West Hollywood Marks World AIDS Day with Reflection, Resilience, and a Renewed Call to Action

Each year on December 1, the City of West Hollywood stands with communities across the globe to honor World AIDS Day – a day of remembrance, solidarity, and renewed commitment to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Established in 1988 at the United Nations World Summit of Ministers of Health, World AIDS Day remains an urgent call to unite in support of people living with HIV, to commemorate those lost to AIDS-related illnesses, and to champion equity in global health.

This year’s international theme, Overcoming Disruption, Transforming the AIDS Response, underscores the compounding challenges facing the global fight against HIV. Cuts to international funding, the erosion of community-led efforts, and punitive laws targeting LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized groups threaten hard-won progress. Yet, with solidarity, human-rights-centered leadership, and political will, the world can still end AIDS.

In the City of West Hollywood, a city shaped and scarred by the epidemic, World AIDS Day is not simply a commemoration; it’s a deeply rooted community tradition of remembrance, activism, and love. Throughout December, the City and its partners hosted programs, gatherings, and tributes that honor lives lost and uplift ongoing work toward HIV justice.

A panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the largest community arts project in history, is on display adjacent to the City’s Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard, through December 15, 2025. Conceived in 1985 by activist Cleve Jones, the Quilt now includes roughly 50,000 panels honoring more than 110,000 individuals. Its presence in West Hollywood offers a powerful space for reflection and remembrance.

On Monday, December 1, 2025 the first community gathering at the newly unveiled STORIES: The AIDS Monument took place at West Hollywood Park. The evening featured readings from the APLA Health Writers Group and brief speeches, followed by a reception at the ONE Institute Gallery with refreshments and access to the exhibit Herb Ritts: Allies & Icons.

Continuing a long-standing tradition of remembrance, the Alliance for Housing & Healing, now a program of APLA Health, laid flowers along the bronze plaques of the West Hollywood AIDS Memorial Walk on Santa Monica Boulevard. Established in 1993, the Walk honors those lost to the epidemic and recognizes the City’s early and ongoing leadership in HIV/AIDS services and advocacy. For details, visit weho.org/memorialwalk.

For 25 years, the Paul Andrew Starke Warrior Awards have honored frontline workers — volunteers, educators, case managers, caregivers — whose courage and compassion strengthen the fight against HIV/AIDS and substance use. This year’s ceremony, held at the City’s Council Chambers on December 10, features performances by renowned drag king Spacee Kadett, readings by former West Hollywood Poet Laureate Steven Reigns, and a Lifetime Achievement Award presented posthumously to Russell Ybarra, alongside recognitions of outstanding community leaders from local service organizations.

In November 2025, the City and the Foundation for The AIDS Monument hosted the official unveiling of STORIES: The AIDS Monument — a 7,000-square-foot installation featuring 147 monumental bronze “Traces,” illuminated at dusk to echo the candlelight vigils of the early epidemic. The ceremony included performances by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles and Jake Wesley Rogers, honoring activists, caregivers, survivors, and the countless lives forever touched by HIV and AIDS.

“The AIDS Monument is a powerful reminder that remembrance is not passive; it calls us to action,” said West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Lee Byers. “In West Hollywood, we carry forward a legacy of care, advocacy, and love that has defined us since the earliest days of the epidemic.”

Since its founding in 1984, West Hollywood has been a national leader in HIV/AIDS advocacy. The City launched early awareness campaigns and funded essential social services and it championed housing, medical care, harm reduction, and mental health support. Today, the City remains committed to its HIV Zero initiative, working to reduce new infections, expand access to care, and end stigma.

World AIDS Day in West Hollywood is a moment to look back with reverence, to honor the warriors who fought and continue to fight, and to move forward together – toward justice, toward healing, and toward a future where AIDS is finally history.