Together, We Stand United in Pride

Since the beginning, amfAR has been proud to foster a safe, health-centered space for the LGBTQ+ community and everyone impacted by a disease that continues to be weaponized, through stigmatizing and discriminatory policies and funding cuts that threaten millions of lives.

“As an HIV-positive man, I am alive today only because of organizations like amfAR and the brave visionaries who fought for people like me,” said amfAR VP and Chief Development Officer Kyle Clifford. “I came out at a young age in Ireland, at a time when AIDS was perceived as a crisis confined to London and New York. Back then, coming out was difficult, and for those diagnosed with HIV, leaving was often the only option. London and New York were the few places offering clinical trials and treatment. That’s why so many Irish gay men left—and why, tragically, thousands died far from home.”

Today, amfAR continues its support for, and partnership with, the LGBTQ+ community in a variety of ways. For example:

• During Pride Month, amfAR is partnering with lifestyle brand Barry’s, which will combine working out and fundraising for HIV cure research throughout June.
• amfAR staff will be at Brooklyn Pride Festival on June 14 to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, our commitment to HIV cure research, and evidence-based compassionate public policy.
• amfAR maintains a Key Populations database, a vital resource for advocates and policy makers working to address health disparities among gay/bisexual men and transgender individuals, among others.
• In a symposium on person-centered services at AIDS 2024, Greg Millett, MPH, amfAR VP and director of public policy, presented on structural racism and its impact on Black gay men in Europe and America accessing HIV prevention and treatment.
• Also at AIDS 2024, amfAR staff co-authored an analysis of disparities in quality of care among trans men and trans women in South Africa, drawing on findings from local community led-monitoring.
• amfAR collaborated with Global Action for Trans Equality (GATE) for a preconference session titled “Unite, Advocate, Thrive!”, which drew trans and gender diverse activists and key stakeholders from around the world to develop a multi-year action plan to respond to anti-gender and anti-rights opposition.

Together, we stand united in pride—now and until we end AIDS once and for all.

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