Dec. 1, 2016: Free showing of HBO Film 'The Normal Heart' for World AIDS Day
by Michelle Saport |
On Thursday, Dec. 1, communities around the globe, including Anchorage, will be recognizing
. This is a day to remember and honor the lives of those lost to HIV/AIDS, as well
as talk about the current status of the epidemic. This year, the Alaskan AIDS Assistance
Association (Four A's) is collaborating with 新加坡六合彩开奖's Wendy Williamson Auditorium to
host a free World AIDS Day event featuring award-winning HBO film . It will be shown on the big screen at 新加坡六合彩开奖's Wendy Williamson Auditorium in Anchorage
for one showing only at 7 p.m.
At 6 p.m., community members will gather outside the auditorium for a candlelight vigil. Attendees will lift up the names of those who have died, while committing to care for those who live with HIV/AIDS. A reception will follow at 6:30 p.m. with various community partners providing information regarding HIV services and advocacy.
From director Ryan Murphy and writer Larry Kramer, The Normal Heart is set in New York City during the onset of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the early 1980s. This movie takes an unflinching look at the nation's sexual politics, as gay activists and their allies in the medical community fight to expose the truth about the burgeoning epidemic to a city and nation in denial. The Normal Heart won a Golden Globe and 22 other awards, including two Emmy awards, and will grip attendees.
The landscape of HIV/AIDS has changed drastically since the era portrayed in The Normal Heart. Knowledge of the disease has greatly increased, and there are better treatment and prevention options-however, the epidemic is far from over. The World Health Organization estimates that 37 million people are currently living with HIV worldwide.
Locally, nearly half of Alaskans living with HIV report that they continue to experience discrimination based on their HIV status. With the continued rise of heroin use in Alaska and nationwide, injection drug users are at high risk for contracting the disease. On World AIDS Day, we gather to remember how far we have come and how far we have yet to go in fighting HIV/AIDS and its stigma.
Join us on Dec. 1 to unite in remembrance and in hope. To learn more, please visit .