SAG-AFTRA and The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation's Co-Host World AIDS Day Panel

In honor of World AIDS Day, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and the SAG-AFTRA National LGBT Committee will host an important panel discussion on the current state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the role of the entertainment industry in creating storylines and characters that educate viewers and break down the stigma that surrounds this disease. Speakers will include actors and activists alongside entertainment industry executives and medical professionals. There will be a special address from Elizabeth Taylor's granddaughter, Naomi Wilding, SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, and SAG-AFTRA National LGBT Committee Co-Chair Jason Stuart.

SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, actors David Arquette and Jamie Pressly, writer/producer Neal Baer M.D. (Law & Order SVU, ER), Tarell Alvin McCraney, playwright and author of In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue, story writer for Moonlight; Chandi Moore, HIV and trans activist, mentor on I Am Cait; The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation's Managing Director Joel Goldman, HIV/AIDS expert Dr. Michael Gottlieb among others.

The event takes place on November 30, 2016 | 7-9 p.m. at the SAG-AFTRA Plaza, James Cagney Boardroom - Lobby Level 5757 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Parking will be validated.

There are more than 1.2 million people living with HIV in the US, and 1 in 8 don't know it. Many experts say an AIDS-free future is within reach scientifically, yet, in a recent national survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 74 percent of 15-24 year olds said they were not overly optimistic about the prospects of seeing the end of AIDS in their lifetime. The Achilles heel of the fight against HIV is stigma. The entertainment industry has a unique opportunity to create characters representative of people living with HIV, as well as storylines that educate viewers and break down the stigma that surrounds this disease. In honor of World AIDS Day, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation and SAG-AFTRA have brought together a diverse group of speakers to address our role in this fight.

To participate on social media:
@sagaftra
@TheElizabethTaylorAIDSFoundation (Facebook)
@ET_AIDS_FDN (Twitter)
@elizabethtayloraidsfoundation (Instagram)

About SAG-AFTRA SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. With national offices in Los Angeles and New York, and local offices nationwide, SAG-AFTRA members work together to secure the strongest protections for media artists into the 21st century and beyond. Visit SAG-AFTRA online at sagaftra.org.

About The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation
Elizabeth Taylor established The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991 to support organizations delivering direct care and services to people living with HIV and AIDS, often to the most marginalized populations. Today, ETAF also provides funding for HIV prevention education and advocacy programs throughout the world, including existing organizations creating new and innovative techniques that help spread awareness of HIV prevention and treatment to targeted communities.

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