31 HIV Activists Explain Why World AIDS Day Matters

“I've always had a fraught relationship with World AIDS Day. For starters I hate the word AIDS, and cringe whenever I hear it because it reminds me of uneducated people who refer to HIV as AIDS. Also, the way the term is structured, World AIDS Day, makes the brain want to say "Happy World AIDS Day!". As a comedian my first instinct is to find humor in everything no matter how awful, so over the years I've said "Happy WAD" to friends and family I trust will understand the irony I've imbued. It's sort of a way of checking in with someone about the day without getting overwhelmed by sadness. Memorial Day isn't really a holiday meant for celebrating, but somehow it's become a national day of BBQs. 9/11 should also be a day of remembrance, and while we don't have cookouts on 9/11, we also don't do much of anything. It's not a National Day of Observation, it's actually just kind of business as usual. And then there's World AIDS Day. In a way I like the idea of one day saying "Happy WAD" and meaning it because it's become a day of remembering that a lot of good people died from a disease we managed to finally eradicate. And on that special day in the future people don't BBQ, they hang a mirror ball in their home under which gay men are allowed to kiss and dance and fuck without condoms.”