’s important to commemorate, acknowledging loss and remembering struggle, not just around AIDS and LGBT issues. So many LGBT activists were long before AIDS (disproportionately) active in racial Civil Rights, anti-Vietnam war, anti-Central America intervention, and feminist causes. But none of us need claim “heroic” status. All did what we could do within our limitations and aspirations in that time of what might be called “euphoric fear.” As for the proposed design of the AIDS Monument, it could more properly be scaled back to a reflective ‘memorial” without all the interactive/reflexive distractions. A place of contemplation, not faux entertainment disguised… Read more »