June is Pride Month in the UK, a hugely important 30 days to celebrate, uplift and champion the LGBT+ community in its fullness. But this Pride month comes at a time when it all too often feels like things are moving backwards rather than forwards for the LGBT+ community – and particularly for our trans community.
And that’s the very subject multi-award-winning writer Russell T Davies is grappling with in his follow up to his so-called ‘AIDS drama’ It’s A Sin, with Tip Toe arriving with a bang on Channel 4 this week. As character Melba concisely summarises: “I used to walk into a room and just go ‘TA-DAH!’, now I tip toe just in case.”
This is a topic that really matters to all of us here at Terrence Higgins Trust, as our life-changing work goes hand in hand with tackling inequalities, and because so many of our friends and allies are from the glorious LGBT+ community.
Because we won’t end new HIV cases in the UK by the end of this decade without tackling the stark inequalities which continue to exacerbate it. And why we’re committed to dismantling misogyny, racism, homophobia and biphobia that reinforce health inequalities.
This was laid bare in the latest data on HIV from the UK Health Security Agency, released just a couple of weeks ago. But not reaching that life-changing goal – without leaving anyone behind – is absolutely unacceptable when we have all of the tools necessary to achieve it.
It’s also why I hope Tip Toe helps to highlight issues which must be highlighted. And why, this Pride Month, I hope you'll join us to achieve a future where no one faces HIV alone, good sexual health is a right and reality for all of us, and we achieve our life-changing goal of ending new HIV cases by 2030.
Supporting Terrence Higgins Trust this Pride Month
But it’s not all doom and gloom, and every day I’m uplifted by the passion and dedicated of our volunteers, allies and supporters. And, as ever, there’s a huge amount happening at Terrence Higgins Trust this month.
We’re excited to celebrate the impact of Tip Toe, including with the release of our Spit & Polish T-shirts – raising vital funds to support our work alongside our friends at Manchester-based HIV charity George House Trust. This is also a visible, tangible way for all of those committed to ending new HIV cases in the UK to loudly and proudly stand with us.
We’re also going to Do it for Terry – in honour of our namesake Terry Higgins, the first-named person in the UK to die of an AIDS related illness on 4 July, 1982. In June and July we’re asking you to bake a delicious cherry and coconut cake.
Terry was admitted to hospital in June 1982 and taken to St Thomas’s Hospital’s isolation unit. While there, he was visited by his cousin Lynne – who he asked to bake him a cherry and coconut cake. Terry died before Lynne could visit again and that cake never got baked.
That’s why we’re asking you to get baking and fulfil one of Terry’s final wishes and celebrate Pride Month and all of the progress made in the fight against HIV. For a bake sale at school or work, or for a summer party with family and friends. With all money raised going to our work to ensure no one faces HIV alone and to end new HIV cases in the UK by 2030.
This is also our first Pride season since the death of our much missed co-founder Martyn Butler OBE, one of Terry Higgins’ closest friends. All that we’ve achieved over the past 44 years, would not have been possible with our Martyn’s vision and determination, sweat and tears. Martyn was a stalwart of our Pride events and rest assured we will make sure his contribution will be properly marked over the summer.
You can still donate to Martyn Butler OBE tribute fund to help us make a positive impact in his name.
I’ll finish by saying that the LGBT+ community has been at the forefront in the fight against HIV from the very start of the epidemic – demanding action while others looked away. This continues today and we’re very grateful that this is the case. Because together, and only together, we can end new HIV cases in the UK by 2030.
But, whatever you’re doing this Pride Month, I hope you can enter rooms with a proud ‘TA-DAH!’ and not having to tip toe.
