It’s that time of year again. No, I’m not talking about turkeys or Pilgrims, gifts or sleigh bells or Santa Claus. Those things get enough attention without me having to remind you.
World AIDS Day, however, does not.
It’s coming up again on December 1st and I’d really like to draw your attention to it.
I’ve been with EdenFantasys for close to 3 years now and every year I’ve been here we’ve done something spectacular for World AIDS Day. It’s a cause and a celebration that has become very dear to me.
In 2009 we raised $1000 dollars for Aids Service Center NYC with the help of our amazing Twitter Community. In 2010, we created an awesome awareness video that still makes me choke up every time I see it. Each year we have filled SexIs Magazine and EdenCafe to the brim with words and stories, articles and essays. Your words. Our words. The words of the community, pouring forth, filled with support and awareness, advocacy and understanding.
We have plans in the works for this year. Of course we do! And we’ll be announcing them shortly but I can give you a few hints; there will be video and pictures involved again and we’ll definitely be raising funds to help our friends at ASC NYC. There will be banners you can use to show your support and articles from the pros over on SexIs. But the reason I am writing is to ask for your help here, on EdenCafe.
Write something for us, guys.
Tell us how you learned about AIDS and HIV. Did they teach you about it in school? Did you learn about it from your friends or your parents? Was it part of Sex Ed or were you older, hearing about it first on the news and left to scramble to find the truth? How much do you know now? How does your knowledge compare to when you first heard about HIV and AIDS?
Do you know anyone who has been diagnosed with HIV? Have you had a scare yourself? Do you get tested? How often? Do you use protection every time you have sex? Is it because of HIV or are other STDs more frightening to you? Or is it simply to prevent pregnancy? Do you even think about HIV anymore?
Do some research! Write us an article filled with facts and figures, statistics and current health care facts and treatment options! Tell us about testing in your area. Is it widely available? How much does it cost? How are you treated when you go in for testing?
How do you feel about HIV and AIDS as compared to other generations? Do you have kids? How do they look at HIV? How about your parents, grandparents? Have you talked about it with family or friends?
[box]The World Health Organization established World AIDS Day in 1988. World AIDS Campaign is the leading international organization which plans and implements the observance. 
[/box]
It doesn’t matter what you write, just write something. Show your support, show that you care, help us raise awareness just by being aware yourself. You don’t have to have written here before and you don’t have to be a regular reader or a reviewer or have a blog of your own. Anyone can write for EdenCafe.
Regular submission rules apply so please check out the Writing for EdenCafe page and let’s get those posts pouring in.
We’ll be posting your submissions the entire week of November 28th through December 2nd so you have plenty of time — just don’t dawdle too much. This is such an amazing thing to be a part of.
Let’s ALL be a part of it!
storm elliott
Thank you Eden Cafe for this call to action. The encouragement and reminder to do and add what we can to the cause and to the observance of World Aids Day.
Marc Londer
It is so important to support research into all terminal illnesses and HIV infection, which leads to AIDS, is up there with the rest. Good work.