New York, NY December 1, 2009 — IN THE LIFE, the only national public television series documenting the people and issues shaping the gay experience, commemorates World AIDS Awareness Month with CREATING SOLUTIONS, an episode dedicated to the scientists working tirelessly for a cure, the advocates speaking out about the stigma of HIV and AIDS, and the innovative approaches to prevention and education around the virus.
Throughout history, no viral disease has been cured without a vaccine. HIV is no exception. Though we have the tools for living with HIV and AIDS — education, behavior change and treatment — the development of a vaccine remains the only hope for eradicating the virus. Finding this magic bullet, however, has proven to be harder than anyone ever imagined. Even with the promising news coming from the most recent HIV vaccine trials in Thailand, scientists know that creation of a vaccine can only be part of a broader comprehensive strategy to finally eradicate the epidemic. In our lead story, THE TRIALS OF A VACCINE, we meet scientists who have made it their life’s work to develop an HIV vaccine.
Yes we need a vaccine, but a stigma doesn’t stop with a vaccine; criminalization of people’s behavior doesn’t stop with a vaccine. So, yes, we need all of these new prevention tools including especially an AIDS vaccine, but we have to remember we need to be addressing the root causes of this epidemic which go far beyond basic science,” says Mitchell Warren, the executive director of AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition (AVAC).
In A CONVERSATION WITH…, IN THE LIFE sits down with fashion designer and entrepreneur Kenneth Cole. He is chairman of the board of The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR), one of the world’s leading nonprofit organizations dedicated to the support of HIV/AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy. Cole was among the first to use advertising campaigns to speak out about AIDS in 1985, two years before President Ronald Reagan acknowledged the crisis. Joining him in conversation is Regan Hoffman, author of the memoir “I Have Something to Tell You” and editor-in-chief of POZ Magazine, the nation’s leading publication and website about HIV/AIDS, reaching over 70 percent of all people living in the United States who are aware that they are HIV positive.
The episode concludes with an update on the “HIV Is Still A Big Deal” campaign. A year after we first featured the innovative series of online HIV prevention films produced by Public Health Solutions and NYU, we take a fresh look at the success of this series. Thanks, in part, to a partnership with Manhunt, an online community that’s been called the “best online place for men to meet men,” the series has become an internationally effective intervention tool.
CREATING SOLUTIONS is available for free video streaming and as a podcast from the IN THE LIFE website. To find out when it will be airing in your local area, to stream or download it, go to www.inthelifetv.org .
About In The Life Media
In The Life Media provides information about the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities, documents the ongoing LGBT civil rights movement, and produces diverse images of the LGBT community to create better understanding and acceptance.
About IN THE LIFE
Produced by In The Life Media, IN THE LIFE is the longest running television show documenting the gay experience. IN THE LIFE is a three-time Emmy Award nominee, a Lambda Legal Liberty Award honoree, and the recipient of the Courage Award from the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project.
Related Links
- Ifelicious Thoughts– Dec 2009: IN THE LIFE “Creating Solutions” (video)
- Ifelicious Thoughts– archive of previous episodes of “In The Life”
- In The Life website– www.inthelifetv.org
- Facebook fan page– www.facebook.com/inthelifemedia?v=wall#/inthelifemedia
- Twitter– twitter.com/INTHELIFE
- YouTube Channel– www.youtube.com/user/itlmedia
Leave a Reply