Glamour helps raise awareness at Europe's top AIDS ball

By Ivonne Marschall Nov 29, 2006, 5:27 GMT

Vienna - When on December 1 the world focuses for one day on HIV/AIDS and those suffering from the disease, a group in Vienna is up to their ears in preparations for the country's hottest party.

What this has to do with AIDS? Quite a lot.

At Vienna's Life Ball, Europe's largest annual AIDS charity, local politicians and international celebrities mix with 4,000 partygoers in the imposing city hall to collect money for charities in Austria and worldwide.

With their 15th ball, scheduled for May 26, 2007, organizers again hope to sensitize the public to the topic. 'On this day, we force Austria to look at AIDS,' said Klaus Vollmann, Life Ball press spokesman.

The Life Ball was dreamt up by Gerry Keszler, a gay-rights activist, who himself financed the first ball in 1993 together with a friend.

From those modest beginnings the event quickly grew into a full scale extravaganza, complete with fashion show and lavish costumes.

While at first nobody believed in the success of the venture, the Life Ball today is a highlight on Austria's social calendar.

Apart from collecting ever larger sums of money - from 160,000 euros (210,000 dollars) in 1994 to more than 1 million in 2006 - the ball helps raising awareness of the disease, Claudia Kuderna, head of AIDS Hilfe, Vienna's AIDS centre, said.

'The Life Ball is extremely important for us - half of the donations we receive are from this event alone,' she said.

A hallmark of the ball are outlandish costumes and the annual fashion show. Skimpy outfits leaving nothing to the imagination populate the sober halls of the huge neo-Gothic city hall for one night.

To say the ball is fancy dress certainly does not do justice to the creativity of the attendants. Not only TV and fashion celebrities, but also many 'ordinary' guests go out of their way in designing elaborate costumes.

There are wigs, leather, and body painting galore when Austria's gay community, together with straight friends, party the night away.

'If you are not prepared to take X-rated scenes in your stride, stay at home,' warned one faithful Viennese attendant.

Each year, international designers from Jean-Paul Gaultier to Donatella Versace present their creations with international and local celebrities strutting the catwalk for the good cause.

While all the glamour occasionally distracts from the cause, the coverage also helps to create sustainable effects, said Kurt Krickler, general secretary of HOSI, a large Austrian homosexual activist group.

Kuderna concurred: 'We had to fight with a massive loss of interest in the topic over the past few years. Apart from World Aids Day it is incredibly difficult to create attention. But with the Life Ball there is a second time in the year when we get attention.'

The Life Ball organizers are well aware that not all the media attention is focused on AIDS, but see the ball as a tool which can be used to transport the issue.

On this one evening in May, at least part of official Austria stores away its prejudices and goes out to party with the gay crowd at what is now Europe's largest annual AIDS charity event.

But not everyone seems to be equally welcome. While the event enjoyed the support of Vienna's social democrat mayors from day one, conservative or rightwing politicians are met with raised eyebrows.

'I think it is an impertinence to have people at the ball who are responsible for 'social AIDS' because of their discriminatory policies,' Krickler said. Even right-wingers exploit the enormous media attention, an act of 'incredible hypocrisy,' in Krickler's view.

But, no-one can be banned from buying a ticket, Life Ball press spokesman Vollmann said: 'We do not want to segregate anybody, even those who exclude others themselves. That would be counter- productive.'

Despite his activism, full-time organizer Keszler tries to stay away from politics and build bridges instead. For him, it was important to provoke without being destructive, he once said.

The Viennese, never averse to a good show, flock to the square in front of the city hall to watch the free-for-all fashion show. In 2006 more than 40,000 enjoyed the extravagant and sexy outfits, while the 4,000 ball tickets are usually gone within hours. Needless to say, a veritable black market for Life Ball tickets flourishes.

While a regular ticket costs 135 euro, the bargain priced so- called 'Style Ticket' is reserved for those who dress up.

It is no small wonder that some Austrians believe the Life Ball may soon replace Vienna's famous Opera Ball as the prime society event.

Austria's state-run tourist organisation hails the ball as a 'star-studded AIDS-charity event - one of the most spectacular queer parties in Europe,' but does it really help removing the social stigma of the infection?

Yes, says Claudia Kuderna. 'Celebrities supporting AIDS charities have made the topic socially acceptable. The ball is extremely important.'

Following a global trend, AIDS awareness and the readiness to take precautions are declining in Austria.

The first cases of HIV/AIDS occurred in the Alpine republic more than 20 years ago. Since then 1,429 persons died of AIDS-related causes.

Currently around 15,000 persons in Austria live with the virus. Every day one or two new infections are added to this number, and this tendency is increasing.

While still 79 per cent of the infected are male, infections among women are rising, as are infections via heterosexual contact. Of the 435 new infections in 2005, 42 per cent were due to heterosexual contact, statistics released by AIDS Hilfe said.

'It is our dream one day not having to do the Life Ball any more, because it won't be necessary any more,' Vollmann said.

Judging from the latest infection numbers, it will take a very long time for this dream to become true.