As part of Pride, we’re also taking a look back at our own origins – our first ever documentary from 1998, hosted by gay icon and pop superstar George Michael. ‘Staying Alive’ which followed young people who were brave enough to speak out about their experiences with HIV and AIDS – and you can check out the Emmy award-winning documentary for free here:

In 1998, HIV was still a taboo topic, and those with a positive diagnosis were rarely given the opportunity to speak of their experiences in their own voice. We saw that young people were not only being hugely affected by HIV but that they were the key to tackling it, and we’ve spent every day since them investing in them. George’s contributions to this documentary were essential to raising the profile of our work and gave us an incredible launchpad to start our work from. Since then, we’ve also worked closely with the Goss-Michael Foundation to raise millions of dollars in support of our HIV prevention work with MTV RE:DEFINE- our star-studded art show in Dallas.

MTV Staying Alive simply wouldn’t be were we are today without George Michael, his generous support and shared vision for a world without HIV/AIDS.