Celebrating “Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS” During World AIDS Month

December 16, 2022
TOMMY

Every year, the world honors the victims and survivors of the global AIDS epidemic in the month of December, which is World AIDS Month, with December 1st being World AIDS Day. One of the best and biggest fundraisers every year is Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA), which brings together the stars of Broadway to help raise money for AIDS research and support. At the end of every show for the next few weeks, the cast of each show asks for donations where they'll have people holding their now-iconic red buckets for help.

In addition to the "Red Buckets," the cast will auction off props and wardrobe pieces to the highest bidder. One show that has been making the biggest dent this season has undoubtedly been The Music Man starring Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster. That came to a huge head recently when Jackman's longtime friend, colleague, and fellow-Aussie Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman surprised Jackman and the audience alike by bidding a whopping $100,000 to the auction to win the hat Hugh has worn throughout the run of the show. In the video below, you can see an absolutely stunned Jackman and an audience go absolutely batshit when they realize what was happening.

One of the biggest events the organization holds every year is "Broadway Bares" which happens every June at New York's iconic Hammerstein Ballroom, and brings together the hottest stars of Broadway to dance almost completely naked and to rake in the donation dollars while doing so. Last year, Broadway Bares raised almost $1.9 million, and in 2019 the event raised over $2 million! The event is one of the biggest nights in the industry and has some of the most holy shit sexy dancers in the world doing their thing for a great cause. Here's the opening number from this year's Broadway Bares.

Only if you've got the means to do so at the moment, we encourage you to donate to an organization that supports victims and survivors of the AIDS epidemic. As we're so regularly reminded, we have to fight for ourselves more times than not, and organizations like BC/EFA are a great way to keep fighting for our fam. Here is a link to donate this holiday season.