Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future

In 1985, as the U.S. government failed to take action against a virus killing primarily queer people, Elizabeth Taylor and Dr. Mathilde Krim stepped into the breach and founded amfAR. To this day, amfAR remains at the forefront of HIV research.

The outbreak of HIV was, unfortunately, not the first time the queer community learned that they would need to fend for themselves. The riots that gave way to the modern gay liberation movement were spurred on by years of harassment and abuse by police and other government bodies.

At amfAR, we have always been with and of the LGBTQ+ community. This Pride Month, we celebrate not just because this is a community that our work serves, but because this is our community. amfAR’s online timeline of the HIV/AIDS epidemic includes the many staff members we’ve lost to AIDS over the years.

Throughout our 40-year history, we have witnessed—and are proud to have effected—major changes. New treatments brought to fruition by research have changed the lives of many people living with HIV. The rights of queer people and of people living with HIV are better protected in many jurisdictions than ever before.

But progress is not linear. With a record 510 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in the United States alone last year, amfAR will not give up the fight to ensure that everyone has access to equal rights, to healthcare, and to a happy and healthy life.

At amfAR, Pride means celebrating how far we’ve come… and taking control over where we’re going.

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