Candlelight Memorial services, held annually to remember those lost to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, will be held in just two centres this year, continuing a trend which has seen the number of services around the country dwindling. Confirmed remembrance services will be held in Wellington and Auckland on Sunday, May 21st. Most of those who died due to HIV, which was frequently a fatal infection until the development of effective suppression medications in more recent times, were gay and bisexual men. In the past Candlelight Memorials have been also held in centres such as Hamilton, Tauranga and Christchurch. Prior to that Dunedin, Palmerston North and Whangarei were among provincial centres in which such services were also held. People in centres other than Wellington and Auckland offering to hold additional gatherings on May 21 can contact the coordinators of the service, Body Positive, here.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Thursday, 4th May 2017 - 9:06pm