I got this clip from one of my best friends, Alexandra Billings, who wrote on her Facebook page when she posted the clip:
When I was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984, no one would come near me. People were afraid to shake my hand, hold me, kiss me. Because of Dame Taylor, the fear dissipated. She used her voice and spoke her Truth. I’m alive partly because of her efforts. God Bless you, Angel. Thank you for your Voice.
One of her most important legacies.
Thanks for this, Sheila. People need to be reminded that, along with her talent as an actor and her tremendous beauty, she was so powerful an advocate for AIDS research and supporters that she raised millions of dollars before it was fashionable, or before you could be an AIDS advocate without being sneered at or looked at warily.
Walter – Yes, it’s hard now to comprehend how huge her advocacy was, how out of fashion – and the terror of those days (not to mention the deafening SILENCE coming from the White House and elsewhere). I have a couple of friends with this disease, and they have been living with it for 10 years or more now, and they see her truly as a life-saver. A powerful legacy.
From 1985 to 1994, AMFAR (which she co-founded) and Taylor’s own foundation raised more than $50 million for AIDS research.
In the same decade, the federal Health and Human Services discretionary funding (basically for research at NIH, etc.) for AIDS was less than $14 million.
That remarkable fact comes from Clarknt67’s diary at DailyKos, which concludes with this tribute:
“She lived a life that demonstrated sexual orientation did not matter. She saw humanity, love and affection were traits that lived apart from the silly labels we placed upon one another.
“Rest in peace, Elizabeth. You made the world a more beautiful and better place while you where here. Many of us are so grateful and will raise a glass of toast in your honor.”
Amen.
Devtob – it still boggles the mind, what she created, and her dedication to it. Amazing.