page_title: Red ribbon
section_title: AIDS awareness origin
hierarchical_section_title: Red ribbon / Awareness symbol / AIDS awareness origin
caption_attribution_description: Photo taken at the 44th Emmy Awards 8/92- Permission granted to copy, publish or post but please credit "photo by Alan Light" if you can
context_page_description: The red ribbon, as an awareness ribbon, is used as the symbol for the solidarity of people living with HIV/AIDS, and for the awareness and prevention of drug abuse and drunk driving.
context_section_description: The Red Ribbon Project was created by the New York-based Visual AIDS Artists Caucus in 1991.
  Remain anonymous as individuals and to credit the Visual AIDS Artists Caucus as a whole in the creation of the Red Ribbon Project, and not to list any individual as the creator of the Red Ribbon Project;
  Keep the image copyright free, so that no individual or organization would profit from the use of the red ribbon;
  The Red Ribbon should be used as a consciousness raising symbol, not as a commercial or trademark tool.
  The artists who formed the Visual AIDS Artists Caucus wished to create a visual symbol to demonstrate compassion for people living with AIDS and their caregivers.  Inspired by the yellow ribbons honoring American soldiers serving in the Gulf war, the color red was chosen for its, "connection to blood and the idea of passion—not only anger, but love, like a valentine." First worn publicly by Jeremy Irons at the 1991 Tony Awards, the ribbon soon became renowned as an international symbol of AIDS awareness.
  At the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert held at Wembley Stadium, London on Easter Sunday 1992, more than 100,000 red ribbons were distributed among the audience by Red Ribbon International, with performers such as George Michael wearing one. The Red Ribbon continues to be a powerful force in the fight to increase public awareness of HIV/AIDS and in the lobbying efforts to increase funding for AIDS services and research.
  To symbolize the United States' commitment to combat the world AIDS epidemic through its landmark PEPFAR program, Steven M. Levine, a communications aid in President George W. Bush's administration, proposed that the administration display a 28 foot (8.5 m) AIDS ribbon on the White House's iconic North Portico on World AIDS Day 2007. The display, now an annual tradition across three administrations, quickly garnered attention, as it was the first banner, sign or symbol to prominently hang from the White House since Abraham Lincoln lived in the building.
caption: Actor Jason Priestley wearing a red awareness ribbon at the 1992 Emmy Awards
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