To commemorate World AIDS Day, on Monday, December 1, 2014, THE LAVENDER EFFECT® launched a campaign entitled The Oral History Project AIDS Testimonies.  Funds raised during the month of December will be used to record video testimonies from LGBTQ and allied citizens who were integral participants in the AIDS/HIV epidemic from the mid 1980s to present day.

The Lavender Effect’s LGBTQ Oral History Project (OHP) captures video testimonies from members of the LGBTQ community and supportive allies who were integral participants or witnesses to a historic event or movement. These recordings will be produced at the highest standards possible (i.e., USC Shoah Foundation‘s guidelines).

Video Testimonies will range from AIDS survivors to Pioneering Activists that helped to save lives and change medical history. Hearing these profound personal accounts will educate current and future generations that may not understand the devastation and lasting social impact of AIDS/HIV. Utilizing guidelines developed by Steven Spielberg’s Shoah Holocaust documentation project, these videos will be utilized for educational purposes through classroom presentations, educational workshops, and interactive exhibits.

THE HOLLYWOOD TEAM

The OHP is being researched and produced by an experienced and professional team. Andy Sacher, Founding Executive and Creative Director, has worked for leaders in the entertainment industry including Disney, Steven Spielberg, and Jerry Bruckheimer. Andy is partnering with community activists, LGBTQ historians, and Evolution Media to interview the people that shaped the freedoms LGBTQ people enjoy today. Digital testimonies will be utilized for educational programs and interactive exhibits. They will also be available to documentary filmmakers with the goal of reaching the broadest audience possible.

THE CAMPAIGN VIDEO

THE LAVENDER EFFECT® assembled a notable group of AIDS/HIV survivors and advocates to appear in this Indiegogo campaign including; early AIDS activist and actress Alison Arngrim (Little House on the Prairie’s Nellie Oleson) who became one of the most visible AIDS advocates in Hollywood when her beloved Television husband, actor Steve Tracy, was diagnosed with AIDS in 1984; Robert Schoonover, former Director of the AIDS Hotline in Los Angeles from 1984 – 1993; longtime survivor/advocate Steve Pieters, former Metropolitan Community Church AIDS Ministry Global Field Director; and survivor/advocate Jack Inman, emotional support facilitator for the Life Group, Los Angeles. The OHP AIDS Testimonies Campaign Video was Co-Produced by Andy Sacher and David Sperber, filmed by Rachel Dunn, and edited by James Roman.

With your help these heroes are just a small sample of the testimonies our Oral History Project AIDS Testimonies is planning to document.