Raising money for the National AIDS Trust, the Pleasance Theatre is holding a World AIDS Day comedy gala. More names will be added soon, but on the roster so fare we have The Pin, Catherine Bohart, Darren Harriot, Janine Harouni, Leo Reich and May Martin.
Price £20. Book your tickets here
Monday 29th November 2021, 7.30pm. Pleasance Theatre, Carpenters Mews, North Rd London N7 9EF
Gala for World AIDS Day is raising money for the National AIDS Trust, the UK’s leading HIV policy and campaigns organisation. NAT works to prevent HIV from standing in the way of health, dignity and equality, and campaigns to end HIV stigma and stop new transmissions by 2030.
It’s 40 years since the first reported cases of HIV-related illnesses and deaths and we’ve come a long way since those terrible years, when we lost so many of our loved ones. Now, thankfully, 98% of people living with HIV in the UK are on effective treatment and 97% can’t pass the virus on.
NAT ran a survey with some quite startling results. And QX would like to take this opportunity to highlight some of the issues raised:
- 105,200 people live with HIV in the UK yet 63% of the public do not remember seeing or hearing about HIV in the past six months.
- Only a third of those in the survey said they had any sympathy for people living with HIV regardless of how they acquired it.
- 1 in 5 think people think you can acquire HIV through kissing
- Only 16% knew if someone is on effective treatment, they can’t pass HIV on and can expect to live a long and healthy life.
There is clearly a lot of work that still needs to be done around effective education and the eradication of stigma relating to living with HIV. World AIDS Day is an ideal time to get to work on that.
This year NAT are asking you to #RockTheRibbon with our community and be an HIV ally.
Ask your colleagues, students, friends, and family to Rock the Ribbon with you by hosting a fundraising event, using our fundraising Red Ribbons, and much more! There are free resources on the NAT website to use at your events or in your workplace or school. Simply print them off in the best format for you.
YOU can do something to help implement the changes that need to be made around how HIV is understood and still stigmatised in the our broader community by supporting the essential work of NAT.
You can find out more here and if you can, please donate.
