OneWorld.net (U.S.)

WASHINGTON, Nov 21 (OneWorld) - Roughly 1,000 people living with HIV/AIDS and their friends and allies "inaugurated" Barack Obama yesterday as the first U.S. president that will take effective action to end the AIDS epidemic in the United States and around the world.

Activists march toward the White House. © Ida Wahlstrom / OneWorld.net"After 27 years of the HIV epidemic, no president has made fighting AIDS at home and abroad a real priority for his administration," said New York City AIDS Housing Network member Wayne Stark, who spoke at the rally in the nation's capital. "President Obama has thankfully said he will bring change to the U.S. AIDS approach."

Individuals in the crowd included those affected personally by the crisis -- HIV-positive activists and those that had lost loved ones to the disease -- and their allies, young and old.

Stephan Clendon shares what the rally means to him:

Amil, with the organization Community Life, shares what the rally means to her:

The group marched to White House, where speakers highlighted the AIDS epidemic's impact on communities locally and internationally and urged Obama to follow through on the anti-AIDS policies he proposed during the presidential campaign.

Click image for full size. © Ida Wahlstrom / OneWorld.netThey carried personalized signs and wrote messages on massive banners to loved ones still around and others that have died. "John, I'm glad to have had you in my life. You taught me much about life's dignity. I love you and I'll see you soon," wrote one.

Another wrote: "Colleen, thanks for showing what life is about -- to love, laugh, live, and cry."

All came out in an electrified show of unity to celebrate Obama's commitment and to call on him to prioritize policies in the battle against AIDS during his first 100 days in office.

Activists gather at McPherson Square, Washington, D.C. sporting gray hats that were handed out among the crowd with the word HOPE and a red ribbon -- the signature of the global AIDS campaign:

The president-elect has made "historically bold commitments to reform and expand U.S. policies geared towards fighting AIDS," said Waheedah Shabazz-el of the AIDS coalition ACT UP Philadelphia.

In a statement for World AIDS Day last year, Obama said: "Leadership on HIV/AIDS has to start at home. We recently learned that our nation's capital has the highest AIDS infection rate of any city in this country. That is an outrage. It's time to launch a national effort to stop this disease, starting with African Americans, who are being affected disproportionately."

An estimated 1.2 million people in the United States were living with HIV in 2007, accounting for approximately 3.6 percent of the global population living with the disease.

During the presidential campaign, Obama committed to providing treatment and care to all HIV-positive people in the United States. And in what would be a historic move, the president-elect has said he would define housing for affected individuals as "an integral part of HIV services."

In addition, Obama's proposed National AIDS Strategy would overturn the federal ban on funding for syringe exchange -- which allows intravenous drug users and others to exchange used needles for clean ones -- and seek to redirect funds for abstinence-only sex education programs to HIV prevention programs with a wider reach.

According to a 2008 UN report, HIV disproportionately affects people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, and sex workers.

"We know President-elect Obama faces challenges, including a financial crisis, but fighting AIDS must be a top priority," said Shabazz-el. "We are holding an inauguration ceremony because we share his vision of hope and change, and to show our support for implementation, in his first 100 days, of the visionary commitments Obama has made to fight AIDS in the U.S. and around the world."

Activist Sheena Sood, with the Student Global AIDS Campaign, explains why her organization is participating in the rally:

Cheri Collins, an HIV-positive activist with the New York-based Harlem United Community AIDS Center, explains why she is taking part in the rally:

Worldwide, an estimated 33 million people were living with HIV in 2007, added the annual UN AIDS report.

Internationally, Obama has pledged to advance President Bush's commitment to fighting global AIDS by cutting the ideological strings the current administration tied on to prevention funding.

In particular, Obama has promised to reduce the emphasis on abstinence and fidelity at the expense of condoms and rescind the Prostitution Loyalty Oath, which obliges all AIDS-prevention groups -- including those serving high-risk groups like sex workers -- to denounce prostitution.

Michael Swigert from Africa Action explains why his organization is a co-sponsor of the rally and what the day means for the global fight against AIDS:

Obama has also committed to increase funding for the Global Fund to Fights AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, an internationally coordinated program that fights the three diseases in over 170 countries and is facing a major funding shortfall.

Speaking on World AIDS Day in Saddleback Church, California in December 2006, Obama stated: "We are all sick because of AIDS -- and we are all tested by this crisis. It is a test not only of our willingness to respond, but of our ability to look past the artificial divisions and debates that have often shaped that response....Yes, there must be more money spent on this disease. But there must also be a change in hearts and minds, in cultures and attitudes.

"Neither philanthropist nor scientist, neither government nor church, can solve this problem on their own -- AIDS must be an all-hands-on-deck effort."

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