World AIDS Day: Remembering, Honoring, and Recommitting to Care

December 1, 2025

Each year on World AIDS Day, we pause not only to remember, but to reflect and recommit. We remember the lives lost to HIV and AIDS, honor those living with HIV today, and acknowledge the advocates, caregivers, and community members who have fought tirelessly for dignity, access, and justice.

For LGBTQ+ communities, and especially for Black and Brown LGBTQ+ people, the history of HIV is not distant. It is lived. It is personal. It is shaped by loss, resilience, and survival in the face of stigma, neglect, and systemic inequity.

While medical advances have transformed HIV from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition for many, access to prevention and care is still deeply unequal. Structural barriers such as racism, homophobia, transphobia, poverty, housing instability, and limited access to culturally competent care continue to put people at risk. For too many in our communities, HIV remains intertwined with fear, stigma, and isolation.

At Diverse & Resilient, HIV work has always been central to our mission. For 30 years, we have worked to ensure LGBTQ+ people in Wisconsin can live healthy, satisfying lives in safe, supportive communities. That commitment shows up every day through testing and prevention services, peer navigation and care coordination, education and outreach, and advocacy rooted in equity and compassion.

Our work is about more than health outcomes. It is about trust. It is about meeting people where they are and walking alongside them through moments of uncertainty and healing. It is about making sure that no one feels alone when navigating their health, their identity, or their future.

This World AIDS Day comes at a challenging moment. Funding cuts and shifting priorities threaten essential services at a time when community needs continue to grow. These pressures have forced difficult decisions, but they have not changed our resolve. The need for this work remains urgent, and our commitment remains unwavering.

World AIDS Day reminds us that progress is possible when communities are resourced, respected, and supported. It also reminds us that resilience is not accidental. It is built through care, connection, and sustained investment in people’s lives.

As we honor this day, we invite you to reflect with us. Reflect on those we have lost. Reflect on how far we have come. And reflect on the work that still lies ahead.

Together, we remember. Together, we care. Together, we continue building a future rooted in health equity, dignity, and resilience.