THE LAVENDER EFFECT® LAUNCHES ORAL HISTORY PROJECT AIDS TESTIMONIES CAMPAIGN ON DECEMBER 1, 2014 TO COMMEMORATE WORLD AIDS DAY
 

Indiegogo Campaign Will Raise Funding to Document Video Testimonies of  Survivors, Allies, and Advocates from the Early Days of the AIDS /HIV Epidemic to Present Day

(For immediate Release - December 1, 2014) To commemorate World AIDS Day, on Monday, December 1, 2014, THE LAVENDER EFFECT® , a nonprofit in association with Community Partners, launched a campaign on Indiegogo.com entitled The Oral History Project AIDS Testimonies.  Funds raised during the month of December will be used to record video testimonies from LGBTQ and allied citizens who were integral participants in the AIDS/HIV epidemic from the mid 1980s to present day. Utilizing guidelines developed by Steven Spielberg's Shoah Holocaust documentation project, these videos will be utilized for educational purposes through classroom presentations, educational workshops, and interactive exhibits.

Founded in 2012, THE LAVENDER EFFECT® is a Southern California nonprofit, formed by members of the LGBTQ and Allied community, to teach and celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Heritage and Culture.

Andy Sacher, Founder and Creative Director of THE LAVENDER EFFECT®, states, “There is a definite urgency for the Oral History Project AIDS Testimonies so we can honor AIDS survivors and pioneering activists that helped to save lives and change medical history.  Hearing these profound personal accounts from those on the front lines who fought the government and medical establishment, while simultaneously fighting to stay alive, will educate current and future generations that may not understand the devastation and lasting social impact of AIDS/HIV.”

THE LAVENDER EFFECT® assembled a notable group of AIDS/HIV survivors and advocates to appear in the Indiegogo campaign including; early AIDS activist and actress Alison Arngrim (Little House on the Prairie’s Nellie Oleson) who became one of the most visible AIDS advocates in Hollywood when her beloved Television husband, actor Steve Tracy, was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984; Robert Schoonover, former Director of the AIDS Hotline in Los Angeles from 1984 - 1993; longtime survivor/advocate Steve Pieters, former Metropolitan Community Church AIDS Ministry Global Field Director; and survivor/advocate Jack Inman, emotional support facilitator for the Life Group, Los Angeles.  â€œThe stories of these heroes are just a small sample of the testimonies our Oral History Project AIDS Testimonies is committed to document,” states Sacher.

Reiterating the importance of the Oral History Project AIDS Testimonies and preserving these kinds of stories for future generations, Alison Arngrim states, “Besides the obvious reason that those who don't remember the past are doomed to repeat it, a project like this will honor the countless advances in medicine that came from the AIDS crisis and the laws that were passed to protect people from being thrown out of their homes and fired due to their illness.  If we don’t remember all the heroes that fought for change that saved lives and helped people, what are we going to do when the next epidemic hits?”

To learn more, get involved, and make a donation, please visit http://igg.me/at/AIDStestimonies

Press Contact: David Sperber David.Sperber@thelavendereffect.org 818-441-1025