Are you hungry Nashville? Then grab a red marker and circle April 23 on your calendar. What may be an ordinary Tuesday to you is actually an extraordinary day for Nashville CARES as area restaurants join together and donate portions of their proceeds during Dining Out for Life.

For more than two decades, Dining Out for Life has set the table and become a continental force in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Sponsored by Subaru, Dining Out for Life estimates that more than 275,000 diners will dine in support and over $4 million dollars will be raised—money that stays in local communities.
 

Best known for her empowering female roles in the 70s including the iconic Foxy Brown as well as an inspiring turn on the Showtime hit The L Word, Pam Grier is just one of the national spokespersons for Dining Out for Life.

“I lost a hair stylist and a fashion designer,” Grier shared of her experiences with HIV/AIDS. “They kept it private because they thought it was a stigma and they couldn’t take what they thought could be rejection. It was heartbreaking.”

That heartbreak is part of the reason Grier signed on four years ago to work with Dining Out for Life. “There’s too much science for people to suffer. HIV is not going away; it’s growing and while there are people, thank god, living with it because of support—medical support and community support like Dining Out for Life—[HIV/AIDS infections] should be less.”

With HIV infections on the rise for segments of the GLBT population, Grier is passionate for not only the fight against HIV/AIDS but for the GLBT community at large. “It is important that we continue to educate the public on HIV/AIDS and the LGBT community, which is why I did The L Word so that I could understand and learn more about that community. And not just hearsay or from a few close friends but politically.”

“It hurts my heart that [LGBT people] can’t adopt children, get insurance policies and retirement for their spouses or visit them in the hospital or get married,” Grier said. Grier continues boldly with a prediction that she hopes will happen in her lifetime. “I see in the future a gay president of this country—maybe even a woman—who knows.”

No stranger to discrimination, Grier reflected upon her families’ struggle in the Jim Crow era and how she was unable to adopt a child or apply for a home loan not too long ago because she was a single woman. “It was crazy but these things were conquered by discourse and common sense.”

And there is no better place for that discourse than the dinner table. Dining Out for Life provides a forum for people to open up a dialogue about the virus that is destroying communities. While Dining Out for Life is set for April 23, Grier hopes that the discussion will continue daily. “Dining Out for Life should be every day.” We’ll eat to that.