In 1987, I was living in Houston. At that point, HIV/AIDS was something we'd known about for only six years. But already, doctors had diagnosed more than 46,000 people with AIDS; over half of those people were dead. We were in the throes of a terrible epidemic and we were powerless to stop the disease.
In 1987, after several years of pain and loss, President Ronald Reagan finally gave his first speech on AIDS. While it was a major step in the right direction, not once did the president mention the word "gay," despite the disease's overwhelming impact on the gay and bisexual community. Indeed, we were facing desperate and uncertain times in 1987. Researchers were only beginning to understand HIV/AIDS, let alone find treatments for it. San Francisco was at the epicenter of this health crisis.
But in 1987, this city also witnessed something quite spectacular. That year will forever be remembered as the year when San Franciscans, from all walks of life, took a stand and sparked a movement that lives on today. Thousands of people gathered in Golden Gate Park for the first-ever AIDS Walk San Francisco. Little did they know, on that brisk day, that they would be changing the course of the epidemic forever.
That very first AIDS Walk was born out of the desire to save lives and bring much-needed awareness to HIV/AIDS here in the United States and around the world. People in our city had been watching their lovers, friends, family members, and co-workers die of AIDS. They were fed up and they needed a place to come together, hold hands, share stories, mourn, and take action. AIDS Walk took the collective energy of this city and channeled it into a force for progress. After 25 years, that spirit of community activism lives on today, and it's thriving.
This weekend I will join more than 25,000 walkers in Golden Gate Park for the 25th annual AIDS Walk San Francisco. I will be surrounded by walkers who've been participating for decades, and some people who are brand new to the event. There will be people of all ages, races, and sexual orientations. Some walkers will have suffered tremendous loss, while others may not know anyone living with HIV. But no matter our backgrounds, we will be one community united by one cause �" to see the end of HIV/AIDS in our lifetime.
We can make that dream a reality, and we're taking the right steps. We must increase our testing efforts across San Francisco, and we're doing that. We must link more people to care as soon as they find out they're infected with HIV, and we're doing that. We must ensure that vital programs to stop the spread of HIV and provide care to those living with the disease are fully funded, and we're doing that.
Still, there are two new infections every day in San Francisco. Nationwide, 1.1 million people are currently living with HIV/AIDS, the highest number in the history of the epidemic. Rates of new infections are still on the rise for gay and bisexual men, the only risk group for which this is the case. We have made tremendous strides over the 30-year history of the disease, but we cannot become complacent. This is why we participate in AIDS Walk.
We walk so that no more families have to lose a brother, sister, son, daughter, or parent. We walk so that people get the information they need to make responsible decisions about their sexual health. We walk to make sure HIV-positive people have stable housing so they can take care of their health. We walk to prevent the spread of infection in our city's most vulnerable neighborhoods, through programs like needle exchange and condom distribution. We walk to provide free HIV tests. We walk to ensure community support programs thrive so that nobody feels alone. We walk because we care, and we want to see a world without HIV/AIDS.
Within the last year, President Barack Obama released the first ever National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Scientists have discovered that drugs currently used to treat HIV can also be used to prevent infection. Trials of vaccines to prevent HIV or slow its progression are happening around the world. Major research is now under way to fully understand the relationships between HIV and aging. It's remarkable to see how much things have changed since 1987.
But one truth remains �" there is no cure for HIV. Until that day arrives, we will continue to participate in AIDS Walk and support organizations across the Bay Area that are fighting HIV/AIDS every day. Will you join me on Sunday, July 17 in Golden Gate Park?
Tom Perrault is board chair of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. He is vice president of human resources at Meebo Inc. To register for the AIDS Walk, visit http://www.aidswalk.net/sanfran/.