THEGAYUK

Tag: World AIDS Day

All the latest breaking news on World AIDS Day. Browse THEGAYUK’s complete collection of news, articles and commentary on World AIDS Day.

  • BBC issues apology for misappropriating the red ribbon on World AIDS Days

    The Twitter team behind BBC North released an apology that many are calling unacceptable.

    In the tweet the BBC North West team, said,

    “We have deleted a tweet about our project to pay tribute to COVID victims. Given we have used red ribbons as part of it, we understand why some people found it insensitive on World AIDS Day. We’re sorry.

    “We have been working closely with those who have lost loved ones to COVID and this initiative is to remember those who have died during the pandemic.”

    bbc apology for tree of lives and using red ribbon

    What happened for the BBC to have to apologise?

    The row started after the BBC announced it had created a project to commemorate lost lives from COVID in the North West, except they used a red ribbon, a symbol for the lives lost due to AIDS and which has been in use since 1991. The other element that truly upset people, was the date on which they decided to announce the project, the 1st of December, globally known as World AIDS Day.

    “Unacceptable”

    The apology was branded a “non-apology” by many and an insult to the millions of lives lost to AIDS.

    The apology was dismissed as fakery by many, including user Chris who blasted the BBC newsroom’s apology as “Utter fakery”.

    https://twitter.com/ChrisOfDevon/status/1333936937254653953

    One user also commented on the disrespect of misappropriating well-known LGBT+ symbols in 2020.

    “At the end of a year in which the rainbow flag was ‘borrowed’ to celebrate the NHS and even gay publications were promoting anti-trans lobbying groups, today of all days is not a good moment to misappropriate the red ribbon”

    https://twitter.com/Dutch_editor/status/1333901451115028484

    This is the second symbol appropriated from the LGBT+ community in 2020. The Pride rainbow flag which was designed by Gilbert Baker in 1979 became synonymous with the NHS and COVID-19 during the early months of the pandemic in the UK.

    Another added that the 1st of December should be left to “remembering, mourning, and celebrating the lives of a near generation of queer people…”

    https://twitter.com/SebEvansXX/status/1333887644934299649

    THEGAYUK.com reached out to the BBC for further comment

  • BBC accused of appropriating HIV/AID red ribbon symbol for its COVID-19 Tree of Lives

    ‘Tree of Lives’ branded “Unbelievably inappropriate & wholly insensitive”

    BBC North West has come under fire after it invited people to commemorate victims of the COVID-19 pandemic by tieing a red ribbon to a tree on World AIDS Day, they called the project, Tree Of Lives.

    The Tweet, which was from the official BBC North West Twitter account wrote,

    “Thousands of people across our region have lost loved ones to Covid-19. Join us at BBC NW to remember those that have died, by tying a red ribbon to your Christmas tree or a tree in your garden.”

    https://twitter.com/BBCNWT/status/1333726812120223744

    However, the corporation has been accused of appropriating an established symbol of HIV/AIDs – the red ribbon.

    bbc tree of lives

    The red ribbon has been in use since 1991 as a way of commemorating the millions who have died from AIDS since the 1980s.

    One Twitter user, Scubamonkey, blasted the BBC saying, “Unbelievably inappropriate & wholly insensitive on #WorldAIDSDay2020. I’ve every sympathy for those who have lost loved ones to #Covid, but this appropriation of an established symbol of #HIV & #AIDS is an appalling insult to those people who have lost their lives to #HIV. It is quite frankly unbelievable how you insult and trample over one set of grieving families to show solidarity and support to another. It speaks volumes about where your priorities lie”

    Another, Lkeels, wrote, “What an asinine choice to take the red ribbon for your own cause and ON WORLD AIDS DAY OF ALL DAYS!!! You should be ashamed of this.”

    HIV advocate, Tom Knight added, “I’m sure you meant well but your ignorance is shocking, and to say you ‘thought it through’. This is so disrespectful.”

    This is the second symbol appropriated from the LGBT+ community in 2020. The Pride rainbow flag which was designed by Gilbert Baker in 1979 became synonymous with the NHS and COVID-19 during the early months of the pandemic in the UK.

    “We did consider the colour ribbon very carefully”

    A response by the BBC Twitter feed responded to some of the criticism saying, “we did consider what colour ribbon to use very carefully- most colours are associated with a cause which is why this is tied differently.”

    Tweet deleted

    Since publication, the Tweet, which shared information on the Tree of Lives has been deleted.

    The BBC issued an appology via Twitter saying,

    “We have deleted a tweet about our project to pay tribute to COVID victims. Given we have used red ribbons as part of it, we understand why some people found it insensitive on World AIDS Day. We’re sorry.

    “We have been working closely with those who have lost loved ones to COVID and this initiative is to remember those who have died during the pandemic. “

    Why is the red ribbon used to remember World AIDS Day

    red ribbon is linked with AIDS not the bbc's Tree Of Lives
    Photo by Anna Shvets / PEXELS

    The Red Ribbon symbol has become the defining icon for the awareness, fundraising and determination to beat HIV and AIDS. It’s strong, vibrant red, a symbol that has become synonymous with every 1st December, was designed in 1991.

    A decade after AIDS began its stranglehold, decimating communities, a coalition of 12 artists gathered to devise a plan to raise awareness for Visual Aids, a New York arts organisation which raises awareness of HIV.

    The 12 people consisted of photographers, painters, filmmakers and costume designers. After a short collaboration they came up with the striking, but the simple idea of the red ribbon, inspired by the yellow ribbons tied on trees at the time, to denote support for US military fighting in the Gulf war.

    The red ribbon logo became recognisable across the globe.

    THEGAYUK.com reached out to the BBC for further comment.

  • REMEMBERING THE AIDS CRISIS: Memories of 1980’s UK

    REMEMBERING THE AIDS CRISIS: Memories of 1980’s UK

    I remember only too well when AIDS first impacted on my world and came into the public eye.

    In 1981 I was 19 and there was talk in the gay clubs and pubs where I lived of a disease originating in monkeys that was killing Americans. I remember there was a lone American visiting for professional reasons and he was considered as guilty by association, just because of his accent. I look back with shame now on how people were afraid to approach him and how the treatment he received was similar to that in the dark ages a leper might have expected, minus the bell to ring and the calling out of the phrase “unclean”.

    Over the next couple of years, probably longer, as it took time for information and knowledge to disseminate. The names of those who had contracted the condition made it appeared to be an illness that blighted the pretty boys and those who had the biggest cocks.

    Of course, that is not true. It’s just where I lived there was a small gay circle and once infected those who were sexually promiscuous and practised unsafe sex were the first to be hit and through them as HIV spread rapidly.

    There was too little information and it was too late, that was part of the problem. The other problem was a NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) mentality. People thought it wouldn’t happen where they lived or to them as it was affecting other parts of the globe. In the 1980s the world was getting smaller and people travelled for work, holiday and to play in the gay hot-spots.

    For me, it was the indiscriminate nature of the illness. There were personal losses of people I knew.

    In the media, the death of Rock Hudson seemed to have an impact. In the USA I recall a movement quilting and marking the lives of the victims they knew in this way. There were powerful images of the time where over vast areas these quilts were laid out with loved ones present.

    There was a TV program about a man called Terry Madeley. In interviews in 1987, he was the first in the UK to speak openly about his fight with AIDS. A year later a program about his fight for death with dignity was aired on 1st December 1988 World AIDS day. It was titled Remember Terry and 29 years ago today, I still do. He had died in the previous October and I recall an image broadcast at the funeral in a crematorium of a hand through the curtain wearing a diamante glove waving goodbye. He appeared to have such strength of character and good humour for those snippets to stay with me.

    To be in 2017 when there is a more positive outlook  – I can’t help pausing to consider and remember all of those who do not have the opportunity to share today.

    This article was first published in 2017 and has been updated with links.

  • What does the Red Ribbon used for World AIDS Day mean?

    What does the Red Ribbon used for World AIDS Day mean?

    Every year on the 1st of December many people start wearing a red ribbon for World AIDS Day, but what does it mean and who designed it?

    Why is the Red Ribbon used for World AIDS Day and who designed it?
    ArtsyBee / Pixabay

    The Red Ribbon symbol has become the defining icon for the awareness, fundraising and determination to beat HIV and AIDS. It is a strong vibrant red symbol that has become synonymous with every 1st December and it was designed in 1991.

    A decade after AIDS began its stranglehold, decimating communities, a coalition of 12 artists gathered to devise a plan to raise awareness for Visual Aids, a New York arts organisation which raises awareness of HIV.

    The 12 people consisted of photographers, painters, filmmakers and costume designers. After a short collaboration they came up with the striking, but the simple idea of the red ribbon, inspired by the yellow ribbons tied on trees at the time, to denote support for US military fighting in the Gulf war.

    Pink and rainbow colours were rejected because of their association with the LGBT+ community, and the designers were keen to show that HIV went beyond gay people and could potentially affect everyone.

    The red ribbon logo became recognisable across the globe.

    Signify Awareness and Support

    OpenClipart-Vectors / Pixabay

    In our interview with David France, director of How to Survive A Plague told us,  “In one of the worst moments we ever faced we rose above it. We took care of each other. It was extraordinary and beautiful”.

    The ribbon is worn to signify awareness and support for people living with HIV.

    According to WorldAIDsDay.org, “When the artists sat down to work on this project, their aim was to get people talking about HIV. This was at a time where HIV was highly stigmatised and people living with HIV were suffering behind closed doors, some too scared to even tell their loved ones they were living with the virus. The artists wanted to create a visual expression of compassion for people living with, and affected by, HIV.”

    At handmade ribbons where distributed in New York

    Back in 1991 a group of artists created the red ribbon. The first batch was handmade and given out on the streets of New York.

    In the very beginning, the artists made the ribbons themselves and distributed them around New York. “Within weeks of the red ribbon idea being born, world-famous actors starting wearing the red ribbon to high-profile award ceremonies such as the Oscars and talking about why it was important. The media also cottoned on, and within a short space of time the red ribbon symbol became universally recognised.” Explains the website.

  • Why is the Red Ribbon used for World AIDS Day and who designed it?

    Why is the Red Ribbon used for World AIDS Day and who designed it?

    The Red Ribbon symbol has become the defining icon for the awareness, fundraising and determination to beat HIV and AIDS. It’s strong, vibrant red, a symbol that has become synonymous with every 1st December, was designed in 1991.

    Why is the Red Ribbon used for World AIDS Day and who designed it?
    ArtsyBee / Pixabay

    A decade after AIDS began its stranglehold, decimating communities, a coalition of 12 artists gathered to devise a plan to raise awareness for Visual Aids, a New York arts organisation which raises awareness of HIV.

    The 12 people consisted of photographers, painters, filmmakers and costume designers. After a short collaboration they came up with the striking, but the simple idea of the red ribbon, inspired by the yellow ribbons tied on trees at the time, to denote support for US military fighting in the Gulf war.

    Pink and rainbow colours were rejected because of their association with the LGBT+ community, and the designers were keen to show that HIV went beyond gay people and could potentially affect everyone.

    The red ribbon logo became recognisable across the globe.

    In our interview with David France, director of How to Survive A Plague told us,  “In one of the worst moments we ever faced we rose above it. We took care of each other. It was extraordinary and beautiful”.

    The ribbon is worn to signify awareness and support for people living with HIV.

    According to WorldAIDsDay.org, “When the artists sat down to work on this project, their aim was to get people talking about HIV. This was at a time where HIV was highly stigmatised and people living with HIV were suffering behind closed doors, some too scared to even tell their loved ones they were living with the virus. The artists wanted to create a visual expression of compassion for people living with, and affected by, HIV.”

    At handmade ribbons where distributed in New York

    Back in 1991 a group of artists created the red ribbon. The first batch were handmade and given out on the streets of New York.

    In the very beginning, the artists made the ribbons themselves and distributed them around New York. “Within weeks of the red ribbon idea being born, world-famous actors starting wearing the red ribbon to high-profile award ceremonies such as the Oscars and talking about why it was important. The media also cottoned on, and within a short space of time the red ribbon symbol became universally recognised.” Explains the website.

  • Where Did The Red Ribbon Come From For World AIDs Day?

    The strong, vibrant red, a symbol that has become synonymous with every 1st December, was designed in 1991.

    A decade after AIDs began its stranglehold, decimating communities, a coalition of 12 artists gathered to devise a plan to raise awareness for Visual Aids, a New York arts organisation which raises awareness of HIV.

    The 12 people consisted of photographers, painters, filmmakers and costume designers. After a short collaboration they came up with the striking, but simple idea of the red ribbon, inspired by the yellow ribbons tied on trees at the time, to denote support for US military fighting in the Gulf war.

    Pink and rainbow colours were rejected because of their association with the LGBT community, and the designers were keen to show that HIV went beyond gay people and could potentially affect everyone.

    The red ribbon logo became recognisable across the globe.

    ‘In one of the worst moments we ever faced we rose above it. We took care of each other. It was extraordinary and beautiful.’ Interview with the director and star How to Survive A Plague.

    The ribbon is worn to signify awareness and support for people living with HIV.

    According to WorldAIDsDay.org, ‘When the artists sat down to work on this project, their aim was to get people talking about HIV. This was during a time where HIV was highly stigmatised and people living with HIV were suffering behind closed doors, some too scared to even tell their loved ones they were living with the virus. The artists wanted to create a visual expression of compassion for people living with, and affected by, HIV.’

    In the very beginning the artists made the ribbons themselves and distributed them around New York. ‘Within weeks of the red ribbon idea being born, world-famous actors starting wearing the red ribbon to high-profile award ceremonies such as the Oscars and talking about why it was important. The media also cottoned on, and within a short space of time the red ribbon symbol became universally recognised.’ Explains the website.

  • This Not A Lecture About Safe Sex

    It would be easy to preach.

    At the time of writing this (late November 2014), I’m a man in my early 40’s and as of my last test roughly 3 months ago, I’m HIV negative. So well done me. Do please bear with while I heartily congratulate myself and launch into an impassioned yet slightly smug sermon about the benefits of practicing protected sex.

    Except doing that would make me a hypocrite.

    Because can I say in total honesty that every single time I’ve had penetrative sex in my life it’s always been safe? Nope, I can’t. And this includes one incident that was relatively recent. I like to think I’m well informed, God knows I know the risks and still it happened. Of course ask right now and I will say that it would be a deal breaker for me. I’ve had enough conversations insisting on condoms with potential partners in the past. Plus I seem to recall writing ”safe only” often enough on various hook up site profiles. Which is as close as one can get to going on the record.

    Hell, I even once promoted a men only club night in a straight venue and insisted on safer sex packs because I felt strongly that we should be seen to be being responsible when taking guys 5 quid entry fee on the door. One million social conscious brownie points for me right there.

    So taking that all into account, how come it still happened? Placing the blame on too much alcohol is lazy and frankly not even half the story. So why? Truth be told, we were naked and saying “Stop” to have the condom conversation felt like it would kill the moment dead. And that voice in the back of my head said that it would be okay. Just this once…

    Like I say, it would be easy to lecture. But I would be awfully naive to believe that anyone is going to go away and rethink their sexual behaviour based on anything I write here in a relatively short opinion piece. I’m no saint and certainly no expert on public health. So I am going to speak solely for myself.

    This is what I think now; I hated the fact I put myself in that position. I hated the ”Oh Sh**” feeling the next day and that heightened sense of uncertainty waiting at the drop-in clinic. Most of all I hated the fact I betrayed the memories of the friends I’ve lost, the friends we’ve all lost, through being too drunk and too needy one night. Like I’d learnt nothing.

    To repeat, I speak for no one but myself. We all have our own reasons for marking World Aids Day. For some it is a moment to mourn absent friends and lovers taken too soon. For others it is anger and activism that drives them. We have all read plenty this past year of how there remain far too many parts of the world where the basic human rights of the LGBT community are being eroded to a point of non existence. In the case of our brothers and sisters who are HIV positive, the situation is even more desperate.

    Hell, you can even make a case that a few show up at the vigils to check out cute boys looking sad.

    But whatever the reason, we are there every 1st December in our thousands. And I know why I’m there. It’s a show of love, grief and respect for those that walked before me and fell along the way. And for those who still live every day with the shadow of HIV hovering just in sight.

    And after a couple of moments of stupidity, relief. Pure, simple, selfish, relief.

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • COLUMN: Barebacking

    Did I miss something? Has there been some enormous breakthrough while I wasn’t looking? Are HIV and Hep C now as easy to deal with as gonorrhoea or chlamydia? I ask because it seems everyone is barebacking these days. Honestly, it’s the new black. How do I know this? Well these days I find I have to brace myself for the inevitable look of disappointment when I bring out a condom, or even mention safe sex. Do they all know something I don’t?

    (more…)

  • Get Tested, Make History With 56 Dean Street And G-A-Y

    Come along to G-A-Y Bar in Old Compton Street on World AIDS Day to get a free, instant and confidential HIV test and support an HIV and sexual health clinic’s attempts to promote HIV awareness, reduce stigma and make history.

    (more…)

  • Boris Backs HIV Testing Campaign

    As Terrence Higgins Trust marks 30 years, Boris Johnson backs HIV testing campaign (more…)

  • Stand Up And Stand Out Against HIV Stigma

    Terrence Higgins Trust calls on gay community to Stand Up and Stand Out against HIV stigma (more…)