Over 40,000 people gathered in Central Park on a gray day for the 26th annual AIDS Walk. The six mile walk through the UWS raised more than $6 million altogether for various organizations that provide services for people with HIV and AIDS. We just hope everyone made sure to wear the ribbon.
Even God gave his hearty approval for the march, which was organized by the GMHC, on Twitter: "If thou art doing today's AIDS Walk, know thousands of angels are walking with thee. They are invisible, but trust Me - they look FABULOUS." To mark the event, which is called the largest AIDS fundraising event in the world, Rep. Anthony Weiner and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried called on the FDA to approve the sale of over-the-counter rapid HIV test kits. "There is good reason to believe that some individuals who would otherwise test themselves for HIV avoid clinics and outreach centers because of the perceived stigma involved," Anthony wrote in a letter to the FDA.
Meanwhile, farther uptown, Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. held his anti-gay marriage rally in the Bronx, which was organized by the National Organization for Marriage. According to Joe.My.God, over a thousand people showed up for the rally, far less than the AIDS walk, and coming short of paralyzing the Bronx like Diaz had promised. Joe.My.God added that the event was "much more of an ecumenical hate scene, with the red-caped Catholic loons leading the parade, followed closely by a contingent of Ultra-Orthodox Jews."
One same-sex marriage proponent told NY1, "The Bronx has the highest rate of HIV in all of the boroughs in Manhattan and also was the location of the biggest gay bashing a few months ago and so Ruben Diaz is deciding to hold a hate rally in the Bronx instead of rallying for his own constituents." You can see some videos at the Voice. In an interesting twist, Diaz's 22-year-old granddaughter Erica Diaz briefly spoke in favor of marriage equality on the Bronx Supreme Court Steps, just before her grandfather's rally.
