A cast of black actors and actresses including Vanessa Williams and Jimmy Jean-Louis will line up at the Screen Actor's Guild in L.A. on Monday, June 25 to get HIV tests on camera. The event—just in time for National HIV Testing Day two days later—marks the launch of the “1 in a Million” campaign to get 1 million black Americans to get HIV tests by World AIDS Day 2008 on December 1.
Beth Benne, RN, is HIV negative, but
the virus has impacted her life. She currently supervises a biannual HIV/AIDS awareness week as
the director of the student health center at Pierce College, a
community commuter school in Woodland Hills, California.
Woman of the Month is supported by exclusive advertising from Gilead.
Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I recently met a guy who is negative. I did tell him about my status and he decided to kiss me anyway (we didn't go further than that). But a day later, he called and said that he actually had a mouth ulcer that time when we kissed and he was very worried. Asked if he can get the virus from me that way. For that moment, I felt so insulted and yet I felt so bad. It was my first time having a contact with a "negative" guy."
