In the almost year since I've been living in Las Vegas (actually Henderson, but close enough!), I've been trying to get more involved in the community and be of good use. That's why I joined Stonewall. That's why I'm more than happy to help out with voter registration. But hey, it's not always all political for me. Sometimes, it's good just to go out, walk, and help raise awareness (and some cash... Seriously, chickens don't work here) for AFAN and what they're doing here in Las Vegas to help people living with HIV/AIDS and help prevent new cases of HIV/AIDS.
HIV/AIDS is still a major problem in our state and in our country, and it affects everyone. That's why it's important not to forget what we're facing and why we need to stay aware and keep fighting it. There may be new and better treatments available to help people live with HIV/AIDS, but it's not an easy life and it's still a powerful, incurable virus that leads to painful diseases.
However, it is preventable. And that's what AFAN is also doing, in addition to caring for people in our community with HIV/AIDS. That's why I was glad to walk with our Stonewall Team and Harry Reid's Team yesterday. OK, OK, I guess we did make it just a little political... And fun, too. The walk in Downtown Las Vegas was great, as we had live bands, street performers, and much more!
And afterward, the fun continued. HRC Las Vegas did its second annual Family Picnic right after AIDS Walk so we could all eat, drink (water, that is... It was HOT!), and be merry. And for all of us in the LGBTQ community, it was also nice to mingle and celebrate our "pre-PRIDE warm-up". We also saw some great friends of Stonewall visit, like Clark County Democratic Party Chair Roberta Lange, Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Fabulous) and Secretary of State Ross Miller (D-Awesome). We've seen plenty of progress on the state level, like SB 283 domestic partnerships, and hopefully we'll see more progress on the national level, like passing ENDA and repealing DADT.
And of course, this is why we all need to reach out to our family, friends, and neighbors to GET OUT THE VOTE! We can't expect any progress if we don't have allies in Congress, so it's imperative that we make sure progressives turn out and vote for the Democrats who will keep making change happens. That's why I was so glad to see people come to our Stonewall/Harry Reid (I bugged them yesterday about starting an "LGBTQ for Reid" group, and hopefully we'll see one soon!) booth and register or re-register (which is necessary when one moves) to vote. And as you can see in our photos, we did a pretty good job with voter registration!
So thanks to all our friends for coming over, joining us in the walk and in the picnic, and really making yesterday a big success! And if you want to join us again this next weekend for PRIDE, there's still time to sign up to volunteer for Friday's parade and/or Saturday's festival. Hey, why would you want to miss out on the next great fabulous party in town! :-D
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