Press Room
AIDS/LifeCycle is a fully-supported, seven-day bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It’s a life-changing ride—not a race—through some of California’s most beautiful countryside. AIDS/LifeCycle is co-produced by the Los Angeles LGBT Center and San Francisco AIDS Foundation and is designed to advance their shared interest to reduce new HIV infections and improve the quality of life for people living with HIV and AIDS.
Contact
Bella Mungioli (they/them)
Communications Manager | San Francisco AIDS Foundation
bmungioli@sfaf.org
+1 (631) 365-2243
HIV and AIDS Facts
In San Francisco
- San Francisco has an estimated 15,811 people living with HIV. San Francisco has one of the largest populations of people living with HIV in the United States. The city represents 2% of California’s total population, but is home to 11% of its HIV-positive population.
- Of the total number of San Franciscans living with HIV, 8,950 were living with AIDS at the end of 2020. AIDS is a late stage of HIV disease defined by a low count of CD4 cells.
- Men who have sex with men of all ages and ethnicities continue to be significantly affected by HIV: Nearly 86% of people living with HIV in San Francisco are gay and bisexual men and 70% of new HIV diagnoses are among gay and bisexual men.
- More than a quarter (30%) of people living with HIV have not achieved viral suppression, a level of the virus so low that it is undetectable and nearly impossible to transmit. Nearly a third (28%) are not retained in care.
- Black communities are disproportionately represented among new HIV diagnoses: While Black San Franciscans are only 5.6% of the city's population, they represented 21% of new HIV diagnoses in 2020.
- Of all new HIV diagnoses, transgender women represent almost 4% of new cases. 38% of trans women newly diagnosed were between 13-29 years old.
- The Latinx community represents 37% of all new diagnoses in San Francisco.
- Deaths from AIDS-related causes have declined dramatically as a result of effective treatment and adherence. In 2019, 70 people died from AIDS-related causes. Since the beginning of the epidemic, the city has lost 22,042 people to the disease. At its peak in 1992, the city lost 2,331 people.
In Los Angeles
- More than 57,000 people are living with HIV in Los Angeles County. A majority of the people living with HIV in the county are male (85%) and/or Latinx (40%).
- 84% of new diagnoses were among gay and bisexual men.
- 66% of new diagnoses were among people between the ages of 20-39.
- 49% of new diagnoses were among Latinx people.
- Black communities are nearly four times more likely to test positive for HIV compared to Caucasians.
- The Hollywood-Wilshire district in Los Angeles, which includes the city of West Hollywood, has the highest rate of people living with HIV in the county.
- 60% of people living with HIV in the county are virally suppressed (i.e., their viral loads have reached an undetectable level).
In California
- More than 139,000 people are living with HIV.
- Beginning in 2017, more than 4000 people are diagnosed with HIV each year.
- 70% of all HIV diagnoses occur among gay or bisexual men.
- Since 2011, there has been a steady increase in the number of HIV diagnoses among transgender people.
- Black communities account for nearly 17% of those living with HIV.
- Latinx people account for over 38% of those living with HIV—a percentage that has grown since 2011.
- Nearly half of all Californians living with HIV reside in Los Angeles County or the San Francisco Bay Area.
About the Los Angeles LGBT Center
Since 1969 the Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBT individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond. Today the Center's nearly 800 employees provide services for more LGBT people than any other organization in the world, offering programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories: Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, Leadership and Advocacy. We are an unstoppable force in the fight against bigotry and the struggle to build a better world; a world in which LGBT people thrive as healthy, equal, and complete members of society. Learn more at lalgbtcenter.org.
About San Francisco AIDS Foundation
San Francisco AIDS Foundation promotes health, wellness, and social justice for communities most impacted by HIV, through sexual health and substance use services, advocacy, and community partnerships. Ultimately, we strive for a day when: race is not a barrier to health and wellness; substance use is not stigmatized; HIV status does not determine quality of life; and HIV transmission is eliminated. Learn more at sfaf.org.