DAP COVID Report Shows Impact of Support 

Weekend Wrap Message – Saturday, November 21, 2020, from David Brinkman, Desert AIDS Project CEO

After-Dark Event Raised Funds and Evoked Origins of DAP   

This community raised $6,000 in the first hour as it shopped last Sunday for all things leather at the Revivals After Dark Back Alley Event.   

Volunteers worked to make the event safe, so that everyone attending could focus on finding incredible deals on a variety of leather clothing, plus accessories, erotic art and literature. These items are donated to Revivals Stores throughout the year and put aside for this special event.  

Hosting the event outdoors was the right thing to do for safety, and it also created an urban feel that was enhanced with upbeat music as people shopped. And because mental health advocacy requires a community approach, we co-sponsored this pop-up event to support work by Charlie Harding, Mr. Palm Springs Leather 2020, and his organization.  

The alley has a very special significance to DAP.   

Decades ago in an office above, a group of off-duty medical professionals would meet AIDS patients at night to administer treatments in an era when HIV was still a mystery and conventional healthcare providers in the area were forbidden from treating people with AIDS. This was the beginning of Desert AIDS Project. You can read more here. 

DAP COVID Report Shows Impact of Support 

COVID has increased the need for DAP Health Center, especially as new cases of HIV and STIs emerge, and the economy forces more people to lose access to their primary care. We knew trouble was in store as news of COVID emerged last winter, but nothing could prepare us for what came next. Because the community stood up for DAP, today we continue to respond to the damage COVID is causing to public health in our Valley. You can read our 2020 Community Impact Report Our COVID Response here.