Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

San Francisco played key role in AIDS fight, officials say

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during a ceremony for the 40th Anniversary of the AIDS Pandemic in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, June, 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Josh Edelson) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during a ceremony for the 40th Anniversary of the AIDS Pandemic in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, June, 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Josh Edelson)
Share
SAN FRANCISCO -

San Francisco played a critical role in fighting AIDS in America and around the world, leaders and activists said Saturday at a ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary of the first reported cases of the illness in the United States.

Mayor London Breed and U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke at the private ceremony in the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles were the first major U.S. cities hit by AIDS.

When the first AIDS cases were reported in 1981, "San Francisco was left on our own," Breed said, "but we did what San Franciscans do best -- we came together. ... The system of care developed to help those struggling with HIV/AIDS was developed right here in San Francisco. The renowned research that continues to this very day was established right here in our great city."

Pelosi, who hosted the first fundraiser for the now-famous AIDS Quilt, said the city's compassionate, persistent and science-based approach to the crisis has helped San Francisco and the nation.

Pelosi said AIDS activism has also served as a model for other campaigns, including the fights against breast cancer, for marriage equality and against the military's former "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prevented gay people from openly serving, the Chronicle reported.

Joshua Gamson, a member of the National AIDS Memorial Grove board, noted the coincidence of attending an AIDS memorial while the nation is getting through the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's odd to be coming out of a pandemic and reflecting on another," Gamson said. "This is my first time in the grove since the pandemic, and I feel like I'm coming out of a cocoon and into the memories of the AIDS pandemic."

The ceremony finished with a line of people formed to start the hours-long ritual of reading the names of the people who have died from AIDS.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

Toronto police say they are searching for a suspect who allegedly shot and killed his brother in an argument at a Scarborough housing complex late Saturday night.

Ontario's police watchdog has decided there are no grounds to believe Sudbury police committed a crime during a difficult arrest in May where the suspect's neck was broken.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.