Red ribbons and World Aids Day

Earlier today I received the following e-mail:

Hi there GB,

Standing in Leadenhall Market at lunchtime waiting for my lunch companion, I was struck that I was the only person I saw wearing a red ribbon for World Aids Day. I wonder to what extent this is because people still interpret the red ribbon as a likely signifier that the wearer is gay, rather than that the wearer is simply a supporter of HIV/AIDS research and care? I must admit to being guilty of this myself, especially if it's a man wearing a red ribbon, which I guess is why I was watching for them today. I suppose if others are like me, then that's probably an inhibitor for people who might otherwise want to show their support for AIDS causes - whether they're gay or not - if they assume that they'll either be outing themselves or wrongly be assumed to be gay themselves.

What do you and others think? Has the red ribbon just become too overused? Is World Aids Day a cause that people are embarrassed to support (or don't know about in advance)? Or is the red ribbon still assumed to be a coded gay identifier? Are there gay men in the City or elsewhere reading your blog who thought about wearing it but decided against it?

Interested... I would have expected to see a few more ribbons today.

A reader

For my part, I've known from the outset that the red ribbon isn't meant to be a gay male symbol. But in practice, I think it probably is. I've also known for ages that 1st December is World Aids Day, because it coincides with a family anniversary so I had reason to remember what is associated with that date.

But I hadn't occurred to me until I got this e-mail that one should wear a red ribbon on World Aids Day in the same way that one wears a red poppy on Armistice day. I do occasionally support these charitable causes with donations, but perhaps it would help if I also supported them visibly too.

Do any readers have any thoughts on this subject?