by Susannah Indigo
(12/01/07)

"From the death row of prison to the soup kitchen door,
each soul is an equal in the eyes of the lord
... once they were loved,
they were somebody's husband, somebody's son."

I find that one of the most powerful experiences to take part in on World AIDS Day is to read some of these stories about how it did indeed "happen" to people, including kids finding out at age 12 that they're HIV positive:

art by Paul Olaj, Uganda

Listen to this new report on NPR that explores the news that HIV/AIDS is spreading at an epidemic rate in Washington, D.C. with Dr. Shannon Hader, who is the director of the D.C. HIV/AIDS administration, which issued the report. Hader is joined by Rae Lewis Thornton, who is an HIV/AIDS advocate and 21-year-survivor of the disease, to discuss the details of the new report.

Read this recent article in the New York Times suggesting that HIV/AIDS may have passed its "peak" already.

2 piece outfit made from condoms

Names You May Recognize from the AIDS quilt:

o Peter Allen, entertainer
o Arthur Ashe, tennis player
o Michael Bennett, director/choreographer
o Kimberly Bergalis, advocate for HIV testing of health care workers
o Mel Boozer, black and gay rights activist
o Arthur Bressan, Jr., filmmaker
o Michael Callen, singer
o Tina Chow, clothing designer
o Roy Cohn, attorney
o Brad Davis, actor (Midnight Express, Querelle, etc.)
o Eazy E, rap artist
o Perry Ellis, fashion designer
o Wayland Flowers (Madam), comedian
o Michel Foucault, philosopher
o Alison Gertz, AIDS activist
o Halston, fashion designer
o Keith Haring, artist
o Rock Hudson, actor
o Richard Hunt, Muppeteer (Scooter, Janice, Beaker, etc.)
o James Kirkwood, writer
o Liberace, performer
o Arnold Lobel, children's author
o Robert Mapplethorpe, photographer
o Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, gay rights activist
o Stewart McKinney, U.S. Congressman, R-CT
o Freddie "Mercury" Bulsara, lead singer of rock group Queen
o Rudolf Nureyev, ballet dancer
o Anthony Perkins, actor (Psycho)
o Robert Reed, actor (The Brady Bunch)
o Tim Richmond, NASCAR Driver
o Marlon Riggs, filmmaker
o Max Robinson, ABC news anchor
o Vito Russo, writer
o Jerry Smith, Washington Redskin
o Willi Smith, fashion designer
o Sylvester, singer
o Dr. Tom Waddell, Olympic athlete
o Ryan White, AIDS activist
o Ricky Wilson, guitarist, the B-52s

And last but not least, it is the holiday season, and everyone's favorite Pretty Woman has created a lovely gift that keeps on giving:

"Julia Roberts has helped to create a beautiful accessory for both women and men, which will also be a visible reminder of the part we can all play in fighting AIDS in Africa," Armani said about his working together with Julia. The bracelet Julia has designed, a bohemian-style leather one, comes in red for women and brown for men. The bracelets feature an imprint of a "tree of life" with the words "Revolution-Evolution-Devotion" with the initials 'JR' on the inside. The bracelet is $175 for women and $195 for men, and will go on sale at emporioarmani.com on World AIDS Day on December 1st, and then be available in stores from February 1st next year. Proceeds from the sales of the bracelet will benefit (PRODUCT) RED, the business initiative started by U2 front man Bono and Bobby Shriver to help combat HIV/AIDS in Africa.