PHOTOS: AIDS Education Month Kicks Off With Opening Reception


This week, Philadelphia FIGHT kicked off its 21st annual AIDS Education Month (AEM) with an afternoon reception at the Independence Visitor Center. The event drew community leaders and local celebs, like CBS Philly’s Cherri Gregg, who was named an honorary chair of AEM 2015; Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack; and Mayor Nutter, who was there with the director of his Office of LGBT Affairs, Nellie Fitzpatrick.



AIDS Education Month (AEM) events are taking place throughout June. The itinerary for the month includes all kinds of parties, panels and workshops geared toward increasing local awareness, and sharing up-to-date information about how to prevent and treat HIV.

The big news surrounding the monthlong event is the brand new End AIDS 2015 Conference, which includes 65 workshops and a plethora of speakers—perhaps the most notable of which is Piper Kerman, prison-reform activist and author of the memoir that birthed Netflix series Orange is the New Black.

On top of that, there will also be the annual Gospel Concert, the Summit Ball hosted by Philadelphia Black Pride, and the always-popular Hip-Hop for Philly Concert, which encourages youth to know their status by giving them a free ticket when they get tested at participating sites around Philly. The headliner for the concert is R&B singer Teyana Taylor.

Remember AEM when you’re putting together your Pride Month to-do calendar. A full schedule of events can be found here.