The End AIDS message was out in force at Spokane Pride. From the parade to the crowds it was impossible to miss the orange and blue declaring the time has come for us to focus our attention on bringing the AIDS epidemic toward its end.
The Spokane AIDS Network provided free HIV testing and had a photo booth set up for people to get their photos taken – silly hats optional. We were giving away t-shirts to people who were willing to do either.There was of opportunity for conversations with so many people going through the festival about what it will actually take to end AIDS.
We talked with people to give them basic information out about PrEP, the medication you can take once a day to prevent HIV, as well as the fact that treatment can be used as prevention because we now know that for people living with HIV, being on effective treatment and reducing their viral load to undetectable makes it virtually impossible to pass HIV along to someone else.
And through it all, we even found time to take breaks and check out what else Spokane Pride had to offer. Did you know they had a petting zoo?