World AIDS Day

Today is World AIDS Day, a day of international observance dedicated to raising awareness about the AIDS pandemic and  remembering those who have lost their battle with the virus.

While people with HIV/AIDS are living longer than ever, the virus has infected 33 million people and killed more than 25 million worldwide. 

Become a part of the fight against AIDS by participating in one of the many events occurring around New York City this week: 

Today: For every purchase made between 6:00 and 8:00 PM today at the Armani Exchange on Fifth Avenue, 10% of the proceeds will benefit the Treatment Action Group, an AIDS awareness/prevention group.

This Week: The MoMo Pros Theatre Company is putting on an all-original play titled "Monsters Anonymous" at the Scottish Rite Temple (10 Howard Ave., Brooklyn). The play focuses on characters that encounter difficulties due to unprotected sex. Tickets are $10.

Tonight: At 8:00 PM, the lights on Broadway theatres will be dimmed for one minute in order to pay respects for people who have died of AIDS- and HIV-related illnesses as part of the Light for Rights campaign. The lights of the Washington Square arch will go out at 6:15 PM as part of an official AIDS awareness campaign kickoff. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and actress Naomi Watts, a UNAIDS goodwill ambassador, will speak at the ceremony.

December 4: The Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Harlem (420 Convent Ave. and 145th Street) screens "Tangy's Song!", a 20-minute documentary based on an African-American woman's struggle with HIV. A discussion will follow and confidential HIV Testing will be provided on-site.

Now through February 26, 2010: The exhibit "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real): The Work of Robert Blanchon" highlights the work of Blanchon, an HIV-positive conceptual artist who worked from the late '80s until his death in 1999. Mary Ellen Carroll, the executor of the Blanchon Estate, donated Blanchon's papers to NYU's Fales library.  The exhibit is housed at NYU's Tracey/Barry Gallery (third floor of Bobst Library) and is free and open to the public. The opening reception is tonight from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.