Arts :: Music
Elton John: young people are "complacent" about HIV by Hannah Clay Wareham
Associate EditorFriday Nov 20, 2009 "We are finding that too many young people are not listening to what we are saying," Sir Elton John told BBC Radio1’s Newsbeat Nov. 16. "I’m afraid people do get a little complacent about the disease by going out and having unsafe sex."
John recently made his first appearance since falling ill with the flu and E. coli earlier this month. His life partner, David Furnish, accompanied him to his annual charity gala in New York City Nov. 17.
Bill Clinton and Sharon Stone were honored at the event for their work with HIV/AIDS awareness. Courtney Love, Daniel Craig, Anderson Cooper, and Tony Bennett.
John established the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF), in 1993 "to support innovative HIV prevention programs, efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and direct care and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS," according to the EJAF’s Web site (www.ejaf.com). Partnering with a similar non-profit based in North America, the EJAF has raised over $150 million since its inception.
The EJAF has launched an international program to distribute quality care and HIV/AIDS education for those populations it has deemed "vulnerable groups" -- a category that includes men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender communities. A 2006 report on the Global AIDS Epidemic from UNAIDS revealed that "Globally [fewer] than 1 in 20 MSM have access to the HIV prevention and care services that they need." According to the foundation’s statistics, the EJAF has provided 175,000 MSM with HIV information and services to date.
Hannah can be reached at hclaywareham@baywindows.com.
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