Elizabeth Taylor talks about her commitment to HIV/AIDS activism and her reasons for stepping up and raising awareness at a National Press Club luncheon held in Washington, D.C. on June 3rd, 1987.
An early trailblazer in the fight against HIV/AIDS and a staunch and outspoken LGBTQ+ ally, Elizabeth devoted her time and energy to the cause when her close friend and co-star Rock Hudson was diagnosed with AIDS prior to his passing in 1985. Elizabeth went on to become a co-founder (alongside Dr. Mathilde Krim) of the first AIDS research center amfAR, and later founded her own separate Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1991 with the specific focus of providing nutritious meals (as well as medical and financial assistance) to people living with HIV and AIDS. She also lobbied the U.S. congress to contribute more money for AIDS research and education, devoting the last twenty-six years of her life to the cause. After Elizabeth passed away in 2011 at the age of 79, a large percentage of the $156,800,000 raised at the Christieโs auction of her legendary jewelry collection was bequeathed to her charity in order to continue providing the services and assistance she believed were important in perpetuity. The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, now helmed by her grandson Quinn Tivey who serves as an officer and co-trustee, remains active providing assistance and promoting HIV/AIDS awareness to this day. Great strides have been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and the disease, with access to the right treatment, is thankfully no longer considered the death sentence it once was. As Elizabeth stated at the Eighth International Conference on AIDS in 1992: "If you do your bit with all of your heart, and I do my bit with all of my heart, and everybody out there does the same thing, we will make a goddamn difference."
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