In 1988, the World Health Organization (WHO) designated December 1st as World AIDS Day (WAD), created to unite people across the globe in support of people living with HIV, to raise awareness about HIV-related stigma, and to commemorate those in the community who have passed away. So, what does WAD mean to PWN and our members? Well, like most things in life–it’s complicated.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of WAD, themed “Remember and Commit.” PWN is committed to combating HIV stigma, including state-sanctioned stigma that manifests as HIV-related criminalization, while using a racial and gender justice lens. We continually remember those in our community that are no longer with us, honoring them and their contributions to our movement, while we celebrate those who continue the fight. This World AIDS Day, we remember PWN members Tiffany Marrero and Rymsky Evans, leaders and beloved community-members who transitioned in 2023. We also remember and commit to support, listen to, pay, protect, and uplift the Black women–trans and cis–whose shoulders we stand on and whose revolutionary work is too often unrecognized or uncredited.
And yet, even on a day dedicated to recognizing how HIV continues to impact our society, there are crucial pieces missing from the public discourse. Government and public health agencies tend to focus on a biomedical approach to HIV, which ignores the quality of life of PLHIV; on prevention programing, which takes an overwhelming majority of funding for public HIV services; and on status “neutrality,” which refuses to acknowledge that living with HIV is not a “neutral” experience, diverting critical resources from PLHIV and minimizing the importance of protecting human rights specifically for people living with HIV.
People living with HIV are strong, resilient, and will continue to live and thrive, even after the “epidemic ends.” We demand quality, culturally, and linguistically relevant care and services, economic justice, housing as a human right, and full dignity for the duration of our lives. PWN commits to keep fighting for a world where our communities have their needs met, and live free from stigma, discrimination, and criminalization.
Join us in commemorating World AIDS Day by calling on the global HIV response to center and meaningfully engage all people living with HIV, especially Black, Indigenous and People of Color, those aging with HIV, long-term survivors, lifetime survivors (Dandelions), immigrants, sex workers, and people who use substances.
