Miami: AHF To Bring Meaning And History To LGBTQ Pride-goers Nationwide

Miami Beach Pride Festival & Parade, April 6^th– 9^th, 2019

Free HIV tests | Free condoms | Historical Art

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, is proud to join the LGBTQ community in celebrating the 2019 LGBTQ Pride season through its participation in 24 Pride events across the country—in many locations, touring with its “Our Champions” Pride bus.

This years “Our Champions” theme honors eight key influential advocates and activists in the nearly four-decade fight against HIV and AIDS and/or in AHF’s own history. The activists will be honored side by side on a double-decker bus, each with its own colorful animated portrait. AHF’s hope is to catch the eyes of parade-goers, reminding them of the brave human beings who helped change our world.

The activists include Arthur Ashe, Archbishop Carl Bean, Chris Brownlie, Princess Diana, Larry Kramer, Connie Norman, Elizabeth Taylor and Coconut Grove, Miami’s own Pedro Zamora. Zamora, who appeared on MTV’s ‘Real World: San Francisco’, was one of the first openly gay men with AIDS in popular media. He made television history by exchanging vows with another man on national TV. He testified before Congress and was honored after his 1994 death by U.S. President Bill Clinton for personalizing and humanizing those living with HIV.

The heartfelt artistic Pride tribute comes on the 50^th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots, perhaps the largest milestone for the LGBTQ rights movement in modern history.

WHAT:	AHF’s ‘Our Champions’ bus and marching contingent in Miami Beach Pride Parade
WHEN:	Sunday, April 7^th, 12 noon parade kicks off
WHERE:	Ocean Drive, Miami Beach
B-ROLL:	-Our Champions’ bus (with world renowned DJ Erik Vilar spinning on the rooftop),
	-AHF FREE mobile testing units
	-AHF ‘Icon’ and ‘Love’ FREE condom giveaways.

“While we honor ‘Our Champions,’ AHF’s fight to end AIDS globally actively continues. At 24 pride events throughout the country, AHF will give out free condoms and offer thousands of free HIV tests via our on-site mobile testing vans,” said Whitney Engeran Cordova, Senior Director of Public Health for AHF. “Our advocacy efforts come packaged with dancing and entertainment via fun-filled events at each pride event. Rather than waiting for the community to come to us, we’re coming to them.”

AHF’s ‘Our Champions’ bus will travel to multiple Pride parades throughout the country, stopping first in Miami, then New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C, and Chicago.

MIAMI BEACH 2019 AHF PRIDE SCHEDULE:
Saturday 4/6/2019	Sunday 4/7/2019
12pm noon-10pm: (FREE mobile HIV testing open to public at VIP tent). 1 completed test = 1 ticket to VIP tent.	12pm noon-3pm: world renowned DJ Erik Vilar spinning on the rooftop of AHF bus along the Pride parade route on Ocean Drive.
8pm-10pm: World-renowned DJ Erik Vilar spinning on the T.D. stage. Time TBA: Jessica Wild of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ performs	6:30pm-7:00pm: AHF’s Transgender affinity group, FLUX, to sponsor two performances from Michele (Beyonce Impersonator) and Champagne on the T.D. stage.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider in the USA. AHF currently provides medical care and/or services to over one million individuals in 43 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Asia. For more information, visit www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @AIDSHealthcare