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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE October 10, 2008
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www.GayPeoplesChronicle.com
JOHNNY BERGIUS FOR THE ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION
'I would like to be remembered as a good person'
Elton John talks about his place in LGBT history
In 1994, educators across the country began working to counteract the lack of information about LGBT people in textbooks. The efforts of Missouri high school teacher Rodney Wilson led to the creation of LGBT History Month in October.
This issue marks the beginning of the third year the Gay People's Chronicle, along with other newspapers across the nation, honor LGBT History Month with a series of articles by and about people, organizations and events that shaped the world and continue to strive for greater equality.
For the project, Philadelphia Gay News publisher Mark Segal spoke with Elton John about his work and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
by Mark Segal
GAY HISTORY PROJECT
Oscar Wilde wrote, "Anybody can make history. Only a great man can write it." Your new musical Billy Elliott certainly fits that realm, and at the same time takes on homophobia. Was that one of the Elliott
issues that brought you to for Billy
The main attraction to me
was the deep connection I felt with the film. Billy's artistic and social journey had parallels with my own life and wanting to be a musician. Having said that, I find Billy's friendship with his gay friend Michael to be genuinely touching, so that was a focus for me as well.
Part of your history is the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Each year you tour a country where EJAF has program. What are your most memorable thoughts from those trips?
For the past few years, my partner David Furnish and I, along with friends and col-
Elton John and David Furmish with a young friend on a trip to Africa to see John's AIDS Foundation at work.
leagues from the Elton John AIDS Foundation have gone to South Africa every January. And, as you say we make a point to visit projects and organizations that are supported by EJAF.
These annual trips have become not only an activity to which I look forward, but in fact give me much energy at the beginning of each year. I am always overwhelmed by the hopeful spirit that surrounds all the people with whom we come in contactand these are people whose lives have been ravaged on so many levels by HIV/AIDS. They are children whose parents have died from AIDS. They are heads of households at 10. They are wives whose husbands have died.
The stories go on and on and yet they carry on with such hope and dignity. It is a true inspiration and is something that helps focus my energy to continue to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation to support such work all around the world.
Last year, I also traveled to the Ukraine where EJAF supports a number of projects. In fact, during the summer of 2007 I played an outdoor concert in Kiev to raise money and awareness for our work and HIV/AIDS in general. It was so gratifying and energizing to play before such enormous and enthusiastic crowds.
Earlier this year, David traveled to India with EJAF staff and other Board members to view projects we support there. David and I are very proud of the work that we are supporting in that country. This year, we look forward to traveling to Cambodia to visit projects in that country.
Are there any new projects in the pipeline for EJAF?
Well, I am happy to report that since 2005 EJAF has met with ever greater fund-raising success and has increased its grant-making here in the U.S. by 140%. We have expanded not only the amount of money given but also strategically targeted key regions and populations that are poorly served by current prevention efforts and most at risk of infection including: critically under-funded communities of the Southern United States, the Caribbean, and Latin America; highly marginalized populations such as injection drug users, men who have sex with men, and incarcerated individuals; and underserved populations such as African Americans and young people.
To use a specific example, many of the grants that EJAF has made over the last couple of years reinforce and enhance our commitment to HIV/AIDS awareness-raising, prevention, and treatment access programs in the Caribbean, the second-most HIV/AIDS affected region in the world after sub-Saharan Africa. In 2007 alone, 17,000 people in the Caribbean were newly infected with the virus, and as many as 230,000 Caribbean residents are currently living with HIV. It is also a region where there is tremendous stigma around HIV/AIDS.
In 2007, EJAF invested more than $1.6 million in grants to this region and nearly $1.4 million so far in 2008, addressing the specific challenges of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on a variety of levels. To ameliorate prejudices and reduce stigma faced by people
Curbside
at seventeen PART
another file from the "ex Files" 2008)
WAS STILL AGLOW FROM MY TRIUMPHANT DEBUT AT THE BAR, AND THE NEXT MORNING TOLD MY OLDER SISTER THE ONLY ONE I WAS OUT TO ALL ABOUT IT.
AND I MADE OUT WITH BOTH OF 'EM
(separately) AND THEY BOTH TOLD ME
TO CALL THEM AND I
SHE WASN'T EXACTLY BRIMMING OVER WITH ENTHUSIASM FOR ME.
I JUST DON'T WANT YOU GETTING INVOLVED WITH ANY CREEPS!
DON'T WORRY
ABOUT
CAN'T YOU FIND GUYS YOUR OWEN AGE ?!
SEX
by Robert Kirby
I "DID LUNCH" WITH JON S. A FEW DAYS LATER.
You GOT TIME AFTER THIS ?
SURE!
BUTT
CMERE
YOU
ME!
N HIS HIGH RISE CONDO, HE SERVED UP CHAMPAGNE AND GOT DOWN TO BUSINESS.
WEEEEEEEE hic?
HE'S LOSING
HIS
INNOCENCE!
ALL
HUH-AFTER THE PEOPLE SHE'S SLEPT WITH!
WE LEFT OFF WITH PROMISES TO GET TOGETHER AGAIN.
I'LL CALL YA BUT FIRST I'M SPOSTA CALL THAT GUY ED... ....YOU KNOW HIM?
YEAH, I DO! BY THE WAY, HE LIED TO YOUHE'S NOT 32HE'S
39.
BUT IN THE MEANTIME, I HAD A SECOND PHONE NUMBER TO CALL....
Hi um, ED... REMEMBER ME FROM THE OTHER NIGHT...!
SEX
HOT
DICK
YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.... YEAH,
I'D LOVE TO....
SCRITCH
SCRATCH
A. KIRBY '08
www.curb-side.com
12:30PM
why is everybody so worried! about ages?
#398
I DON'T CARE IF "He's 32 OR 39..... OR.... 45!
(STILL) TO BE CONTIN