HEALTH
New Yorkers Join AIDS Walk from Central Park
Annual fundraising event goes virtual for a second straight year due to COVID-19
BY MATT TRACY
The coronavirus pandemic
forced the AIDS
Walk to go virtual for
a second consecutive
year, but some New Yorkers gathered
on May 16 for a small watch
party at Central Park’s Tavern on
the Green.
The “AIDS Walk: Live at Home”
event, led by GMHC of New York
and AIDS Walk San Francisco
Foundation, featured a virtual
broadcast with a half-dozen cities
beyond New York, including San
Francisco, New Orleans, Austin,
Seattle, Los Angeles, and Milwaukee.
The fundraising event set out
to raise money for GMHC and other
organizations serving people living
with HIV/AIDS.
With mask mandates dissipating
across the nation, a couple dozen
individuals mingled at tables under
a tent at Tavern on the Green
while they watched the festivities
and enjoyed some live entertainment.
The event’s on-site performers
included Broadway stars Adam
Pascal and Sherie Rene Scott as
well as the Oneonta State Choir
and the Big Apple Corp.
“This year marks the fourth decade
of the epidemic, and GMHC
has been on the front lines since
the beginning,” GMHC CEO Kelsey
Louie said.. “Over the last year we
have been maintaining our services
remotely, including meals
and nutrition, supportive housing,
legal and workforce development
services, and mental health and
substance use counseling. This
past year, despite the COVID pandemic,
we have provided our clients
with more than 100,000 meals. I’m
proud of the fact that we continue
to fi ght the HIV and AIDS epidemic,
and at the same time, confront the
two public health crises of COVID
and race based violence. This past
year has taught us once again that
silence equals death.”
Elton John and his husband, David
Furnish, received the Lifetime
Achievement Award and several other
celebrities showed up on screen, as
well, including Billy Porter of “Pose.”
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All smiles at the watch party.
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The Lesbian and Gay Big Apple Corps entertain attendees as they arrive.
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Attendees enjoy breakfast and the live-streamed AIDS Walk show.
Sherie Rene Scott sings on stage in Central Park.
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Krishna Stone of GMHC with Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.
May 20 - June 2,12 2021 | GayCityNews.com
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