Quinn Tivey; Elizabeth Taylor.Photo: Getty (2)
In this essay for PEOPLE, Elizabeth Taylor’s grandson, Quinn Tivey, 35, an officer of The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF), writes about carrying on the late star’s legacy of advocacy on behalf of people living with HIV and AIDS.
Today the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation’s"HIV Is Not A Crime" initiative, in partnership with Gilead Sciences, focuses on the modernization of criminal laws and penalties that currently target people living with HIV. Outdated laws that were enacted decades ago because of fear and stigma toward people living with HIV have not adapted to modern science.
These unjust laws are fostering stigma and discrimination and act as barriers to progress. With the right medications, people living with HIV can have undetectable viral loads with the virus, therefore being effectively untransmittable. Despite this, people living with HIV in more than 30 states are being charged and branded as criminals because of their status. Furthermore, in most HIV-related cases in these states, neither proof of transmission nor intent to harm is required for conviction.
Left to right: Eliza Carson, Kate Burton, Laela Wilding, Finn McMurray, Quinn Tivey, Tarquin Wilding, Naomi Wilding, Rhys Tivey.Paul Morigi/Getty Images
Grandma would have been incredibly proud of the work being done through the ‘HIV Is Not A Crime’ initiative. Grandma stood up for what she believed in, living boldly and courageously. She would never buckle under pressure, and she certainly would not support the status quo if the status quo didn’t feel right.
For Pride month, we are asking you to consider making a one time or monthly recurring donation to ETAF in honor of our 30th anniversaryhere.
For more information, visitelizabethtayloraidsfoundation.org.
source: people.com
