AIDS Walk Austin

On Sunday, October 28, the  20th annual AIDS Walk Austin will take place. I have been to every one of them. Um, 20th..... that means I've been doing this since.... um, I must have been a child when this started. Yeah, that's the ticket. I was a small child. But really - I walked back in the bad old days, when we used to get heckled by religious zealouts. (I actually kinda enjoyed getting heckled by Mark Weaver & his merry little band of troglodytes, as I called them. I walked taller when going by them. If Mark Weaver is yelling at you, trust me, you are doing something right. Also, I could make them turn amusing shades of red & purple. They'd yell something horrible like "God hates fags" & I'd yell back "No, She doesn't!" and watch the color changes. Great fun. Yes, I am a mean, mean person.)

And then there was the year a strong cold front blew in the night before the Walk. It was suddenly about 20 degrees colder than it had been the day before, and it wasn't just raining cats & dogs. It was raining in sheets. Really. Just a few of us crazy people showed up for that one. And there have been years when it was so hot - at the end of October, mind you - that I was worried about people getting heat stress. But all the Walks have been great. It is sort of like a reunion - I see people that I only see at the Walk, meet new people & have a great time. You should come, too.

Information from the AIDS Walk Austin website (as if you need to know more about why to contribute to an AIDS organization):

The AIDS crisis continues. AIDS has no cure. We need your help. There are over 4,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Austin. There are  approximately 1500 Austinites living with HIV/AIDS who do not know they have it.  1 out of every 5 people in Austin with HIV/AIDS is between 15 and 24 years old. In Austin alone, 100 people die of HIV/AIDS each year.

Who Benefits: AIDS Services of Austin and the fundraising teams of over ten other outstanding HIV/AIDS service and education providers! Click on  Beneficiaries to see a list of AIDS Walk Sharing Agencies.

I am, as usual raising money for this great cause. But I'm putting the link for general donations also, so you don't have to give through me. And if you live in Austin - come on out & walk with us! It is great fun, even without hecklers.

http://tinyurl.com/...
there's also a link in my signature

http://www.aidswalkaustin.org
sign up or make a general donation

A couple of weeks before the Walk, there is this great event sponsored by Atticus Circle (http://www.atticuscircle.org) called Seven Straight Nights. Info here: http://www.sevenstraightnights.org)
For seven successive nights, across the country, there will be vigils of straight allies saying that we want all Americans, including our GLBT friends & neighbors, to have equal rights. What a concept, eh?

Two great events - come to both!