On the 83rd birthday of Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor, GLAAD has announced a new partnership with The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, and AIDS United to renew the attention of people, the entertainment industry and news media on the fight to end HIV and AIDS once and for all.
As part of the partnership, GLAAD released a new style guide for journalists, which includes best practices for covering HIV and AIDS in a new era of prevention and treatment.
THE STYLE GUIDE IS AVAILABLE HERE.
“It’s time to put our red ribbons back on,” said GLAAD president and 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…, 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 and 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.
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.
