In honor of World AIDS Day and the ongoing fight to promote HIV prevention and treatment among high risk groups, the University of Chicago Medical Center will host a mini-ball with the legends and stars of the underground Chicago ball community.
Gay, transgender and bisexual contestants will compete against one another in the lobby of the School of Social Services Administration Friday, Dec. 2. Participants display their dance skills, costume, and attitude, similar to a runway show. In some events they are judged on the "realness" of their drag, in others on the beauty of their clothing and overall style. Each of the seven walk competition categories has a cash prize for the winner.
"Every category requires the creative integration of the AIDS ribbon, the color red, or latex," said Matt Richards, outreach program manager for pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Everyone at the ball will see their peer groups promoting safe sex and healthy behavior.
The group with the best table decoration on the theme "Most Creative Safe Sex Message" will also win $300. "The more over the top, the more likely you are to win," said Keith Green, co-director for the Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus and a co-sponsor for the event.
While hosting a ball may seem like an unusual move for a hospital, the University of Chicago Medical Center has a long history of creative approaches to addressing health disparities. Green and John Schneider, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine, came up with idea of hosting the mini-ball as a way to build bridges between the hospital and the GLBTQ community.
Schneider has advocated for new approaches to AIDS prevention. "We're not doing the typical academic thing for World AIDS Day this year"a panel of researchers talking about global AIDS and free AIDS testing. Unfortunately, there's no evidence that such events have any effect on HIV infection rates, and it is challenging to engage with community in this manner.. "This year, we want to collaborate and fully engage with the community," he said. "And we want to have some fun."
Schneider, an infectious diseases and global health researcher at the University of Chicago, pioneered the use of cell phone data to find the most vulnerable spots for HIV transmission in India. He is now researching how to track and reach at-risk men on the South Side of Chicago through Facebook.
The groups competing in this ball are at the invitation of the Legendary Father Mario Balenciaga, one of the leaders in the Chicago ball culture. DJ GucciRoxx will provide music, and Memphis 007 will emcee.
Richards is part of the Medical Center's Living Positively program, in which HIV+ young people act as advocates to others in their peer group who are at risk. "They help keep young people on their medication, go to the doctor with them, help them disclose their HIV status to their family, and advocate testing and prevention in the community," Richards said. "This is cutting edge behavioral intervention."
The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the walk competition is from 9 p.m. to midnight.