One of the most important is World AIDS Day, which has been observed on December 1 since 1988. This year’s theme, “Rock the Ribbon,” celebrates the power of the iconic red ribbon that has been a symbol of the HIV/AIDS movement since 1991 and asks the global HIV/AIDS community to use the emblem to raise money and build support. This year, UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) issued a World AIDS Day message highlighting the inequities that continue to drive the HIV/AIDS epidemic and that prevent too many people from getting the care and resources they need. HIV treatment has come such a long way since the virus was first identified in 1983 that a person living with HIV in the U.S. can now have about the same life expectancy as an HIV-negative person — as long as they have an early diagnosis and access to treatment. Prevention tools like PrEP are driving down new infections, and HIV medications are so effective they often lower the amount of virus in a person’s blood to an amount so small that it’s undetectable on an HIV test. When a person reaches that level it lessens their symptoms and also means they cannot transmit the virus sexually. Yet too many people don’t receive these life-changing, life-saving drugs. Access is often influenced by race, class, where you live, how much money you have, whether you have health insurance, and other factors that shouldn’t determine one’s life span. Stigma because of sexual orientation also can restrict access to healthcare. In the United States, the population with the most new HIV infections are gay men, bisexual men, and other men who have sex with men. Since HIV is transmitted most often through drug use as well as sex, people who are HIV positive can face discrimination throughout their lives — and that can result in poorer health outcomes. About 1.2 million people in the United States have HIV, with men and women of color disproportionately affected, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one in eight don’t know their status. The number of annual new infections has been cut by two-thirds since the peak of the epidemic in the 1980s, but tens of thousands of Americans still receive a new HIV diagnosis every year. Globally, around 37.7 million people are living with HIV or AIDS, the disease caused by HIV.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Is February 7, 2022

Black people make up 13 percent of the U.S. population but were 42 percent of new HIV diagnoses in 2018, according to the CDC. This annual day of awareness is meant to increase testing, education, and treatment in the Black community.

National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Is March 10, 2022

Women accounted for one in five new diagnoses in 2017, according to the CDC. In 2005, the U.S. Office on Women’s Health created this day to spread awareness of what women can do to protect themselves and their partners against HIV.

National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Is March 20, 2022

Observed on the first day of spring each year, National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day encourages American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians to get tested and get involved in prevention efforts.

National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day Is April 10, 2022

While older generations learned about HIV/AIDS in different ways, younger generations need age-appropriate education about transmission and prevention to help end the epidemic. This day promotes the “Let’s Stop HIV Together” campaign.

National Transgender HIV Testing Day Is April 18, 2022

Regular testing in the transgender community is important to help stop new infections and get anyone who is unaware of their status into treatment. A 2019–2020 CDC survey in seven major U.S. cities found that 4 in 10 transgender women are living with HIV, while globally, about 20 percent of trans women and 2.5 percent of trans men are HIV positive, according to an estimate published in December 2021 in the journal PLoS One.

National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Is May 19, 2022

This day, observed within Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, focuses on reducing HIV stigma within this community. It has been observed since 2005.

HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day Is June 5, 2022

Those who have been living with HIV since the early years of the epidemic have unique needs to address both physically and emotionally. According to the American Psychological Association, 24 percent of all people in the U.S. living with HIV have been doing so since before the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

National Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Is September 27, 2022

HIV and AIDS have a hugely disproportionate effect on gay men, which this day acknowledges. This day aims to empower gay men to get involved in HIV/AIDS prevention efforts and get tested themselves.

National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day Is October 15, 2022

Twenty-nine percent of new U.S. diagnoses of HIV in 2019 were among Latinx people, according to the CDC. The agency’s “Let’s Stop HIV Together” campaign materials are available in both English and Spanish. Here is a list of popular walks for HIV/AIDS in the United States:

AIDS Walk Los AngelesAIDS Walk NYCAIDS Walk San Francisco

AIDS Walk Los Angeles

AIDS Walk Los Angeles will return to an in-person format in fall 2022, with the date still to be announced. Since the event’s inception in 1985 walkers have raised nearly $90 million to combat HIV/AIDS. Learn More About AIDS Walk Los Angeles

AIDS Walk NYC

AIDS Walk New York is an annual five-mile walk through Central Park to raise money for programs that serve people living with HIV and AIDS. It primarily benefits Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), an organization that serves nearly 13,000 people living with and affected by HIV and AIDS in New York City. The annual event has raised over $155 million since it began in 1986. Timing for the 2022 walk will be announced in December. Learn More About AIDS Walk New York

AIDS Walk San Francisco

Since 1987, AIDS Walk San Francisco has raised more than $90 million for HIV/AIDS programs in the Bay Area. The 2022 date hasn’t yet been announced. Learn More About AIDS Walk San Francisco Upcoming conferences and meetings include:

HIV Next Generation ConferenceAIDS 2022National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment

HIV Next Generation

This conference, held on January 28, 2022, will be virtual and free to attend. This year’s theme is “Resilience and Risk: Changing Paradigms.”

AIDS 2022

The 24th Annual International AIDS Conference will take place in Montreal and will also be offered simultaneously online. It will run from July 29 to August 2, 2022.

National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care & Treatment

The next National Ryan White Conference will take place August 23–26, 2022, with the theme “The Time Is Now: Harnessing the Power of Innovation, Health Equity, and Community to End the HIV Epidemic.” It’s planned to be offered in a hybrid format with options for attending in Washington, D.C., and virtually.

Spread Awareness About HIV/AIDS on Social Media

What does ending HIV stigma mean to you? Why do you get tested? Get the conversation going online and share posts from pages like Start Talking. Stop HIV.

Get Involved in Research Studies and Clinical Trials for HIV/AIDS

Whether you are HIV positive or HIV negative, you may be able to take part in the research going on to end HIV. To find an HIV/AIDS clinical trial near you, go to clinicaltrials.gov.

Get Tested

Knowing your HIV status (if you don’t already know) is an important way that each of us can be a part of ending the epidemic. The CDC can help you find the testing site closest to you. It’s often free!

Advocates for YouthAmerican Academy of HIV Medicine Provider DirectoryHIV/AID Helplines/Hotlines by StatePoz MagazineTheBody