LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, is proud to join the LGBTQ community in celebrating the 2018 Gay Pride season through its participation in over two dozen Pride events across the country—in many locations, with its new “Lifesaver” busses wrapped with a lighthearted and colorful condom and Pride-themed graphic.
Founded in Los Angeles as AIDS Hospice Foundation in 1987 to provide a facility for terminally ill AIDS patients in California, AHF now provides lifesaving care and treatment to more than 900,000 individuals living with HIV or AIDS in 15 states and 39 countries across the globe. AHF also continues to support LGBTQ equality and the expansion of health care services to treat people living with HIV/AIDS. At festivals and parades throughout the 2018 Pride season, AHF will give away thousands of free condoms, information on STD prevention and treatment, and provide free HIV testing in many locations.
At many of the Pride Parades, AHF patients, volunteers and staff will march with its new “Lifesaver” bus and will carry banners and placards with similar imagery and slogans. The “Lifesaver” artwork for AHF’s 2018 Pride season features a simple rendering of an unfurled condom (horizontal, with no human or body visible) placed on a colorful red background. The condom itself has six multi-colored bands of color echoing the iconic rainbow flag, a symbol used by LGBTQ communities for decades and an ever-present feature at Pride celebrations and parades around the globe. At the same time, the six bands of color on the condom also evoke or suggest a roll of equally iconic Lifesaver candies. Text on the image, placed directly over the side of the condom simply reads, “Lifesaver.”
“After 30 years on the frontlines in the fight against HIV and AIDS, we remain grateful to be able to provide access to medical care and breakthrough treatments that have allowed people with HIV and AIDS to live longer, healthier lives and to help prevent transmitting the virus to others. However, we remain deeply concerned with skyrocketing rates of STDs nationwide, a trend that continues to escalate,” said AHF President Michael Weinstein. “For our Pride imagery and theme this year, we decided to focus on condoms as a ‘Lifesaver’ for HIV and STD prevention and believe this simple design captures both the spirit of Pride as well as serving as an important reminder on condom use for HIV and STD prevention.”
AHF is proud to support the LGBTQ community nationwide through its advocacy, AHF Pharmacies, and Out of the Closet Thrift Stores that offer free HIV testing, and specialized healthcare centers that offer medical care and treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS. For more information on AHF Healthcare Center locations, AHF Pharmacy, and Out of the Closet Thrift Stores, visit www.hivcare.org, www.AHFpharmacy.org, and www.outofthecloset.org
“Lifesaver” busses are scheduled to appear in Pride parades in U.S. cities including Long Beach (5/20) Los Angeles (6/10); Washington, DC (6/10) Houston (6/24); New York City, NY (6/24); San Diego (7/15); Atlanta, GA (10/6) and Las Vegas (10/21).
Following is a list of all locations where AHF will participate in Pride celebrations, festivals or parades:
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AHF’s 2018 LGBTQ PRIDE CALENDAR |
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SECOND QUARTER 2018 |
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California | LONG BEACH | Sunday, May 20, 2018 | ||||||
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Ohio | CLEVELAND | Saturday, June 2 | |||||||
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Washington, DC | DISTRICT of COLUMBIA, DC Black Pride | May 25-28 | |||||||
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Florida | PENSACOLA | May 25-27 | |||||||
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Puerto Rico | PUERTO RICO PRIDE | Sunday, June 3 | |||||||
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California | LOS ANGELES PRIDE | Sunday, June 10 (Pride parade) | |||||||
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Washington, DC | DISTRICT of COLUMBIA, DC Capital Pride | June 7-10 | |||||||
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New York | QUEENS PRIDE | Sunday, June 3 | |||||||
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New York | BROOKLYN PRIDE | Saturday, June 9 | |||||||
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Texas |
DALLAS SOUTHERN PRIDE | June 14-17 | |||||||
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Florida | WILTON MANORS STONEWALL | Saturday, June 16 | |||||||
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Louisiana | BATON ROUGE | Saturday, June 16 | |||||||
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Ohio | COLUMBUS PRIDE | June 16-17 | |||||||
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California | LA URBAN PRIDE | June 21-24 | |||||||
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New York | NYC PRIDE | Sunday, June 24 | |||||||
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Texas | HOUSTON PRIDE | June 24-25 | |||||||
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Washington | SEATTLE PRIDE | June 24-25 | |||||||
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Florida | ST. PETERSBURG PRIDE | June 23-24 | |||||||
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THIRD QUARTER 2018 |
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California | SAN DIEGO PRIDE | July 14-15 | |||||||
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Georgia | ATLANTA BLACK PRIDE | Saturday, August 18 | |||||||
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New York | NEW YORK BLACK PRIDE | August 17-21 | |||||||
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Texas | DALLAS PRIDE | September 15-16 | |||||||
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Texas | DALLAS SOUTHERN PRIDE/BLACK PRIDE | September 27-29 | |||||||
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FOURTH QUARTER 2018 |
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Georgia | ATLANTA PRIDE | Saturday, October 6 | |||||||
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Florida | RIVER CITY PRIDE | October 6-7 | |||||||
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Nevada | LAS VEGAS PRIDE/35th ANNIVERSARY | October 19-21 | |||||||
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Florida | ORLANDO PRIDE | Saturday, October 13 | |||||||
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 900, 000 individuals in 39 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare
