World AIDS Day 2011: G-A-Y and 56 Dean Street HIV Testing
With the HIV rate in young people being one of the fastest growing, how to reach and educate this group poses a real challenge to HIV and AIDS charities.
This year for World AIDS Day, G-A-Y teamed up with sexual health clinic 56 Dean Street for an outreach program on an unprecedented scale.
The aim was to highlight to the gay community how important HIV testing is, and that it should be as much a part of your life as going out with your mates, or popping to your favourite bar for a drink.
The clinic installed about 20 counsellors, testers and volunteers in G-A-Y Bar carrying out the accurate and quick (60 seconds) instant HIV test, and for every one who came along G-A-Y donated £10 to the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Over the course of the afternoon and evening, 467 people took advantage of the free service including drag queens, members from the cast of Snow White, Westminster City councillors and a plethora of staff from G-A-Y itself, raising a total of £4,760 for EJAF.
“HIV testing should be as much a part of your life as going out with your mates, or popping to your favourite bar for a drink.”
During a wave of generosity brought on by too much chocolate, G-A-Y owner Jeremy Joseph dipped in to his own pocket and increased the grand total to £10,000, and with photos taken all night with a clock, we are also hoping the event will be ratified by the Guinness Book of Records as a world record, too! How magnificent!
Jeremy told QX: “I am so ecstatic about it. However, I have to say that I seem to be getting a lot of credit for this, but I need to put that back onto 56 Dean Street. They were amazing – so organised, efficient and professional.
And the customers generosity was incredible. We made £2,823 from bucket collections, which means the total raised from World AIDS Day was £12,823. Thank you to everyone who supported G-A-Y.”
