Relentless Crusader and Aids Activist Elizabeth Taylor Left an Inspirational Legacy

Everyone knows the glamorous side of Elizabeth Taylor. You see it everywhere. But how many of us really knew that she was a relentless crusader and Aids activist? For those who were lucky enough to know her she devoted consistent and generous humanitarian time, advocacy efforts, and funding to HIV and AIDS related projects and charities. She hopped on board as one of the first celebrities to bring about awareness at a time when few acknowledged the disease of AIDS. She was instrumental in organizing and hosting the first AIDS fundraiser in 1984 to benefit AIDS Project Los Angeles. But, it didn’t stop there…
As an active participant in the fight for AIDS she was involved in raising more than $100 million and expanding public awareness. She was proud of the 30 years she spent with both charities and her fundraising efforts did not go unnoticed. The charitable donations raised were used to fight the pandemic disease; confront its discrimination; and to expand research, treatment access, education, and additionally government funding.
Rock Hudson was her co-star in Giant in 1956, and they struck up a friendship that would last a lifetime. Though he’d been diagnosed with AIDS in 1984 he only disclosed to her about having the disease in 1985. Hudson was also one of the first major Hollywood celebrities to die from an AIDS-related illness. On July 25, 1985 Hudson issued a press release announcing that he was dying of AIDS, and he died in October of the same year. He was sixty. “I remember complaining, ‘Why isn’t anybody doing anything? Why isn’t anyone raising money?’” asked Elizabeth. “And it struck me like lightning: ‘Wait a second, I’m not doing anything.’” But she would. Elizabeth Taylor’s plan of action took flight.
She was one of the many activists who were seeking to de-stigmatize AIDS and its victims. Hudson's revelation of his own infection with the disease was viewed as an event that could transform the public's perception of AIDS. In 1985 Elizabeth Taylor became the cofounder of the American Foundation for AIDS Research (amfAR) with Dr. Michael Gottlieb and Dr. Mathilde Krim. She also founded the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation (ETAF) in 1993, created to provide critically needed support services for people with HIV/AIDS.
In 2006, Elizabeth Taylor commissioned a 37-foot “Care Van” equipped with examination tables and x-ray equipment and was donated to New Orleans with the money raised from the AIDS Foundation and Macy's. That same year she donated $40,000 to the NO/AIDS Task Force, a non-profit organization serving the community of those affected by HIV/AIDS in and around New Orleans.
In 1992 Elizabeth Taylor was bestowed with an honorary Academy Award,
the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for her HIV/AIDS humanitarian work. Jean Hersholt helped form the Motion Picture Relief Fund in 1939. The fund supports industry employees with medical care when they are down on their luck and the fund was used to create the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital in Woodlands Hills, California.
On February 9th 2011 a black-tie benefit marked amfAR’s 25th year and more than $1.5 million was raised for AIDS research. Former President Bill Clinton, Diane von Furstenberg, and Dame Elizabeth Taylor were each presented with the amfAR Award of Courage. The award is given to those who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and distinguished service in furthering amfAR’s mission. They have all played a vital role in increasing AIDS awareness and accelerating the pace of HIV/AIDS research.
On the passing of Elizabeth Taylor a statement was released by Former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, “Elizabeth's legacy will live on in many people around the world whose lives will be longer and better because of her work and the ongoing efforts of those she inspired.”
As of this date, amfAR and The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation has raised a combined total of over $270 million dollars. “I hope with all of my heart that in some way I have made a difference in the lives of people with AIDS. I want that to be my legacy. Better that than for the mole on my cheek.” Elizabeth Taylor has truly made a difference. Today, 33.2 million individuals live with AIDS worldwide. The fight will not be over until that number reaches zero.