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City of West Hollywood Celebrates the Grand Opening of ‘STORIES: The AIDS Monument’
November 07, 2025
The City of West Hollywood and the Foundation for The AIDS Monument will unveil STORIES: The AIDS Monument in a free ceremony beginning at 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 16, 2025 at the outdoor plaza of the Pacific Design Center, located at 750 N. San Vicente Boulevard, directly across the street from the 7,000-square-foot outdoor installation located in West Hollywood Park. The program will include musical performances by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles and Jake Wesley Rogers as well as remarks from distinguished leaders in HIV/AIDS advocacy. RSVP is encouraged at https://aidsmonument.eventbrite.com.
The ceremony will honor the lives lost to AIDS as well as the survivors living with HIV, protestors, caregivers, activists, researchers, medical professionals, and community leaders who took action during one of the most devastating public health crises in history. STORIES: The AIDS Monument remembers those we lost and those who survived, the protests and the vigils; celebrates those who stepped up when others stepped away; and educates current and future generations about the lessons learned.
“The AIDS Monument is a deep and meaningful way to honor the countless lives forever lost or touched by HIV and AIDS and to lift their stories,” said City of West Hollywood Mayor Chelsea Lee Byers. “It is the embodiment of friends, lovers, activists, and visionaries who shaped West Hollywood with their courage and compassion. It is the expression of activists, researchers, and caregivers who never stopped fighting even while facing unspeakable loss. The AIDS Monument stands as a powerful reminder that remembrance is not passive; instead, it calls us to action. In West Hollywood, we carry forward the legacy of care, advocacy, and love that has defined West Hollywood since the earliest days of the epidemic. This monument tells our beautiful stories: of resilience, of remembrance, and of a promise that no one will be forgotten.”
Immediately following the ceremony, guests are invited to tour STORIES: The AIDS Monument, located in West Hollywood Park (647 N. San Vicente Boulevard) and attend a celebratory reception at The Abbey Food & Bar, located at 692 N. Robertson Boulevard, beginning at 5:45 p.m. The Abbey is a short walk west from the AIDS Monument through West Hollywood Park.
Located on the east side of West Hollywood Park, The AIDS Monument was designed by a man living with HIV, Australian artist Daniel Tobin of Urban Art Projects. The 7,000-square-foot installation features 147 bronze pillars — called Traces — standing 13 feet high. Thirty of these Traces are engraved with words representing themes in the Hear Our STORIES collection, an archive of more than 125 personal oral histories about living through and surviving the HIV/AIDS epidemic. At dusk, illumination at the top of the Traces evokes the candlelight vigils that united communities in mourning and resilience. For more information about the Foundation for the AIDS Monument (FAM) and to listen to the STORIES of the courageous activists, caregivers, and community leaders that inspired the AIDS Monument, please visit www.aidsmonument.org.
First identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1981, AIDS-related illnesses haves claimed the lives of tens of millions globally, including more than 700,000 Americans and nearly 100,000 Californians. At the epidemic’s peak in the early to mid-1990s, AIDS was the leading cause of death for U.S. men aged 25-44. Despite progress, the epidemic is not over: the U.S. reports 31,000-35,000 new HIV infections each year, and approximately 5,000 deaths still occur annually. While medical advancements have transformed HIV into a preventable disease and manageable condition for many, health inequities persist as Black, Latino and Trans communities continue to be disproportionately affected.
The onset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic had a significant impact in West Hollywood. The disease’s elevated infection rate among gay men caused a devastatingly high number of deaths in the City. Since its founding in 1984, the City of West Hollywood has been a national leader in responding to the HIV/AIDS crisis through advocacy, compassion, and innovation. As one of the first cities in the United States to take municipal action on AIDS, West Hollywood launched early awareness campaigns, funded local HIV service providers, and established comprehensive social programs addressing medical care, mental health, housing, and daily living needs for people living with HIV. Over the decades, the City’s commitment has grown to include memorial projects such as the West Hollywood AIDS Memorial Walk and the forthcoming STORIES: The AIDS Monument, ensuring that the lives lost and the activism that shaped the community are honored and remembered.
Today, West Hollywood continues its leadership with the “HIV Zero” initiative, working toward eliminating new infections, ensuring access to care, and reducing stigma. Through sustained partnerships, education, and advocacy, the City remains a model of compassionate public health leadership and a lasting symbol of resilience born from the AIDS crisis.
For more information, please contact Kevin Walther at the Foundation for the AIDS Monument at kevin.walther@ledecompany.com or (215) 285-4272. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing dial 711 or 1-800-735-2929 (TTY) or 1-800-735-2922 (voice) for California Relay Service (CRS) assistance.
For up-to-date information about City of West Hollywood news and events, follow @wehocity on social media, sign-up for news updates at www.weho.org/email, and visit the City’s calendar of meetings and events at www.weho.org/calendar. West Hollywood City Hall is open for walk-in services at public counters or by appointment by visiting www.weho.org/appointments. City Hall services are accessible by phone at (323) 848-6400 and via website at www.weho.org. Receive text updates by texting “WeHo” to (323) 848-5000.
For reporters and members of the media seeking additional information about the City of West Hollywood, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Public Information Officer, Sheri A. Lunn, at (323) 848-6391 or slunn@weho.org.
Contact
Sheri Lunn
SLunn@weho.org
City of West Hollywood
Source: City of West Hollywood
https://www.weho.org/Home/Components/News/News/11928/
"Reproduced with permission - City of West Hollywood"
City of West Hollywood
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