Elizabeth Taylor

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February 25th, 2010 admin Leave a comment Go to comments

Elizabeth Taylor

Citizens Call Rally To Honor Dame Elizabeth Taylor With Presidential Medal of Freedom

Citizens from all over the United States began a Twitter campaign June 02 2009 emailing the President and Congress to honor Dame Elizabeth Taylor with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. A voice of compassion and reason Dame Elizabeth Taylor stepped forward to calm worldwide fears that had reached fever pitch by 1985. Her friends and fans alike have stepped up to champion the fight to ensure she receives this honor filling the white house email Inbox.

In the highly volatile 80s HIV/AIDS crisis there was widespread dissemination of inaccurate information that resulted in public fear and panic. News stories of the 1980s were mentioning a dreaded new plague, a disease with no cure. There were dire warnings from leading authors like Helen Sanger Kaplan that condoms would not protect you and Masters & Johnson warned of getting Aids from a toilet seat. In 1985 cover of Life Magazine announced "No One Is Safe from AIDS" fanning the flames of hysteria farther. Often called the "Gay Cancer" by the media this also fueled a wave of homophobia as people looked for a way to defend their fear and prejudice.

In 1985 Dame Elizabeth Taylor began calling her friends and peers as part of her personal involvement in the AIDS Project Los Angeles' Commitment to Life dinner. Never wavering her calls were often met with "No" and many of her peers hung up on her. Even the massive worldwide anxiety and alarm that brought her death threats would not dissuade her efforts. For her effort the first Dinner saw 2,500 people pack the Boneventue Hotel and it was emceed by Burt Reynolds and included appearances by Sammy Davis Jr. Abigail Van Buren, Cyndi Lauper, Rod Stewart, Stevie Wonder and Cher.

As she fought the prejudice the tragedy of the HIV/AIDS epidemic it now included her dear friend Rock Hudson. As he struggled to live hateful letters arrived indicating it was God's punishment and that he deserved to die of HIV/AIDS. It was at this time that Dame Elizabeth Taylor began to work with Dr. Michael Gottleib, Hudson's doctor a hero of the early days of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In September 1985 she announced the merging of Dr. Gottleib's National AIDS Research Foundation and Dr. Krim's AIDS Medical Foundation to create amFAR. To date, with Dame Elizabeth Taylor's help, amFAR and The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation has raised a combined total of over $270 million dollars.

Dame Elizabeth Taylor's gift to the world during 1980s was twofold. She saved us from becoming hate filled bigots fueled by misinformation and transformed us into understanding caring individuals. Her second gifts amFar and later, The Dame Elizabeth Taylor HIV/AIDS Foundation both lead the way to find effective treatments for the many HIV/AIDS patients without hope. The impact of both of these gifts makes Dame Elizabeth Taylor the true face of freedom as her work freed so many from a certain death.

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