The Gay Community Speaks Out on World AIDS Day: Team Friendly Colorado

Team Friendly Colorado - "HIV and AIDS has been a part of gay culture and American life for over 30 years. In that time we have fought to protect ourselves, to educate our community and to save our lives. We won the war to save our lives. We stopped the death. But we forgot to fight for the living. The stigma that still surrounds HIV/AIDS prevents people from disclosing their status, from discussing their status and, in some cases, from knowing their status. Mr Friendly's mission is a world free of HIV stigma. His unique +/- sign design is intended to inspire conversations, to get people talking about HIV/AIDS. If you talk about your status and know your risks, you can have all the “Dirty” fun you want and still prevent transmission.

As Team Friendly Colorado, we hope to help spread this message to the entire state of Colorado, and not just to it's LGBT community. This tiny button, that translates in any language but has no words, delivers a simple message. “I am free of HIV Stigma” And it's our goal to get that message to every Coloradan we can, one conversation at a time.

Mr Friendly's message is sex-positive. We don't judge who you have sex with, how you do it, or what you are on while you are doing it. Educate yourself so you can make the right choices for you and your partner. Our message is not about safe sex, but smart sex."

World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and the first one was held in 1988.