Joshua Tree Feeding Program

🇺🇸 “Coming out at 19 in 1984, close to the beginning of the AIDS crisis, was a little like being drafted into fighting a war that most people didn’t even know was going on. I remember seeing flyers at Oberlin College’s Lesbian/Gay Union office encouraging gay men not to get tested for HIV, because too little was known about what would happen to the information. There were rumors about quarantining HIV+ gay men, or possibly all gay men. The distrust of a criminally negligent and unresponsive government was real.

I remember John Calvi, a massage therapist and folk singer/songwriter traveling through Oberlin, giving free seminars on safe(r) s*x during the day, and singing “Better Blatant than Latent” at night at the Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse. I remember being a typical h***y 19 year old, but also being scared—really scared—about what I was hearing about gay men and s*x. That fear—that equating s*x with sickness and death—would inform my approach to s*x for most of my adult life.

I remember transferring to Rutgers University and quickly becoming a campus activist, not only for the le***an and gay community, but also for AIDS education. I read as much as I could about AIDS, and I’d be called upon to do peer education. I didn’t know it at the time, but I also met a friend who I would later learn had been HIV+ the entire time we knew each other—and he never told me. Later, I had the honor of reading John Arnn’s name on the National Mall in DC during the 1996 display of the NAMES Project quilt.

In my senior year I remember going to New York to participate in my first ACT UP meeting and a massive action the following day at City Hall. It was exhilarating and empowering, and we felt like we were going to change the world. And we did. We lost far too many along the way. Whenever you heard anyone call out “ACT UP!,” the response was a group “FIGHT BACK! FIGHT AIDS!” and there was tremendous comfort in that. In the early days there was so little hope, and so little that could be done medically, so any group act of defiance—against the disease, against the government and medical community—felt good. I’m fighting back tears as I type that.

After graduating from Rutgers in 1989, I moved to DC and soon joined the group Oppression Under Target (OUT), an offshoot of the 1987 March on Washington local organizing committee, and then helped form ACT UP/DC. With heavy hitters like Michael Petrellis, Jason Heffner, and so many others, we took on the federal government through our local actions, and organized the Philip Morris boycott for their support of virulently anti-gay senator Jesse Helms. With my degree in graphic design, I volunteered to design the group’s logo and lots of flyers, t-shirts, stickers, and more. A cold remedy called Contac had an ad on the air around that time, and I repurposed their slogan for us: “Until there’s a cure, there’s ACT UP.”

I joined the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington in 1990, and I remember singing at memorial services and funerals for far too many members. Michael Callen’s “Love Don’t Need A Reason” was a staple of those services: “Love is all we have for now. What we don’t have is time.”

And then I remember when the protease inhibitors arrived. The partner of a friend was part of an NIH clinical trial, and shared with me the miraculous news that the meds were working. His T-cells had stabilized. The war wasn’t over, but there was a reprieve, a pause. A chance to breathe. Antiretrovirals and PREP have rendered HIV/AIDS a manageable disease where they’re available.

I recently turned 60, a milestone that too many of my peers and would-be elders never reached. I am grateful for my life every day, truly. 40+ years in, the war isn’t over, but we have the tools to bring it to an end. It’s better times for many of us, but not all of us.

From an early age, I was interested in photography, and I took pictures of so many people and events … but I don’t have any of my friends who are gone. I don’t know why that is. So here’s a photo I took at that New York City Hall ACT UP protest in March of 1989.

I remember John and Ed and Michael and Daniel and Thom and George and Jim and Bill and Ron and Todd and Scott and Harry and Dennis and Robb and Ric and Marvin and Terry and Bobby, and the first gay man I came out to, Andy Cemelli. And there were others whose names I have forgotten. But all of their memories are blessings to me.” 📖 by Dan Kaufman

🌎✨ Join us for a powerful evening of remembrance, resilience, and hope. Aunt Rita's Foundation invites you to our World AIDS Day event on Wednesday, December 4th from 5:30 - 7:30 PM at 326 E. Coronado Rd. Together with our community partners, we'll honor those we’ve lost, celebrate strides in ending HIV-related stigma, and reaffirm our commitment to a future free from HIV. Let’s stand united for change. Event sponsored by Gilead Sciences ❤️

🏳️‍🌈🧠🏳️‍⚧️ May marks Mental Health Awareness Month! Let's spotlight the intersection of mental health and LGBTQ+ communities. Let's foster understanding, support, and acceptance for all. + 🌟

Happy birthday to , who would have turned 66 today! 🥳

Throughout his career, Keith Haring produced more than 50 public artworks between 1982 and 1989, in dozens of cities around the world, many of which were created for charities, hospitals, children’s daycare centers, and orphanages. The work of Keith Haring can be seen today in the exhibitions and collections of major museums around the world, including on the second floor of The Center.

📷: Courtesy of the Keith Haring Foundation.

Have you visited the iconic Keith Haring Bathroom at The Center? Learn more here: gaycenter.org/culture/haring-bathroom

On this World AIDS Day 🌍🎗️, we at Aunt Rita's Foundation celebrate the diversity and unity that has fueled our 35-year mission. Each individual, from every walk of life, who has joined hands with us, embodies the strength and resilience in our fight against HIV/AIDS. We honor the varied perspectives, experiences, and efforts that have shaped our journey. Together, we have built a community of care, support, and advocacy, representing the many faces of those affected by HIV/AIDS.

As we commemorate this day, let's renew our commitment to inclusivity and solidarity in our ongoing quest for a world free from HIV.

15th Annual FESTIVAL of TREES Silent Auction is OPEN!!!

Check out these INCREDIBLE silent auction experience packages!!!
https://one.bidpal.net/fot15/browse/2

The 15th Annual Festival Trees is just days away and you can get a sneak peak at some of the Silent Auction Packages already available for bidding.....And MORE to come! (You need NOT attend the event to be the winning bid!)

WE HAVE:
AZ Staycations, Makeovers (with Botox!!!), Theater Nights, Concert Venue Tickets, Museums, Ballet, Film Festival, Private Chefs and musicians, Home Decorating and MORE MORE MORE....WOW!!!! Just to name a few!

Let the bidding start NOW!!!

Instagram https://instagram.com/p/CvVqFAGIVky/

🇺🇸 “Today, July 30, marks 38 years since Douglas Trezza passed away from AIDS related complications at the age of 29, just 5 days shy of his 30th birthday.

We met in the pool at the Westside YMCA in Manhattan in July 1982. After showering, chatting and well, cruising each other while drying off, we walked back into the locker room, only to discover that our lockers were right next to each other, clearly a sign of things to come. Since we lived in the same neighborhood, we continued to get to know each other while walking uptown to our respective apartments. I was completely smitten.

Douglas was not only beautiful to look at but it became quickly clear that he was just as beautiful inside. When we approached his apartment on 75th & Broadway, he invited me in. I jumped at the chance yet somehow knew that this was not a typical hookup but something very different. And I was right. When we got upstairs to his place, he was a perfect gentleman. First he planted a delicious kiss on my lips and then asked me on a date two days later. I of course said yes and the rest is history.

Honestly, Douglas suffered terribly and never stood a chance against HIV. Unlike today, there was no medication to keep the virus at bay. I watched it ravage his body, trying against all odds to do whatever I could to prolong his life while at the same time being scared sh*tless that I would soon suffer the same fate as him, as I found out I was HIV positive about the same time he did.

To this day, I don’t know why I survived and he didn’t. I never got sick although I lived for years waiting for the other shoe to drop. I am one of the lucky ones. Being such, I will never forget those who weren’t so fortunate, like my beloved Douglas.” — by Mark Quigley

Cannabis ‘green cards’ could become cheaper, easier to get in Arizona A bill in the state legislature lowers the barriers to getting a medical ma*****na card.

Shroom infusion: Arizona to spend $5 million studying magic mushrooms The research could be ‘a stepping stone’ for legal psychedelics.

Thank you to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi for attending the National AIDS Memorial's workday in the Grove today, where she volunteered her time and spoke about the importance of Love, Action, and Leadership in the establishment of the #NationalAIDSMemorialGrove and the continuing fight for #LGBTQ rights. #prideMonth #HappyPride #NancyPelosi

We pause to remember the 49 beautiful souls tragically lost to hate at Pulse night club on this day seven years ago. Each year we honor them by saying their names in their memory.