Lansing - A 20-by-30 foot rainbow-colored flag draped the Capitol building on Saturday, commemorating thousands of people who lost their lives to the AIDS epidemic.
The flag contained 3,318 names of people who died from the disease since 1991. The names of the deceased were read out loud during the Remember My Name AIDS Memorial at the 2003 Michigan Pride LGBT March, Rally & Festival. The festival is in its 15th year.
"We're here because half of these people don't have last names," Southfield resident Judy Lewis said. "It's a shame. If someone died of cancer they would have last names. It should be the same way if you died of AIDS."
Lewis was at the event honoring her daughter's godfather, Ken Davis, who died of AIDS in 1997. Lewis attended the event with her life partner of 24 years, Colleen Lewis.
Brenda Stoneburner, executive director of the Lansing Area AIDS Network, said the lesbian, bi, gay and transgender community was significantly impacted by the disease.
"HIV and AIDS really helped pull the LBGT community together," she said. "Even though it's no longer just a gay issue, there's a lot of passion and commitment in fighting the disease within the gay community."
Free and confidential HIV testing also was done at the festival grounds, at the Riverfront Park on Grand Avenue and Shiawassee Street in Lansing, Stoneburner said.
The testing area contained a booth with educational materials on HIV and AIDS along with seven vehicles, which served as medical facilities from various HIV service organizations throughout the state.
Individuals were tested through a process called OraSure, which is performed by rubbing a swab against the gum of those getting tested. Representatives from Traverse City, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Flint, Ann Arbor, Saginaw and Lansing tested people for the disease and would let patients know their results within two weeks. About 50 people received the test last year, Stoneburner said.
Stoneburner added because of improved medication the number of people living with HIV has increased. AIDS is decreasing among gay men and increasing among minorities, she said.
Jean Dukarski, chairwoman of the Remember My Name AIDS Memorial said because medication is improving, concerns over AIDS is decreasing within the LBGT community.
"The gay and lesbian community has been more accepting of people with AIDS than any other group," she said. "We feel a responsibility to read names every year to make sure people don't forget people are dying."
