POZ magazine, an award-winning print and online brand for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS, announced the fifth annual POZ 100 today, marking the publication's 200th issue. This year, in an effort to focus on the future, POZ asked individuals and organizations to nominate people under the age of 30 who are making a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
For over three decades, discourse surrounding HIV/AIDS has been crafted mostly by those who were already adults when the epidemic began. Since that time, a new generation has entered adulthood. In the words of POZ editor-in-chief Oriol Gutierrez, "This new generation of advocates is fighting HIV for a variety of reasons and are united by the common goal of finally putting an end to AIDS.
“We are thrilled to honor the work of all the advocates celebrating youth power on the 2014 POZ 100… and the hope they are giving all of us as we begin to see the possibility of a world without AIDS,” he concluded.
The 2014 list includes both people who are HIV-positive and people who are HIV negative. Honorees include youth activist Paige Rawl, TheBody.com community editor Mathew Rodriguez, Miss America 2010 Caressa Cameron-Jackson, and Grammy Award-winning hip hop artist Ryan Lewis. From the famous to the unsung heroes, all of the honorees are doing their part in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
To see this year's full list, go to poz.com/100. To support the honorees, trend #POZ100.