On World AIDS Day, Looking Back 30 Years

Today is World AIDS Day, a day of remembrance of those lost to the disease and a day to educate those who are at risk.  This year's World AIDS Days is taking place in the year that marks the 30th anniversary of the emergence of this terrible plague which devastated gay men in the 1980s, specifically here in New York.

As part of this anniversary, I have been writing a series of profiles in courage about people who have been living with HIV since that decade.  These first person accounts are being posted on Queerty; so far, two have gone up with more to come later this month.  You can read the remarkable story today of Lee Raines, who joined an ACT-UP demo the day after his diagnosis in 1989.

A Tribute To Artists Lost To AIDS

My friend and fellow filmmaker Ira Sachs made a short film called LAST ADDRESS that premiered at Sundance earlier this year.  The film shows the exteriors of the buildings where gay downtown artists like Keith Haring, Robert Mapplethorpe and David Wojnarowicz lived and often worked before they succumbed to AIDS. Ira's 8-minute short serves as a beautiful elegy to these New York artists and the unique time in which they lived.  


This week, a companion website went up online with more information about these extraordinary men.  I encourage you to check it out; you can watch Ira's film below and you can visit the website here.  All in all, the LAST ADDRESS project serves as a lovely tribute to an amazing group of artists who may be gone but whose work will not soon be forgotten.