World Aids Day } From Gay Speaker Christine C. Quinn
Speaker Christine C. Quinn
December 1, 2011
World AIDS DAY Report
Getting to Zero
Dear New Yorker,
It's been 30 years since we first learned about HIV and AIDS, and the world has never been the same.
The theme of World AIDS Day this year is "Getting to Zero." This means zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths.
It's a sobering reminder that the AIDS epidemic is far from over.
It's also a call to action to get tested; to talk about HIV with your friends and loved ones; to let them know that the fight against AIDS continues and that we all have a role to play in beating this disease.
Our most powerful weapon in the fight against HIV/AIDS is – and has always been – our voice.
The more we speak out and take advantage of the programs and initiatives in place to prevent the spread of the virus, the closer we'll get to 'zero'.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the initiatives listed below, please feel free to contact the Council's LGBT and HIV/AIDS Liaison, Carlos Menchaca. He can be reached by phone at (212) 788-5646 or by e-mail at cmenchaca@council.nyc.gov.
Thank you.
Best,
Chris Quinn
Speaker
Huffington Post Op-Ed in Honor of World AIDS Day
Below is an excerpt from my op-ed in today's Huffington Post in honor of World AIDS Day. In it, I talk about seeing a name that I recognized on one of AIDS Quilt panels on display this week at the Emigrant Savings Bank:
"As I looked closer at the memorial I realized I recognized a name: Bill Jacobson, the son of my accountant. Bill and his family represent everything that is good about NYC. Bill grew up on the Lower East Side to a family who ran an accounting business. When he was 15 years old, Bill went to work at H&R Block. The customers were initially wary of going to someone so young for financial advice, but pretty soon he became known for being the smartest person in the room.
When the Jacobsons found themselves short staffed before tax season one year, Bill jumped in and started working for them. The Jacobsons are a hardworking family and they have built a successful enterprise over time. They are loving and giving, celebrating the holidays together, working together and caring for each other. The pain of losing Bill at such a young age is only too hard to imagine.
Bill also represents what we lost in a generation of people in NYC during the past 30 years. So many brilliant, vibrant people. So many families, friends and loved ones.
They are irreplaceable."
You can read more at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-c-quinn/on-world-aids-day---go-ou_b_1123508.html.
New "I Talk Because..." Videos
Our online HIV awareness campaign continues to showcase stories about the importance of talking about HIV and AIDS and getting tested.
Today, I'm happy to share new videos from several Council Members and faith leaders who've joined our "I Talk Because..." campaign.
AIDS Quilt Comes to NYC
In honor of World AIDS Day, panels from The NAMES Foundation's AIDS Memorial Quilt were on display this week at the Emigrant Savings Bank in Lower Manhattan.
Created in San Francisco in1987 to commemorate the lives of people lost to AIDS, the Quilt is comprised of more than 40,000 panels, with each section measuring approximately 12 square feet.
While these quilted panels are impressive, beautiful memorials, they're also a somber reminder of the terrible toll this epidemic has had and continues to have on our lives.
On World AIDS Day – and truly, every day – it's critically important that we all continue to do our part to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS in our communities.
Protect Yourself, Know Your Status
The most common method of HIV transmission is through unprotected sex.
Although condoms don't eliminate the risk of transmission, they greatly reduce the risk of becoming infected.
Since it's impossible to know the status of each person you come into contact with, the best way to stay healthy is to always protect yourself. Use proper precautions, limit random sexual encounters, ask your partners if they know their status, and finally, GET TESTED.
There are many testing facilities right here in New York City. You can use the AIDS.gov Locator Widget at http://aids.gov/widgets-and-badges to find a testing center and other important healthcare services near you.
With all of these resources available to us, HIV/AIDS can easily be prevented and coped with.
Hairdressers Against AIDS
I was honored to join Hairdressers Against AIDS in Harlem this morning to support their Use Your Voice, Use Your Power, For A Beautiful World Without AIDS campaign.
Millions of people sit in salon chairs every day, speaking with their hairdressers about their lives.
Hairdressers Against AIDS was created to empower hairdressers and salon professionals throughout the country and around the world to use their unique relationship with their clients and communities to help educate and help prevent the spread of HIV.
This group has been a critical partner in our efforts to encourage others to get tested, stay healthy and talk about HIV with the people in their lives.
To find out more about Hairdressers Against AIDS and their Beautiful World Without AIDS campaign, log on to www.HairdressersAgainstAIDS.com.
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