Ever since 1988, December 1st has been marked as World AIDs Day—an opportunity to raise awareness about HIV/AIDs, support those living with the virus and remember those who have died.
Leading LGBT+ health organisation runs a Red Ribbon Appeal every year in the lead up to, and on, World AIDs Day to raise money for crucial HIV prevention, support and education resources.
ACON recruits volunteers from all over NSW to help collect funds that go towards supporting some of the estimated 12,000 people in the state living with HIV.
For volunteers, it’s an opportunity to give back and connect with the community on an issue that continues to affect the lives of Australians.
Matt, 40, Sydney
Matt has been volunteering with the Red Ribbon appeal in Sydney for seven years—and before that, he helped out annually with the AIDs Foundation in New Zealand.
“It makes me tear me up to see how generous people are when they give money,” Matt says.
“People give all sorts of cash and coins and they share their stories. It makes you feel as though you’re really helping out and it gives you great faith in other people.”
Matt has volunteered all over the city but says selling red ribbons in Darlinghurst’s Taylor Square, “at the heart of our gay community” has been the site of some emotional exchanges.
“I’ve had people say they’ve lost their partner,” he tells SBS.
“One man nearly cried, he said, ‘I’m so glad you’re out here doing this, HIV and AIDS hasn’t gone away, it’s still a serious issue. I lost a partner, I lost a friend. Young people need to know this is happening’.”
Matt says he volunteers each year to support the work that ACON does in the areas of HIV prevention and education.
I think if we do all the right things, we can get the infection rate down. It’s already going way down and I think we can defeat it in this country before long.
“I know that I’m 40 now and there’s never been a time, when I’ve been out as gay, when HIV hasn’t been a huge thing in our community. We can’t have sex without a little bit of fear," he says.
“I know people who have gotten HIV and have had the big talk with me about how they’re positive and how they’ve come to terms with it.
“It means so much to me [to volunteer] because it’s still a very real thing in our community.”
He says that with the introduction of PrEP, there’s been a “big education revolution”.
“I think if we do all the right things, we can get the infection rate down. It’s already going way down and I think we can defeat it in this country before long.”
Roman, 28, Katoomba
Roman first started volunteering for World AIDs Day in Sydney eight years ago but this year, for the first time, will be selling ribbons in the Blue Mountains where he now lives.
“I decided that this year, instead of travelling, I’d see how it goes up here,” he tells SBS. “It seems to me there’s a pretty big queer community here—and allies– so it made sense.”
Roman says that volunteering has always been a positive experience.
HIV can affect anyone and we’re so much stronger together.
“It’s always been awesome,” he says. “One comment I get all the time is, ‘I’ve been looking for you guys everywhere’. There are definitely people who come to us who buy ribbons every year.”
He adds that Red Ribbon Day events go a long way in helping to open up conversations about HIV.
“Our presence on the street as volunteers, I think it makes HIV less scary to talk about,” he says. “And I think that’s an important thing for something that was so terrifying when it was just being discovered decades ago.”
“I think life is really hard enough without this kind of stuff going on in someone’s life,” Roman continues.
“It’s something you hear a lot but it’s true, all we’ve got is each other. HIV can affect anyone and we’re so much stronger together.”
Neil, 64, Lismore
Neil has worked for ACON for 11 years and coordinates volunteers for the Red Ribbon appeal around the Northern Rivers region of NSW.
"We go out on the streets of regional towns such as Lismore and Byron Bay and hold out collection boxes and people make donations for red ribbons," he tells SBS.
Neil and his team collect donations for ACON's HIV support programs but also provide vital information to the community.
"We engage with some people who aren’t quite up to date and have old-fashioned ideas about HIV and think it's still a death sentence.
"Part of our work is to bring people’s knowledge up to the contemporary understanding of it, that’s it’s treatable. And that people can take steps to protect themselves by taking PrEP."
Neil says that even though , it's important to remember how HIV affects people differently around the globe.
Member of the ACON Northern Rivers team. Image; ACON. Source: Supplied
"Globally it’s a different epidemic to what we see here in Australia, globally are infected with HIV than men.
"Still, die of HIV related illness. It’s important for those things not to be lost."
