Marking 35 years since the first panels were stitched, a huge section of the iconic AIDS Memorial Quilt is going to be displayed at Golden Gate Park in June.
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Cleve Jones is responsible for stitching the first panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt 35 years ago.
"For my people, for LGBTQ people things have changed. When I first came out and realized I was gay it was illegal," Jones told KCBS Radio. "I am beginning to think that I am going to live long enough to see an actual cure."
New panels representing those who have died from the disease are added constantly, though not at the epidemic rate of a few years ago.
"And I have witnessed the whole progression of the science, the treatment and care and so I am very proud in what we have accomplished and I think the quilt helps in a very significant way," he said.
Gilead Sciences have been at the forefront of the AIDS fight. Alex Kalomparis, Senior Vice President of Gilead sciences said seeing the folded-up parts of the quilt is quite emotional.
"As an 18-year-old I went to 12 funerals. Now no 18-year-old should bury 12 of their friends, for me it’s personal," Kalomparis said.
Three thousand of the quilt's 50 thousand panels will go on display in Golden Gate Park, on the weekend of June 11th and 12th.
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