International AIDS Candlelight Memorial 2018

The International AIDS Candlelight Memorial of 2018, held at the Tararua Tramping Club in Wellington, stands as a poignant reminder of the global fight against HIV/AIDS over four significant decades – from the 1980s to the 2010s. The gathering featured influential voices in the HIV/AIDS community, including activists and leaders such as Bruce Kilmister, Eric Evans, Gertrude Agbozo, and others who have been on the frontlines of addressing the epidemic.

The event served as a platform for community mobilization, reflection, and solidarity. It broke down barriers of stigma and discrimination, inspiring new generations with hope. The gathering also emphasized the continued need for leadership from individuals living with HIV and those affected by it, highlighting the significance of education, community support, and social engagement in fighting the disease.

Prominent figures extended their support through written messages advocating for continued conversation around safe behaviors and HIV prevention. The Governor-General of New Zealand, patron of the New Zealand AIDS Foundation, underscored the necessity of remembering and honoring those who lost their lives to AIDS, the activists who demanded research and effective treatment, and medical professionals whose dedication improved the prognosis for those living with HIV/AIDS.

Political parties, such as the Labour Party, the National Party, and the Green Party, offered their support for ongoing HIV/AIDS advocacy, noting the strides made in medication and treatment that have changed the trajectory of the disease. They acknowledged losses, and the gravity of stigma, affirming their commitment to eradicating HIV and ending transmission through education and solidarity.

Speakers at the event highlighted the vital challenge ahead – to reduce new HIV infections and end the epidemic by 2030. This ambitious goal was buoyed by recent approvals of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and improvements in treatment, which have transformed HIV into a manageable condition. The significant advocacy for routine HIV testing, especially for women, became a focal point of discussions, emphasizing the preventable nature of late-stage HIV diagnoses and the unnecessary deaths that continue to occur.

Personal experiences reflected the varied impact of HIV/AIDS over the years. Participants shared their journeys, including intimate partnerships with HIV-positive individuals, pioneering work by women who supported each other during the early years of the epidemic, and the transformation of HIV from a mortal threat to a condition with which one can co-exist.

Support organizations like Body Positive Inc. and Positive Women Inc. were acknowledged for their roles in providing care, guidance, and a voice to those living with HIV/AIDS, emphasizing the need for community unity and the power of peer support in making a difference in people's lives.

This summary is created using Generative AI. Although it is based on the recording's transcription, it may contain errors or omissions. Click here to learn more about how this summary was created.

Bruce Kilmister Eric Evans Glacer Tormis Heather Sangster-Smith Jane Bruning Karen Ritchie Kay'la Riarn Kjel Griffiths Lee Eklund Phil Rogers Rev Roger Pym Steve McVey Trudie Tīwhanawhana

1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, abortion, activism, aotearoa new zealand, big gay out (auckland), body positive, bruce burnett, bruce kilmister, candlelight memorials, cartier trust, chrissy witoko, ending hiv (campaign), eric evans, faith, fran wilde, freddie mercury, glacer tormis, governor-general of new zealand, grant robertson, green party, heather sangster-smith, hiv / aids, hiv education, hiv stigma, homosexual, homosexual law reform, homosexual law reform act (1986), human rights commission, james rice-davies, jane bruning, john henry newman, karen ritchie, kay'la riarn, kindness, kjel griffiths, lee eklund, love, medications, memorial, national party, new zealand aids foundation (nzaf), new zealand labour party, nzaf Āwhina centre, patsy reddy, peer support, pharmaceutical management agency (pharmac), phil rogers, philippines, positive speakers bureau, positive women inc, prep (pre-exposure prophylaxis), rev roger pym, rock hudson, ron irvine, sister paula brettkelly, steve mcvey, tararua tramping club, tom o'donoghue, tonya booker, trish mcbride, trudie, truvada, tīwhanawhana, undetectable = untransmittable (u=u, campaign), victor taurewa biddle, wellington, women, work and income (winz)

access, accessibility, actions, activities, advice, advocate, africa, agenda, ambulance, anger, australia, barriers, bars, birthday, bisexual, blood, board, cafe, campaigns, cancer, capital, career, carving, change, children, church, class, coffee, collective, coming out, community, compassion, condoms, confidence, courage, death, difference, dignity, discrimination, education, employment, engagement, epidemic, events, face, family, farm, fear, film, finances, food, friends, fringe bar, funding, future, gaming, gay, gender, gender identity, god, government, grief, guidance, health, health care, health system, history, hit, hope, hospital, housing, human rights, identity, inclusion, individual, infertility, intern, intervention, iraq, isolation, israel, job, journey, justice, kira, knowledge, korean war, laughter, law, leadership, legacy, lesbian, lgbt, lifestyle, listening, loss, manatū hauora ministry of health, marketing, mary, media, meetings, member of parliament, navigation, new york city, opportunity, other, pa, pain, pandemic, parade, parties, passing, peace, people, philadelphia, plan, police, power, prejudice, prevention, pride parade, prison, public health, queer, rainbow, reconnect, remembrance, research, respect, revolution, routine, safe sex, san francisco, sex, sex education, sexual health, sexual orientation, shade, silence, social, social justice, solidarity, space, speech, statistics, stigma, study, stuff, success, suffering, support, survivor, tanzania, testing, time, top, touch, tough, trans, transition, transport, travel, treat, trust, turkey, understanding, undetectable viral load, values, venues, victim, vietnam, visa, voice, volunteer, vote, wind, wisdom, work, world aids day, writing, youth