March 31, 2023 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

AIDS Memorial Quilt on display in Beverly Hills through Dec. 4

800px-aids_quilt

BY ROBERT WILLIAMS | If you are reading this, you probably know someone affected by HIV and AIDS. If you don’t, then, “Hello, I am Rob and I have AIDS.”

Now that we are all on the same page, there is something truly special now on display in Los Angeles – an installation of a very small part of the acres big AIDS Memorial Quilt.

To commemorate World AIDS Day, The Advocate, with generous support from Beverly Hills real estate agent and philanthropist Michael J. Libow and in conjunction with The NAMES Project Foundation, has brought three installation panels of The Quilt for display at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and The Beverly Hills Public Library from November 28 to December 4.

It’s a historic must see that memorializes those who have died of AIDS.

Friends, lovers and family members quilted and continue to quilt panels to honor their loved ones, whom they fear history might forget. As someone living with AIDS, I think about whether my memory will be preserved as a panel on The Quilt or will I be one of the lucky ones who lives long enough to see a cure.

Although people like me with access to great healthcare are now living full lives, people are still being infected with HIV and people are still dying of AIDS.

“Now is yet another time we need to remember the resilience of our community, and the people who we lost before someone listened to our protests,” said Lucas Grindley, editorial director for Here Media, parent company of The Advocate. “Rates of HIV infection are still far too high. The CDC reports that half of all young, gay black men will be HIV-positive in their lifetime. There’s work to do.”

Libow said supporting The Quilt’s installation is important because he has always been a champion of those less fortunate than he is, and he wants people, especially those not in the gay community, to understand the disease is still devastating lives.

“As a gay man living in the very straight community of Beverly Hills, I think it is important to shine a light on a disease that has taken a back seat in the public conscious,” Libow said. “This is a devastating illness that is still affecting many in Third World countries who don’t have our access to medications.”

Legendary San Francisco gay rights activist Cleve Jones conceived the idea of The Quilt in 1985 while planning the annual candlelight march honoring San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Cleve asked those marching to write the names of friends and loved ones who had died of AIDS on placards. At the end of the march, the placards were taped to the walls of the San Francisco Federal Building. The wall of names looked like a patchwork quilt.

Inspired by this sight, Jones and friends made plans for a larger memorial. A little over a year later, he created the first panel for the AIDS Memorial Quilt in memory of his friend Marvin Feldman.

To date more than 48,000 panels have been made for The Quilt.

If you are interested in donating to preserve The Quilt and help boost The NAMES Project’s programming efforts, you may donate at www.aidsquilt.org.

Related Posts

Long Beach Businesses with LGBTQ Flags Vandalized

March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023

By Susan Payne Three businesses in Long Beach have reported windows smashed in with one common denominator: visible LGBTQ symbols. ...

Newsom Calls Huntington Beach City Council Decision ‘Rank’

March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023

By Susan Payne Huntington Beach garnered disapproval from Governor Gavin Newsom on its recent decision to ban the flying of...

California’s Affordable Housing Crisis Disproportionately Impacts LGBTQ Adults, UCLA Study Finds

March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023

New Report by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research highlights the connection between lack of affordable housing, delayed access...

Santa Monica Place Invites LGBTQIA+ Artisans to Apply for Made With PRIDE Marketplace

March 21, 2023

March 21, 2023

Partnering with Streetlet, the marketplace will take place each weekend in June and showcase local goods made in Southern California....

Gus Kenworthy’s Gay Kiss Scene in ‘80 for Brady’ Cut Out

March 14, 2023

March 14, 2023

By Susan Payne “80 for Brady,” a 2023 comedy/drama film that follows a group of longtime friends who want to...

Abbey Founder Declares Drag is Not A Crime

March 14, 2023

March 14, 2023

By Susan Payne “Drag is not a crime.” In solidary with drag performers, David Cooley, founder of The Abbey Food...

Grants Available for Long Beach LGBTQ-Owned or Allied Restaurants

March 14, 2023

March 14, 2023

By Susan Payne LGBTQ-owned or allied restaurants in Long Beach are invited to apply for Grubhub’s Community Impact Grants ranging...

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Moves to Ease Restrictions on Blood Donations from Gay and Bisexual Men

March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023

The City of West Hollywood is getting the word out that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued proposed...

Board of Supervisors Approves Motion to Fly Progress Pride Flag in LA County Offices

March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023

Flags will be flown at Los Angeles County facilities where American and California flags are flown each year ​​Los Angeles...

Donatella Versace Visits the Los Angeles LGBT Center

March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023

Hosts master class with CFDA designers This week, the Los Angeles LGBT Center welcomed Donatella Versace, the Chief Creative Officer...

Versace Partners With CFDA on LGBTQ-Focused Initiative

March 6, 2023

March 6, 2023

By Susan Payne Donatella Versace is launching a masterclass at the Los Angeles LGBT Center on March 6 in partnership...

Suspect Pleads Guilty to Killing Los Angeles-Born Gay Man in 1988

March 6, 2023

March 6, 2023

By Susan Payne Last month, an Australian man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 1988 death of an American who...

Bill Introduced for K-12 Statewide Gender-Neutral Restrooms

March 6, 2023

March 6, 2023

By Susan Payne A bill to require K-12 schools in California to provide appropriate and equitable access to gender-neutral restrooms...

UCLA’s New Volleyball Coach’s Gay Journey Reaches Full Circle

March 1, 2023

March 1, 2023

By Susan Payne Playing volleyball in a West Hollywood gym is where Alfred Reft became comfortable with his sexuality, alongside...

Girl Scouts Make Sales at WeHo Bars

March 1, 2023

March 1, 2023

By Susan Payne A Glendale, California Girl Scout has found a new market for cookie sales in West Hollywood.  In...