LOVE FEST

 7TH ANNUAL LOVEFEST CELEBRATION
Event to Bring Awareness to Gay Men's Health and Well-Being Management

(Chicago, Illinois - August 10, 2011) - The Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus (CBGMC), will host the 7th Annual Lovefest Celebration on Sunday, August 28th from 12p - 8p at Jackson Park (63rd & Cornell Drive).  A free event, Lovesfest is designed to bring together the African-American LGBT community, more specifically gay and bisexual men, to bring awareness to health and wellness management.

"It's important that we continue to provide affirming environments where men can have access to health services," stated Ariq Cabbler, CBGMC Co-Chair.  The alarming new data presented by the CDC demonstrates that we [black gay and bisexual men] should not be celebrating but working even harder to stop the rapid spread of HIV in our community."

Sponsored by Vertex Sciences and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), Lovefest will be hosted by well-known female impersonator Ms. Ruff n' Stuff, feature food vendors, special performances by some of Chicago's best entertainers, youth performances, card tournaments, volleyball tournaments and a mini-ball competition.  The highlight of Lovefest is the Healthy is Sexy (H.I.S) Health Village where event patrons can get rapid testing for HIV/AIDS and other STIs, have access to highly skilled medical professionals and receive vital information to help manage their health.

"We are in a state of crisis," says Keith Green, CBGMC Co-Chair. This festival is an opportunity for the Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus to communicate to the Black MSM population the importance of taking control their health and that with our [CBGMC] assistance we can help to decrease these frightening numbers."