Actress recognized for her work in HIV advocacy

You might recognize actress Kathy Najimy from her role in Hocus Pocus, a cult classic.  Najimy has also starred in Sister Act, Veep, Inside Amy Schumer and many more movies, shows and plays.

What you might not know is that Najimy has been an advocate on behalf of LGBT+ men’s health for 30 years.

She initially took up interest in this type of advocacy after viewing a production at Theatre Rhinoceros, an LGBT theater company in San Francisco, in the early 1980s.

“The realization [of HIV] started then, and it was devastating,” Najimy said in an interview with the Advocate. “I had friends dying every week. When [Gaffney] and I arrived in New York City around ’84 or ’85, the good thing was that at least AIDS was being talked about.”

This coming Monday, Najimy will be honored for her time as an advocate by the Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC) with a Howard Ashman Award.

“Kathy Najimy is a true force of nature as a performer, and she has been an indispensable ally to the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities for decades,” stated GMHC CEO Kelsey Louie.

Copyright The Gayly - 9/17/2017 2:25 p.m CST