Today is World AIDS Day:

World AIDS Day is celebrated on December 1 each year around the world. It has become one of the most recognised international health days and a key opportunity to raise awareness, commemorate those who have passed on, and celebrate victories such as increased access to treatment and prevention services.

The Obama administration on Saturday marked World AIDS Day with optimism the fight against the disease can be won.

And John Boehner sees naked people… or so nude AIDS activists hoped when they, erm, exhibited their displeasure with possible Fiscal Cliff, er, Bluff budget cuts that could severely affect HIV/AIDS funding.

Despite the struggles, both past and present– physical, financial, and emotional– things are looking up. Think Progress lists five important advancements we’ve made over the past year. Please link over for details:

1. Increased access to HIV testing.
2. Improved coverage under Obamacare.
3. Better, simpler treatments for the virus.
4. Breakthroughs in HIV research.
5. Raised life expectancy for HIV-positive individuals.

And those are five wonderful reasons to declare this an official…

This post is dedicated to Tom Villard, with whom I had the pleasure to work and laugh:

Thomas Louis Villard grew up in Spencerport, New York. He has two brothers and one sister. After high school, Tom attended Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania for two years. After college, he moved to New York City. There he attended the Lee Strasberg Acting Studio and The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Tom moved to Los Angeles in 1980. During Tom’s film career, he landed roles in numerous films and television shows. Tom passed away on November 14, 1994, from AIDS related pneumonia.