The Abbey Food & Bar West Hollywood is hosting the 11th Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony to commemorate World AIDS Day 2021. The event is set for tonight, Wednesday night at 6pm. The ceremony will feature live performances by Trans Chorus Los Angeles and Lyle Anthony.
“Today Dec. 1st… is World AIDS Day,” reads a post on The Abbey’s social media platforms. “On this day, we share a moment of silence for those who have lost their battle with this epidemic. To any and all affected by #HIV and those whom fell to #AIDS, know we are all in this together. We must continue fighting: to end the stigma, to help those in need, to educate others and to find that cure.”
The tree lighting ceremony at The Abbey is known to attract celebrity guests. The event was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the in 2019, the restaurant and nightclub located at 692 N Robertson Blvd, lit a 30ft Christmas tree in commemoration with World AIDS Day.
The Abbey employees also presented The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation with a $10,000 check donation from The Abbey & Tito’s Vodka to help continue the global fight against HIV/AIDS.
The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) provides direct care and support to people affected by HIV and AIDS. Inspired by Elizabeth’s personal passion for the cause, ETAF also engages with advocacy and education initiatives to advance its goal of an AIDS-free world.
Compelled by radical compassion and bolstered by moral courage, Elizabeth Taylor became the first globally recognized celebrity HIV and AIDS activist.
In the early 1980s, Elizabeth Taylor was famous the world over. Known for her legendary acting career, as well as her extraordinary beauty and glamorous lifestyle, she could always command an audience. When Elizabeth spoke, people listened.
As ignorance, fear, and prejudice fueled the emerging HIV/AIDS epidemic, Elizabeth used her massive celebrity platform to speak truth to power, exposing the injustice of society’s response to the disease. Her unyielding conviction and passion raised hundreds of millions of dollars, changed the hearts and minds of a generation, and saved countless lives.
In 1985, Elizabeth chaired AIDS Project Los Angeles’ Commitment to Life fundraiser. At the same time, the disease struck close to home as her dear friend Rock Hudson died of AIDS. So began her tireless commitment to end the epidemic. Elizabeth co-founded The Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) in 1985 and regularly lobbied President Reagan and Congress to address the crisis. She established The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1991 to provide direct care, along with love and moral support, to the most vulnerable patients.
Just as the public embraced Elizabeth’s activism, the world recognized her humanitarian efforts. France honored her with the Légion d’honneur, and President Clinton awarded her the Presidential Citizens Medal. In 2000, Queen Elizabeth II named Elizabeth a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Elizabeth passed away in 2011.
Today, ETAF carries forward Elizabeth’s voice and mission in the fight for social justice and human rights for people living with HIV and AIDS to achieve an AIDS-free world.
To learn more and to donate, visit https://elizabethtayloraidsfoundation.org/.
