Now in our 10th year!
Founded in 2013 by activists living with HIV, Let’s Kick ASS—AIDS Survivor Syndrome is the first organization by, for and about HIV long-term survivors.
MISSION
Our mission is our name, Let’s Kick ASS—AIDS Survivor Syndrome. We were founded to combat AIDS Survivor Syndrome by empowering HIV Long-Term Survivors to thrive through connection, reengagement, and mobilization to foster change that prioritizes and enhances our quality of life. Since 2013, we’ve made an impact by putting survivors on the agenda, but we have much more to do.
VISION
We envision a world where AIDS survivors lived experiences are valued, our resilience is celebrated, and well-being is the highest priority. To be part of a community where we are essential members of the tribe, surrounded by connected friends and families of our choosing, and aging is a time to flourish.
Founded in 2013 by, for, and about HIV long-term survivors, Let’s Kick ASS addresses an unmet need — the present-day psychosocial ramifications of living in the aftermath of the early AIDS pandemic.
We advocate for the needs and issues facing HIV long-term survivors. We collaborate with local and national HIV advocates, providers and researchers.
We are an all-volunteer, grassroots movement united in compassion, committed to action, and insisting on visibility. Ending isolation and envisioning a future we never imagined we’d live in.
Our approach is radically simple. We listen to HIV long-term survivors for their input, experiences, challenges and insights. We believe change happens from the ground up (grassroots) and that the voices of survivors and Older Adults with HIV must be integral to the programs and policies that directly affect our lives. “Nothing about us, without us.”
Who Are HIV Long-Term Survivors?
Pre-HAART LTS — Longest term survivors are individuals who acquired HIV before 1996 with the introduction of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART). From 1981 until 1996 when being HIV-positive was considered a death sentence.
Perinatal HIV LTS—Individuals born with HIV or who acquired the virus as babies who are now in their thirties.
Post-HAART LTS — those who tested past 1996 and living with HIV for over ten years.
HIV-Negative LTS — There are long-term survivors of a different stripe. They are the survivors who remain HIV-negative. They were lovers, caretakers, and frontline healthcare workers. They were lesbians who stepped in to take care of people with HIV and AIDS. They too suffered enormous losses.
