Over the past 30 years, five U.S. Commanders in Chief have led the nation’s response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Who gets good marks? From 1981 to the present, we assess each president’s leadership.

At just 18-months-old, I had to undergo a blood transfusion following abuse I’d suffered at the hands of a family friend. The transfusion was successful and I survived, but a few months later my mother learned that the donor whose blood I received had recently died from GRID (Gay-related immune deficiency)—the original name for HIV. The doctor explained to her that there was no cure for this little-known disease and I probably didn’t have much longer to live.

BLK Publisher Alan Bell to Speak on Remembering Our History

LOS ANGELES -- Alan Bell, founder of two historic gay publications, will speak on “Remembering Our History: Making Sure the Future Knows What Came Before.” His talk will focus on the role the media has in preserving history as well as the importance of preserving the media outlets themselves. The talk will take place Saturday, May 28, 2011 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the William Grant Still Arts Center, 2520 W. Westview St., Los Angeles, CA 90016.

Promising New Research on Preventive and Therapeutic HIV Vaccines

May 18, 2011, was HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, a time to remind ourselves of the worldwide effort to create vaccines to help prevent HIV infection and to boost the immune systems of people already infected with the virus.

HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, 2011

HIV Vaccine Awareness Day provides an opportunity to acknowledge the more than 35,000 individuals who have volunteered for preventive HIV vaccine trials over the past 25 years. Without their participation, the modest success that we have achieved thus far would not have been possible. Many thousands more volunteers will be needed if we are going to achieve our ultimate goal of developing a safe and effective vaccine that will help stop the spread of HIV worldwide.