Otis Morgan a gay nurse from San Francisco is one of 3000 cyclists in taking part again in the AIDS/LifeCycle from his hometown to Los Angeles. The ride is 545 miles and takes seven days and a helluva lot of stamina. Over the past eight years, he has raised a total of over $150,000 for the cause benefits the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
Four years ago, Morgan wondered if there was a creative way to help fund-raise for the bicycle ride, and that’s when he hit on the idea of doing a movie musical parody. First year he did Grease, followed by Xanadu, then Mary Poppins and this year he decided he wanted to play Julie Andrews. ‘Do Re Mi from Sound of Music was always a dream video because it is so well known and iconic,’ Morgan said. Thankfully, a fellow singer from the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus volunteered his time to sew curtain costumes.
‘The ride has absolutely educated and helped relieve the fear [of catching HIV]’ Morgan added, adding he has been PrEP for the past three years. ‘The goal is to end transmission of the disease with zero new HIV infections’.
You can donate to AIDS/LifeCycle by going on Morgan’s fund-raising page here.
Labels: 2018, Aids, culture, Fundraiser, music video, parody
