The list isn’t ranked and leaves off many who help us. As far as I’m concerned, any and every celebrity who stands up for AIDS enters my pantheon. While there are some, like Magic Johnson, Annie Lennox and Cyndi Lauper who have given so much of their time and star power for so long to fight HIV that they deserve extra accolades, those newest to the fight, like Lady Gaga and Cheyenne Jackson are every bit as key.
It always feels a bit weird to worship at the altar of celebrity and layer the glitz and glamor that come with Heidi Klum’s red carpet arrival or Lady Gaga taking the stage onto an event intended to raise awareness and money to help people with HIV/AIDS. But sex and celebrity sell and when ticket sales stop illness and death that’s a good thing.
Many of these celebrities’ lives have been directly touched by HIV. It’s obvious why Magic, for example, has such dedication but it is worth noting that after so many years, he still shows up again and again, whether for an amfAR Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill or at an AIDS awareness event at a local church in Brooklyn. It amazed me to see him come down off the stage and wander through the crowd and watch people hug and swarm him; it was a perfect example of how the power of celebrity can help people overcome their fear and misunderstandings around HIV. When Cyndi Lauper sings “True Colors,” she often dedicates it to the friends she has lost to AIDS. And when Meryl Streep sang an Irish folk song in remembrance of her friend Natasha Richardson (who did not have HIV herself but who lost her father to the disease and was a stalwart warrior for AIDS at amfAR until she passed away) you could feel her deep personal involvement.
There are times when I feel a little guilty for being able to get dressed up and attend these black tie dinners or fancy fundraisers...but they are an important piece of the fight as they help bring in the cold, hard cash needed for the arguably more meaningful work in the trenches. And I always use my presence at these events to remind people why we’re there by sharing my story of living with HIV--and the stories I hear from all of you. It is ultimately indivudal stories that make people open their hearts and wallets. The celebs get people there, but it is the needs of the community that really get the cash flowing.
Fortunately, as we head into 2011, the 30th anniversary year since the first diagnosed case of HIV, people in places of power still recognize the importance of lending their ability to draw the spotlight to fight HIV/AIDS.
Of course, I’d love to see some new blood. Someone recently asked me what young celebs I’d like to see get out front on fighting AIDS. Taylor Swift comes to mind. As does the cast of The Vampire Diaries. Who do you think we should get involved? Post some comments here and we’ll reach out to their PR people. And tell me what you think about celebs and their role in fighting HIV...
I hope you all are enjoying the holidays! The next Top 10 list is “10 Places I Feel Lucky I Get To Go Along This Journey.” I’ll post that later tonight, after setting out the cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer with my niece and nephew.
Til soon!
So here are some of the beautiful people...who are all the more beautiful for how they help us fight HIV/AIDS.
1. Magic Johnson
2. Stockard Channing
3. Heidi Klum
4. Meryl Streep and Kenneth Cole
5. Lady Gaga
6. Cheyenne Jackson
7. Kylie Minogue/Jean Paul Gaultier
8. Ricky Martin
9. Annie Lennox
10. Cyndi Lauper
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