GLAAD launches new HIV and AIDS awareness campaign to renew America’s commitment to eradicating the epidemic

NEW YORK, NY – On the 83^rd birthday of Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor, GLAAD today announced a new partnership with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) and AIDS United to renew the attention of Americans, the entertainment industry and news media on the fight to end HIV and AIDS once and for all. 

As part of the partnership, GLAAD today released a new style guide for journalists, which includes best practices for covering HIV and AIDS in a new era of prevention and treatment. To view and download the guide, visit: /hiv

"It’s time to put our red ribbons back on,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Just as we advocated for accurate coverage of HIV and AIDS in the 1980s, it is equally important today that we ensure fair, accurate, and inclusive stories in the media to build understanding that leads to better prevention. This new style guide provides the most up-to-date information and resources for journalists to more fully tell the story of HIV and AIDS in the United States, the people living with it, and the fight to eradicate it permanently.”

“Elizabeth Taylor devoted her life to the fight against HIV/AIDS for 27 years. She took advantage of every opportunity to speak out and keep the subject of HIV and AIDS top of mind for the public. The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation is proud to partner with GLAAD and AIDS United to reignite the conversation at such a critical time.  The country has not seen a decrease in the number of new infections in over a decade despite the tools that exist to help reduce transmission by 96%,” said Joel Goldman, Managing Director of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. 

“We’ve come a long way,” said AIDS United President & CEO Michael Kaplan.  “When I tested positive in 1992, AZT was the only treatment option.  Today, we have more than 30 options and the knowledge that treatment not only offers a full life for those of us infected, but with viral suppression which can be achieved through treatment, we basically eliminate the ability of further transmissions.  We finally have the tools, the science and the know how to get us to the end.  Now, we just need to ensure our messages are clear, on point, and that we mobilize the community and political will to get us there.”

The three organizations also called on the entertainment industry to commit itself to creating more characters and storylines that present the realities associated with living with HIV in today's world.

“With HIV infection rates rising among young people in the U.S., it’s hard to believe that I play one of the only recurring HIV-positive character on scripted television today.  These three organizations partnering to provide essential tools for the media will hopefully inspire other TV programs to include HIV-positive characters as well news coverage about the state of HIV and AIDS in America,” says Daniel Franzese, star of HBO’s LOOKING, and ETAF Ambassador.

In addition to the style guide, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and GLAAD announced the creation of a new series of public service announcements (PSAs) that build on the legacy of Elizabeth Taylor's advocacy and will feature celebrities, medical professionals, and ordinary Americans in an effort to call attention to the role everyone can play in helping end HIV and AIDS. The first PSA is being produced by the Tony Award winning Martian Entertainment and will be released in March 2015. 

In 1985, GLAAD was founded in response to the New York Post’s grossly defamatory coverage of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Three decades later, GLAAD’s legacy of fighting injustice in the media for the LGBT community has reshaped our culture and created historic levels of acceptance.

About GLAAD
GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBT equality. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.

About The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation
Elizabeth Taylor established The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991 to raise funds and awareness to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS and to provide assistance for those living with the virus. With its focus on direct care and prevention education, ETAF funds AIDS organizations throughout the world, providing support services to populations most in need. The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (1) supports organizations delivering direct care and services to people living with HIV/AIDS, and (2) supports organizations that provide education to the public regarding the AIDS virus and the prevention of AIDS.ETAF supports existing organizations and entities that have exhibited integrity in managing their operations along with the knowledge and ability to expediently provide services or achieve other designated goals.

Taylor made arrangements for her Foundation to go on in perpetuity. To better carry out her vision of helping those who are most disenfranchised within the HIV/AIDS community worldwide, ETAF has hired its first Managing Director, Joel Goldman. Elizabeth Taylor’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren are working with ETAF as Ambassadors to honor their grandmother’s memory.

For more information, visit  www.elizabethtayloraidsfoundation.org

About AIDS United
AIDS United seeks to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic within the United States through strategic grantmaking, technical assistance, policy and advocacy.  AIDS United’s grantmaking portfolio dates back to the founding of the National AIDS Fund in 1987.  For more than two decades, it has supported community-driven responses to the HIV epidemic around the country that reach the nation’s most disproportionately affected populations, including gay and bisexual men, communities of color, women, people living in the deep South and people living with HIV/AIDS. To date, its strategic grantmaking initiatives have directly funded more than $85 million to local communities, and have leveraged more than $110 million in additional investments for programs that include, but are not limited to, syringe access, access to care, capacity-building, HIV prevention and advocacy. For more information, visit www.aidsunited.org.