The GLBT community honored HIV/AIDS advocates and remembered those affected by the epidemic at local World AIDS Day events on Dec. 1.

In Hillcrest, the day’s events began with the Dr. A. Brad Truax Awards, an awards ceremony that recognizes local individuals that have made an impact on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in San Diego County. The awards ceremony is named after A. Brad Truax, a local HIV/AIDS activist who helped initiate county-wide-HIV/AIDS services and programming early in the epidemic. The County of San Diego HIV Prevention Team and Planning Council support staff organize the yearly event.

“It is a special time to thank and celebrate those who work with and live with HIV/AIDS in the communities of San Diego County,” said Chief of the County of San Diego HIV, STD and Hepatitis Branch of Public Health Services Terry Cunningham at the awards ceremony held at the San Diego LGBT Community Center.

HIV/AIDS community leaders including San Ysidro Health Center Director of HIV Services Rosana Scolari and Center Executive Director Delores Jacobs handed out awards to more than two-dozen individuals for their work in education, prevention and/or counseling and testing; care, treatment and/or support services; and planning, advocacy or policy development.

Twenty-three people received the Truax award for community service including, UCSD Medical Center Registered Nurse Joselyn Harris, Jewish Family Services Clinical Director of HIV Services Sheri Kirshenbaum and San Ysidro Health Center Prevention Case Manager Miriam Zuazo.

Three individuals were honored for “outstanding service” including, local Latino/transgender activist Franko Guillen for HIV education, prevention and/or counseling and testing; UCSD Mother, Child & Adolescent HIV Program Clinic Social Worker Susan Okuno for HIV care, treatment and/or support services and Christie’s Place Executive Director Elizabeth Brosnan for planning, advocacy or policy development.

UCSD School of Medicine Associate Professor of Medicine David Smith received the ceremony’s highest award, the 2009 Dr. A. Brad Truax award. Smith leads the UCSD AVRC Early Intervention Program, chairs the County of San Diego’s Ryan White Standards of Care Committee and has published numerous academic articles on the transmission of HIV.

“I’m a small town boy from Tennessee who went to graduate school in Tennessee,” Smith said, who recalled the chair of his graduate department telling him not to move to California because “‘All you’ll be serving is AIDS patients.’”

“Well it’s an honor for me to do that here in San Diego,” he said.

After the awards ceremony, attendees walked along University Avenue to the Village Hillcrest, a shopping complex on 5th Avenue, where the Tree of Life ceremony was held. The event is a World AIDS Day commemoration and Mama’s Kitchen fundraiser where attendees purchase personalized ornaments and place them on the ‘Tree of Life,’ a large Christmas tree in the middle of the complex. At the annual event, community leaders speak about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, light the tree’s Christmas lights and hold a candlelight vigil to remember those who have died from AIDS.

Cortez began the ceremony by speaking about this year’s World AIDS Day theme of universal access and human rights.

“Access for all to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support is a critical part of human rights and very practical and very relevant,” Cortez said. “We have made great strides in our efforts to fight this epidemic. Nevertheless, we still have much work to do. Efforts can and must be accelerated to leverage our political commitment and financial resources.”

Community leaders including Mayor Jerry Sanders, City Councilmembers Todd Gloria and Carl DeMaio, San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts and State Senator Christine Kehoe also spoke at the event.

Mayor Jerry Sanders said that we must “recommit ourselves to fighting this disease.”

“If we don’t keep bringing it up, people forget about it. When people forget about it, it slides of the scale,” Sanders said.

Gloria encouraged those who don’t know about their HIV status to get tested.

“For any of you who are unclear by where you stand, I would encourage, I would beg you to get tested because we know that when you know your status, your less likely to spread this disease,” Gloria said.

DeMaio, Kehoe and Cunningham spoke about the recent state cuts to HIV/AIDS services and programming.

“I have to share with you my bitter disappointment in the cuts to our programs over the last year,” Kehoe said. “It is unfair and irresponsible, and I commit to working to restore the funding next year.”

Following Kehoe, Cunningham addressed the consequences of the state HIV/AIDS funding cuts.

“The bottom line is that there will not be the extent of HIV prevention efforts seen in the past,” Cunningham said. “That means that all of us have to sign on to be HIV prevention outreach workers. Each one of us has to work especially hard to making sure that this disease does not spread.”

After Gloria – surrounded by DeMaio, Sanders, Kehoe and Cortez – lit the Tree of Life, Cunningham began the candlelight vigil.

“As I light the candles, let us all take the information about HIV and AIDS to those who are still in the dark, and let us remember our friends,” Cunningham said.

This year’s Tree of Life ceremony raised $14,000, according to Mama’s Kitchen Development Specialist Aimee Halfpenny.