Silence = Death
Dec. 3 — The silence from the White House this year on World AIDS Day harkened back to the Reagan era, when sweeping the pandemic under the rug was de rigueur. The cuts in funding for global AIDS prevention, care, and education – along with an attempt to erase LGBTQ+ people nationally – are an unwelcome, cruel return to 80s and early 90s politics. See more below.
First, a few headlines:
🛐 Faith leaders from across the nation have denounced the Trump administration’s anti-transgender attacks and legislation.
⚖️ The European Court of Justice ruled that all member nations in the European Union must recognize lawful same-sex marriages that were performed in other EU countries.
🎥 Activist and journalist Mark Segal has a follow-up to his call for documentarian Ken Burns to accurately include LGBTQ+ people in his latest film, “The American Revolution.”
🎸 There are still tickets available for tonight’s David Byrne concert at The Fox Theatre. I saw it last night, and it was raucous, political, and full of Talking Heads hits.
But how strange the change from major to minor…
Collin
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World AIDS Day events continue as White House cancels observance
🪧 Monday’s observance of World AIDS Day took on more urgency as the Trump administration cancelled its annual Dec. 1 observance. Presidents have acknowledged World AIDS Day for more than 30 years.
HIV/AIDS activists blocked an intersection near the White House and demanded the Trump administration fully fund the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a U.S. government initiative launched in 2003 to combat the global HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Sen. Bernie Sanders blasted the administration on social media, stating that 150,000 people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since foreign aid cuts were made this year.
➡ A number of World AIDS Day events are still coming up in Atlanta, including a discussion on HIV/AIDS advocacy at the Decatur Library on Dec. 6. See the events here.
SPOTLIGHT
🩸 The Tubman African American Museum in Macon, GA, will host the World AIDS Day exhibition “Red Reminds Me” from Dec. 4 to Jan. 4, which features art memorializing those impacted by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Italian Ruins to DIVE for!
SPONSORED BY FERNBANK MUSEUM
🌊 Journey beneath the waves with Sunken Treasures, Ancient Seas at Fernbank Museum.
You won’t want to miss this immersive journey beneath the Mediterranean Sea to uncover ancient shipwrecks, artifacts, and lost worlds. Featuring real relics found off the coast of Italy, HD video explorations, and more, this exhibition reveals how underwater archaeologists bring the past to light.
➞ This exhibit is open daily, or you can swing by for after-hours during select special events! On view now until Jan. 11, 2026.
Dec. 6 ‘Fairyland’ screening at Tara Theatre to include discussion with activists
📽️ The Tara Theatre will host a special screening of Andrew Durham’s award-winning film “Fairyland” on Dec. 6 at 3 p.m.
The event is being coordinated by Touching Up Our Roots: Georgia’s LGBTQ+ Story Project and Georgia LGBTQ History Project. There will be a post-show talkback with activist veterans about the origins of the LGBTQ+ civil and human rights movement from the 1960s to today. Speakers will include Abby Drue, Lorraine Fontana, Maria Helena Dolan, Gil Robison, and Gus Kaufman.
Historian Wes Nimmo from New South Associates will moderate the conversation. There will also be a tribute to activist and historian Dave Hayward, the co-founder of Touching Up Our Roots, who died last month.
➡ Find out more about the film here.
MORE MOVIES
📸 Check out Sammie Purcell’s review of “Peter Hujar’s Day,” Ira Sachs’ new film about the famed queer photographer.
💙 Give a child the greatest gift this holiday season—a home filled with stability, warmth, and hope. CHRIS 180 provides trauma-informed foster and adoption services to support families every step of the way. Start your journey today. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Best Bets
🎶 The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus will hold its “Home for the Holidays” concert on Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Rd NW.
🩰 Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker pirouettes into the Cobb Energy Centre Dec. 6 – 27 accompanied by larger-than-life sets and Tchaikovsky’s iconic score.
📻 WRFG will hold a Silent Auction at the Little Five Points Community Center from noon to 5 p.m. on Dec. 6. This will be an opportunity to bid on experiences and events around Atlanta, while supporting your independent community radio station.
🎄 My Sister’s Room in Midtown is hosting “Christmas at the Movies: A Drag Show” on Dec. 7 at 9 p.m., featuring performances by Tucker Aye ALXNDR, Eros Étoile, Jacey Rockett, and Boudreaux.