11-29-21: Press Release_ Unidos_World AIDS Day
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 29th, 2021
Contact:
Danny Deza, Communications Director Office:(866) 590-6411 ext. 106
Email: ddeza@bienestar.org Mobile: 714-287-9572
Bienestar Human Services to commemorate World AIDS Day on the 40th year of the AIDS epidemic
The premier Latinx and LGBTQ + health & wellness organization presents a commemorative event, UNIDOS, to raise awareness and address the stigma of the AIDS epidemic.
LOS ANGELES (December 1, 2021) Bienestar will host its 28th annual World AIDS Day event UNIDOS Ending the HIV Epidemic: “Equitable Access” on December 1st, 2021 on the 40th year since AIDS was officially reported. This year UNIDOS will be a celebration of life and a remembrance of the friends and family we’ve lost to the AIDS epidemic told through performances and speeches on Latinx and LGBTQ+ vibrancy and culture.
“While there are fewer deaths today, our communities still continue to get infected. The purpose of this event is to promote awareness and to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma,” said Robert Contreras, Bienestar CEO. “We must continue to foster community and promote HIV prevention to combat the disproportionately high rights of new HIV infections among the Latinx and LGBTQ + community.”
According to the 2020 HIV Surveillance Report from the Division of HIV and STD Programs at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the greatest disparities in awareness of HIV-positive status were among young Latinx people, and transgender women had the highest HIV positivity rate across all populations disproportionately affecting transgender women of color.
UNIDOS is dedicated to raising HIV awareness in the Latinx LGBTQ+ community. This year’s efforts include a photo exhibit on the 40-year history of the HIV epidemic, a memorial tree where guests can write a name of a loved one who has passed, educational performances by staff, and a speech from Bienestar CEO Robert Contreas.
“It is important we gather safely to remind our community that we are still here for them,” said Contreras. “The statistics have never been in our favor but we continue to persevere and support each other unconditionally – like family.”
