The 26th edition of the annual AIDSWatch advocacy event hosted by HIV/AIDS service organizations in partnership with the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation will take place in D.C. on April 1-2.
The event is co-organized by U.S. People Living with HIV Caucus and the Treatment Access Expansion Project. It brings together hundreds of people living with HIV who will also get to meet members of Congress and demand concrete action from them on ending the HIV epidemic in America.
President Donald Trump had announced in his State of the Union address that he hoped to end the HIV epidemic by 2030. In a press release, AIDS United said that meeting the goal mentioned by Trump will require “substantial investment to scale-up evidence-based solutions, policy reforms to remove barriers to care and services, and strong leadership from not just the White House, but from Congress, as well as state, and local governments, to ensure that this achievable goal doesn’t turn out to be just another missed opportunity.”
AIDSWatch Leadership Awards will be presented at the Rayburn House Office Building on April 1 at 7:00 p.m. According to the AIDS United website, the awards are meant to honor community leaders and legislators “who have gone above and beyond in the response to the domestic HIV epidemic.”
On April 2, there is also a rally planned outside the U.S. Capitol which will be kicked off at 8:00 a.m.
AIDS United hopes to stop the epidemic by 2025. The organization has also released a 130-page guide on how to achieve this goal. It also hopes that the federal government adopts some of its plans in order to succeed in the field.
“This year’s AIDSWatch will urge Congress, once and for all, to hold this administration accountable, by demanding a strong federal commitment and investment in strategies — rooted in science, not stigma — to end the HIV epidemic in all communities across the United States,” AIDS United noted in the press release.
Among those expected to attend the event are Elizabeth Taylor’s grandchildren, AIDS activist and actor Daniel Franzese, openly gay Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims, and AIDS United President Jesse Milan.