Singer Sir Elton John marked World AIDS
Day by lighting the Sydney Opera House with mural projections to
commemorate the day.
At the event, Sir Elton remembered the
death of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury from the disease.
“My friend Freddie Mercury 20 years
ago two weeks ago died. And I saw him struggle with what was the
appalling Kaposis and painful, hideous things to look at. Two years
on, he would have been still alive. That's the cruelty of this
disease. We lost so many people so quickly and then we developed
drugs that kept people alive,” he said.
(Related: Obama
looking forward to an AIDS-free generation.)
The British singer's Elton John AIDS
Foundation was founded in 1992 and has raised over $220 million in
support of projects in 55 countries around the world.
Sir Elton said he believed the 30 year
battle against AIDS was coming to an end.
“We've got this disease really by the
scruff of the neck. But we cannot loosen that grip we have on it.
If governments start backing out and stop funding, the epidemic will
start to balloon again.”
He added that removing the stigma
associated with the disease was imperative to beating it.
“This is not a faggots' fucking
disease anymore. This is a worldwide disease that affects
everybody.”
“Let's get rid of this disgusting
stigma and get these people who are such fascists, such idiots, and
such assholes to understand that people have a right to live with
dignity.”