It’s that time of year again folks, come Tuesday, December 1, it is World AIDS Day. To help raise awareness, we’ve got everything going on that day from a virtual run to live health events and lectures, to performances by your favourite artists. Here’s the scoop for World AIDS Day 2020:

Sexual Health Centre

On Saturday, November 28, the Sexual Health Centre will host a virtual World AIDS Day run in conjunction with sexualwellbeing.ie, Healthy Ireland and the Health Service Executive, in a bid to tackle HIV stigma and encourage people to test regularly. Established in 2018, the World AIDS Day run has been previously delivered in partnership with park run. In light of COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s run is being held ‘virtually’ so that everyone can participate in their community.

To register for the virtual event and receive a free World AIDS Day t-shirt, please visit sexualhealthcentre.com. The Sexual Health Centre will post out a free World AIDS Day dri-fit top to all participants.

The Sexual Health Centre also runs a free HIV testing service, which is still available by appointment throughout restrictions. Further information on testing venues and times are available via the following links:

Sexual Health Centre: www.sexualhealthcentre.com/events

HIV Ireland: www.hivireland.ie/hiv/testing/free-hiv-sti-testing-centre-locator/

Father Michael Kelly Lecture

For over 50 years, Tullamore-born Professor Father Michael J. Kelly has worked tirelessly in the fight against HIV/AIDS in his naturalised country of Zambia, and internationally, spreading the message of strength, dignity, and hope for those affected and at risk.

Other speakers include The Minister of Health for Ethiopia, Dr Lia Tadesse Gebremedhin and Chief of Staff, at The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Marijke Wijnroks. This year’s event will also feature a collaboration of youth choirs with the launch of an original music video by Africaid Zvandiri Youth Choir in Zimbabwe and the SpeakUp SingOut SUSO Youth Choir in County Kildare.

For more information on the speakers and the program line-up, as well as registering for the event, click here.

Elton John’s Tik Tok Event

Sir Elton and his husband David Furnish will appear in a special event streamed on the star’s TikTok channel and hosted by Reggie Yates to promote HIV/AIDS education.

Kicking off at 7 pm GMT, the live stream will feature performances by Sam Smith, Rina Sawayama (whose debut album Elton John named his favourite album of the year in June) and Sam Fender, as well as appearances by other celebrities and TikTok stars.

As well as the live special, the foundation is also collaborating with TikTok on a HIV/AIDS education and awareness quiz, available from Wednesday, November 25th, to help users understand more about prevention and their own sexual health.

HRSA World AIDS Day Twitter Thread

The thread will begin on Tuesday, December 1, which is World AIDS Day, and will continue through December 9, when HRSA will host its Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program 2020 annual client-level data rollout webinar. The #HRSAHonorsWAD is intended to promote awareness about HIV and the role of HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program in ending the HIV epidemic.

For more information about HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, visit www.hab.hrsa.gov.

World AIDS Day 2020: A National Conversation

World AIDS Day 2020 – A National Conversation on December 1 from 10 am to 12 pm PST will bring together powerful voices from both the AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics for an important conversation about health justice, social activism, remembrance, hope and resilience.

Speakers include Dr Anthony S. Fauci, US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, among many others. For more information and a full list of speakers, click here.

GCN World AIDS Day Event

Join us on December 1 from 7 pm on YouTube and Facebook for a dynamic evening of conversation hosted by the one and only, Panti.

From honouring Mary Shannon, the custodian of the Irish Names Quilt, who passed away this year, to discussing the HIV infection rates since the closure of the Gay Men’s Health Service, to Andrew Leavitt from ACT UP Dublin discussing the global perspective and the work still to do in terms of HIV/AIDS activism. With a finale from the fabulous Veda who came out about her HIV status a year ago with a powerful single and video release, ‘I Came Out One Night’, this is an event you don’t want to miss.